Betsy DeVos, Educational secretary, is changing the way universities investigate sexual assault. Christina Hoff Sommers, scholar and author of “The War against Boys” and “Who Stole Feminism?” gave her opinion on how the term ‘victim feminism’ exaggerates the sexual assault problem.
Sommers believe that the previous model does not work. She believes that the presumption of innocence has been replaced by ‘guilty because accused’. She mentioned that many college students experience sexual assault and have been subjected to campus rape tribunals. The establish due process is not correct.
According to Sommers, both parties should be fully informed of the process and should be given the opportunity to question the legitimacy of the process. Sommers believe that equity feminism is about equality as a whole – to treat women the same way as men with respect and dignity.
Sommer mentioned that feminism has been replaced in colleges as the ‘fainting couch feminism’, which depicts women as fragile creatures that can be easily traumatized. She also said that rape culture exists due to the infantilized view of women. And the new meaning given to feminism just enlarges this concept.
The author also declared that rape is a serious crime and should go to the police and courts rather than judicial systems in colleges and universities where students are found guilty on mere preponderance of evidence.