#SurvivorPrivilege shows George Will just how fun it is to be a rape survivor

Conservative columnist George F. Will doesn’t think this “supposed campus epidemic of rape, a.k.a. ‘sexual assault'” is such a big deal.

He’s hardly alone, of course. Like Glenn Beck and Christina Hoff Sommers, Will thinks the statistics on sexual assault rates lie. Like James Taranto and Emily Yofee, he thinks survivors are partially to blame if they were intoxicated. Like Cathy Young, he’s very concerned about the rights of male students who are supposedly being falsely accused willy-nilly.

Running through all these rape denialist takes, of course, is the implication that there must be many, many women who lie about being raped. Where Will really breaks from the pack is by openly speculating about why they’re lying. He argues that more campus rape survivors are now coming forward because colleges have made “victimhood a coveted status that confers privileges.”

On Twitter, Wagatwe Wanjuki started the #SurvivorPrivilege hashtag, where rape survivors are documenting the many “perks” of this supposedly coveted status…

Where’s my survivor privilege? Was expelled & have $10,000s of private student loans used to attend school that didn’t care I was raped.

— Wagatwe Wanjuki (@wagatwe) June 9, 2014

#survivorprivilege was balancing my freshman year with sleepless nights & panic attacks

— Sarah Evonne (@SarahEvonne) June 9, 2014

#SurvivorPrivilege was that cool feeling I got after getting my cap & gown for college commencement, when my rapist was standing next to me.

— Althea May (@alymaybe) June 9, 2014

#SurvivorPrivilege meant pretending everything was a-OK when working alongside my rapist. Superb job execution on my end.

— Nancy Schwartzman (@fancynancynyc) June 9, 2014

#survivorprivilege is feeling like you will never be able to date again bc you are “damaged goods.”

— Zerlina Maxwell (@ZerlinaMaxwell) June 9, 2014

Yes, @georgeWillf, going through HIV prophylaxis after being raped & not being able to tell your family isn’t hell, it’s #SurvivorPrivilege

— Carli Stevenson (@gardengn0me) June 9, 2014

My #survivorprivilege being told that my uncle molesting me was my fault and being threatened to be killed because of it.

— Kelly Griffin (@kagriffin77) June 9, 2014

#SurvivorPrivilege was being told to go home, be safe & put *my* education on hold — so that my rapist could comfortably conclude his

— Dana Bolger (@danabolger) June 9, 2014

#survivorprivilege is coming out over and over again, and wondering every time if someone will believe you.

— Heidi C. Heath (@queerminister) June 9, 2014

#survivorprivilege means having to fight for recognition of the crime committed against you even with members of your own family

— Jessica Pieklo (@Hegemommy) June 9, 2014

#SurvivorPrivilege was losing all my friends when they decided it was easier to remain friends with my rapist than stand with me.

— Robyn Swirling (@RSwirling) June 9, 2014

Maya is also a fan of the #firegeorgewill hashtag.