Republican lawmaker Myra Crownover, speaking at a Texas House Higher Education Committee meeting Wednesday, addressed the subject of sexual assault on college campuses. Crownover's take was not a good one. Via the Dallas Morning News:
“I was listening for mention of drug or alcohol abuse and, you know, I think those two conversations are so intertwined. I would be curious to see how may times a pure, sober sexual assault happened. And I think that’s something we need to talk about. The two are so intertwined, I don’t see talking about one without talking about the other,” Myra Crownover, R-Denton, said during a House Committee on Higher Education discussion on college sexual assault.
She added, “I think it’s very intertwined, and that needs to be in every conversation, practically. The best chance is being sober.”
"The best chance is being sober."
As Sharon Grigsby wrote in a follow-up blog post for the Morning News, a woman clearly isn't responsible for her sexual assault just because she makes the choice to drink alcohol.
People, understandably, were upset on the internet following Crownover's remarks:
The Morning News references a recent University of Texas-Austin study that says 18.5% of the female student body surveyed said their sexual assault occurred while "incapacitated."
Michael Rosen is a reporter for Fusion based out of Oakland.