On Monday, a group of protestors arrived at the office of Sen. Jeff Sessions' with a simple message. According to the Huffington Post, they wanted the Alabama senator, who President-elect Donald Trump is appointing as attorney general, to know the definition of sexual assault. The protestors themselves were a group of women who are survivors of both sexual assault and rape.
“We do not trust Sen. Jeff Sessions to tackle the epidemic of rape,” Sophie, a sexual assault survivor and protestor, told the Huffington Post. “If Jeff Sessions doesn’t know the definition of sexual assault, he should withdraw his name from nomination.”
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Women's groups from around the country have taken Sessions to task for his opinion that Trump's comment about grabbing a woman's genitals without consent did not constitute as sexual assault. In 2013, Sessions voted against the Violence Against Women Act. The protestors at Sessions' office arrived with a poster with the definition of sexual assault as outlined by the Department of Justice.
The protest was organized by women's advocacy group UltraViolet. The organization has already collected over 100,000 signatures and is ready to submit them to the Senate Judiciary Committee in hopes that it will reject Sessions' appointment.
“The role of Attorney General requires a demonstrated commitment to providing equal protection under the law — particularly to people who face discrimination because of their race, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or other identities,” The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence wrote in a statement. “Senator Sessions’ history leads us to question whether he will vigorously seek to ensure that all victims and survivors of gender-based violence, particularly vulnerable populations and those at the margins of society, have access to vitally needed services and legal protections.”