‘I love consensual sex!’ T-shirts and strobe lights, sexual assault prevention literature and live DJs, rape whistles and a packed dance floor: Indigo has it all this weekend.
For the eighth year in a row, the 112 W. College Ave. nightclub will collaborate with the Centre County Women’s Resource Center to connect with men and women alike on sexual abuse awareness and education. Patrons can talk to representatives and pick up some accessories until 2 a.m. on Wednesday through Sunday.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and every year Indigo plays host to the culminating event. Offered in a casual setting, it educates patrons on understanding the signs of abuse, recognizing an abuser, and learning what they can do, whether they are directly affected or know someone who has been targeted.
The Women’s Resource Center offers training to Indigo staff members that teaches them how to recognize perpetrators and what action to take. Staff members will don the ‘I love consensual sex!’ t-shirts, which patrons can also buy. Proceeds support the Women’s Resource Center.
Besty VanNoy, training coordinator for the Women’s Resource Center, said too often, women don’t even realize, or can’t acknowledge that they have been abused until the facts are presented. She has seen people make that realization during awareness week at Indigo, she said.
In hosting the event, Indigo also sheds light on the fact that alcohol is a regular player in sexual assault, as the club only promotes responsible drinking.
‘Sexual assault is one of the most misunderstood crimes, and leaves people asking the wrong questions,’ VanNoy said. It’s also the most underreported crime, which makes promoting education and awareness that much more important on a campus of 40,000 undergraduates.
Too often, the victim shoulders blame for the crime, VanNoy said, as she will reprimand herself for what she wore, or how much she drank. The threat of being forever stuck with the stigma that comes with being a victim of abuse scares people away from reporting as well, she said.
Men’s voices are extremely powerful when it comes to stopping abuse, and from being a deterrent to another male who could be a potential attacker or simply telling a woman, ‘this is not your fault,’ they can make a big difference.
Michael Desmond, owner of Hotel State College – by which Indigo is operated – said he wants to see the event eventually be a year-round effort by all of the bars in downtown State College. The issue is too important for them to keep it to themselves, he said.
More information is available via the Women’s Resource Center website.
