The anonymous victim in the highly publicized Stanford rape case explained on Tuesday why she wants to remain nameless even after the conviction of her rapist, Brock Turner.
Frank Somerville, an anchor at Stanford's Fox affiliate station KTVU, got a quote from the victim via her attorney.
I remain anonymous, yes to protect my identity.
But it is also a statement, that all of these people are fighting for someone they don't know.
That's the beauty of it. I don't need labels, categories, to prove I am worthy of respect, to prove that I should be listened to.
I am coming out to you as simply a woman wanting to be heard.
Yes there is plenty more I'd like to tell you about me.
For now, I am every woman.
In recent days, there has been massive uproar nationwide after Turner received only six months out of a possible fourteen year jail sentence. A petition calling for the ouster of the case's judge, Aaron Persky, has received hundreds of thousands of signatures. Turner's father Dan Turner is also caught up in controversy for writing a letter that describes his son's sexual assault as "twenty minutes of action" — a characterization for which he later apologized.
“My words have been misinterpreted by people,” he told The Huffington Post. “What I meant with that comment is a 20 minute period of time. I was not referring to sexual activity by the word ‘action.’ It was an unfortunate choice of words and I did not mean to be disrespectful or offensive to anyone.”
