Here’s some context: The Ohio rape case the poets refer to is the Steubenville rape case, in which two star football players, Ma’Lik Richmond and Trent Mays, were found guilty of raping a 16-year-old female classmate. Right after the verdict was announced, Ma’Lik apologized in court for what he had done. One of the most controversial media responses to the verdict was from CNN, which had a segment where the anchors showed sympathy for the two boys and wondered about their “promising futures.”
Note! I know this video uses female pronouns when referring to victims and male pronouns when referring to rapists. While it’s common for rape victims to be female and rapists to be male, it’s important to note that anyone of any gender can be a victim *or* a rapist. While this content isn’t gender-neutral, it’s still important despite this oversight. OK. Carry on!
