Brock Turner is 21 years old.
Brock Turner is from Dayton, Ohio.
Brock Turner is a former student of Stanford University.
Brock Turner is a former member of the Stanford University swim team.
Brock Turner has been featured in major news outlets all over the USA.
Brock Turner is a familiar name to people all over the world due to this news coverage.
Brock Turner is the sexual predator whose actions have incited thousands of conversations about rape culture in America.
Brock Turner is no longer in jail, having been released after a mere three months for “good behavior.”
Brock Turner was sentenced to serve a pitiful six months in jail, thanks to the lenience of Judge Aaron Persky.
Brock Turner is a sex offender.
That last one is the most important one for people to remember as the conversation about sexual assault and Brock Turner continues. Too many news outlets and people in America have forgotten the most important descriptive of Brock Turner is that he is a sex offender. There is no question of innocence in this case. He has been legally tried and convicted.
Too many news outlets seem to remember him as “Brock Turner, ex-Stanford swimmer” or as “Brock Turner, former Stanford student.” While both those titles are true, they aren’t the most relevant. It’s comparable to referring to Barack Obama as “Barack Obama, former Senator of Illinois.” Technically that is accurate, but why would you focus on the past instead of the generally much more relevant fact Barack Obama was the 44 President of the United States? You wouldn’t.
So let’s all, especially my fellow writers, remember as this conversation continues that Brock Turner is “Brock Turner, sex offender.” One day he might earn a different epithet, but for now, due to his actions, this is the by far the most pertinent one.