Something really bothering me around the OUR/QAnon CSA discourse is how it diverts attention away from the most common forms of abuse. Your pre-teen isn't gonna be kidnapped by a deranged Hollywood mogul, but she probably is experiencing sexual abuse every day from her peers.

I can't think of a single girl I know who wasn't sexually harassed or assaulted in middle school. I was a "good girl" who didn't date or drink or anything and that changed nothing. I was still spanked, groped, stalked, and harassed by guys at my school.

And most teachers didn't care. Some encouraged it. My fave teacher in MS would frequently "ship" his students and tease them in front of the whole class, which in hindsight was hella creepy.

And so many friends' experiences were much worse. I knew at least 4 girls who at 12-13 were dating 16-17 yr old guys who groomed & abused them. Just a few years ago I ran into a guy at a party who claimed he had raped almost every girl at our middle school by getting them drunk.

Preteen and teen girls are constantly exploited by the boys around them and most adults don't do SHIT.

My experiences were over a decade ago, and I wouldn't be surprised if things are even worse now.

How do we protect girls?

Spoiler alert: cancelling Netflix isn't gonna do it. Parents need to talk abt & model consent. Schools need to cut the crap & actually punish behavior.

And yes, we need to rethink our culture that tells girls they need to be desired by men to be cool or pretty.