Alcohol does not make you a rapist

It seems that everyone has an opinion on the Ballinger case, and Tompkins County District Attorney Gwen Wilkinson is no different. While talking to ABC News Now, Wilkinson said, “What I see over and over again…is the underage drinking on campuses that so often create an environment where violence, sexual assault and other things that happen in a thoughtless moment ruin people’s lives forever.” Wilkinson went on to note that she considers alcohol “one of the largest contributing factors” in sexual assault cases.

Wilkinson isn’t the only one with this belief. In a leaked email originally sent to students of Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School, his old school, regarding the case, Dean Sue Kilmer allegedly wrote: “I suspect that eventually, we will learn that alcohol and/or weed or other drugs played a role.”

So, let’s break these two statements down.

First, the DA’s comments. Wilkinson implies that underage drinking is responsible for the creation of a microcosm where sexual assault is more common and creates a culture more prone to physical and sexual violence.

Dean Kilmer insinuated something quite similar, suggesting the alleged assault would not have happened if not for the presence of alcohol “and/or weed or other drugs”.

Now, research has shown that there are several elements of drinking that can, in fact, contribute to sexual assault rates. Inhibitions are lowered by alcohol consumption, and such consumption has been linked to male misperceptions of their partner’s sexual interest as well as their own. Others have argued that reduced cognitive abilities due to intoxication are also at play, as they could cause one to miss social cues and risk indicators.

However, drinking and sexual assault aren’t linked causally. In fact, no direct causal relationship between alcohol consumption and sexual assault has been documented. In an analysis of current literature, 30-75% of perpetrators indicate that they drank alcohol before committing sexual assault, a huge variation that only further obscures the issue at hand. Essentially, we don’t know what the relationship is between alcohol and sexual assault. While it is undeniable that there is some relationship, it is not clear that drinking causes sexual assault.

Try not to be too shocked.

However, there are more factors at play here. A 2006 study of male fraternity members says: “Participants described ambiguity in the definition of consent when alcohol was involved. Participants were uncomfortable with requesting consent before sexual intimacy.” Clearly the recent IFC-mandated consent education for fraternity members was well-warranted.

Additionally, other studies have found intoxicated perpetrators of rape are perceived as less responsible for their actions than sober perpetrators. So arguably, the male fraternity members who were so confused by the concept of consent where alcohol was concerned will then not be held fully responsible for their actions, possibly even justifying them. Chillingly, according to a 2015 finding, perpetrators of sexual assault who can justify their behaviors are at increased risk to do it again.

The problem here isn’t drinking. The problem is that the attitudes that surround the relationship between alcohol and consent. Whether it’s the initial confusion regarding consent or the excuses made after the fact, the problem here is a lack of accountability.

We hold people accountable for drunk driving. We hold people accountable for hurtful words uttered while drunk. We hold people accountable for eating their roommate’s food while drunk. We should be holding perpetrators fully accountable for deeming another’s right to consent less important than their own gratification. 

It’s unclear whether or not Ballinger is guilty. He is presumed innocent until found otherwise by a court of law, and he hasn’t had his fair trial yet. But what is clear is that DA Wilkinson should not even be insinuating that alcohol is so intimately involved. There is no evidence of that as of yet, and the implications in the public eye are damaging to her case.