No, she didn’t ‘ask for it.’ Why Kentucky schools should teach kids about sexual consent.

The furor surrounding a Supreme Court nominee has brought “slut shaming” and the “she asked for it” defense of rape back into view — even for a brief while on the social media posts of a Berea City Council member and a candidate for magistrate in Madison County.

Berea councilman Jerry Little and candidate Billy Ray Hughes quickly removed the offensive posts and apologized last week once they began attracting criticism, reports the Richmond Register.

Little, who is running for re-election, said his wife, not he, posted the meme on his Facebook page. It showed a woman surrounded by bottles face-planting out of a vehicle, her clothes askew, accompanied by the text “Kavanaugh Accuser Arrives for Testimony.”

Hughes posted a photo of two women, legs sprawled, and the caption “36 years ago at the party.”

Similar sentiments and images are easy to find elsewhere on social media and, no doubt, reflect the way many people think.

So, though the following should be widely understood in 2018, let’s just say, for the record:

No level of intoxication, no state of dress or undress “invites” rape.

“Boys will be boys” justifies nothing.

Unconsciousness is not an invitation to sex. (See Bill Cosby.)

No victim of any age or gender “asks for it.”

Denigrating women and victims is no defense.

Most sexual assaults — an estimated 63 percent — are never reported in part because victims fear being blamed and shamed.

Whether you believe Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s or Christine Blasey Ford’s version of what happened at a party when they were teenagers, nothing justifies shaming victims.

False accusations do occur but the prevalence of false sexual assault accusations is low, about the same as for other felonies.

Instead of reenforcing misogynist stereotypes, adults should teach young people the importance of consent and respect. Lawmakers have made abstinence a mandatory part of sex education in Kentucky. They could better serve their young constituents by making sure their schools are teaching them about consent and the difference between healthy and unhealthy sexual behaviors.

This story was originally published October 2, 2018 at 6:53 PM.