Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel found herself moved to tears after a tour of LACASA Center on a day established to show support for victims of sexual assault.
“I kind of want to quit my day job and work here,” she said.
Nessel requested to tour LACASA on International Denim Day, which began after the Italian Supreme Court overturned a rape conviction because the justices felt that since the victim was wearing tight jeans she had to have assisted her rapist by helping remove them, implying consent. The next day, the women serving in the Italian Parliament wore jeans to show solidarity with the victim, and International Denim Day developed from there, growing into the longest-running sexual violence prevention and education campaign in history.
After her tour, LACASA President Bobette Schrandt presented Nessel with the organization’s Changemaker Award for her work on behalf of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as on LGBTQ issues, and as a founder of the Fair Michigan Foundation, a nonprofit that investigates and prosecutes hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Fair Michigan Foundation has a 100% conviction rate on dozens of capital offenses it’s investigated and prosecuted surrounding gender-related sexual assault, child abuse, and homicides.
As she presented Nessel with the Changemaker Award, Schrandt thanked her for choosing to visit and tour LACASA on International Denim Day.
“We want to commemorate this historic occasion for LACASA by recognizing your tireless work on behalf of victims and survivors of child abuse and interpersonal violence,” Schrandt said. “Thank you for supporting small — but mighty — organizations like ours, and for pursing justice for abuse victims and survivors throughout Michigan.”
During remarks, Nessel asked whether she was in state Sen. Lana Theis’ district.
Theis recently gained notoriety for giving an invocation on the floor of the Michigan Senate in which she said children are “under attack from forces that desire things for them other than what their parents would have them see and hear and know,” and then following it up with a fundraising email that insinuated state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, D-Royal Oak — who walked out of Theis’ invocation in protest — was frustrated because she couldn’t “groom” and “sexualize kindergartners.”
Theis was also a sponsor of a bill last year to ban high school transgender athletes from playing under the gender with which they identify.
“I think I’m in Lana Theis’ district, right?” Nessel said. “I want to say how important it is when we talk about certain things that you can’t say in a classroom.”
Nessel said that if teachers and students can’t talk about anything sexual, they can’t talk about how to prevent abuse. “(Children) don’t know the names of their body parts, which is a big deal,” she said. “They don’t know what’s appropriate or not appropriate.”
That’s what makes education so important, Nessel said, referencing the “Don’t Say Gay” bills being adopted in other states.
“If we are going to tell teachers that they can’t talk about the following subjects, it is going to affect your ability to convey this information.”
Children need to learn how to advocate for themselves, how to stand up if they’re being abused, Nessel said, and it’s important that they receive this education at a young age.
“Senator (Theis) … let’s make sure that whatever we’re doing, we’re ensuring that children can be taught to protect themselves,” Nessel said. “And if you really care about the health, safety and well-being — both physically and emotionally — of children, we have to give them the proper education to protect themselves.”
Photos by Will Stuart
