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“I cannot take this lightly…”— Gabrielle Union Gabrielle Union Speaks On Nate Parker Rape Allegations As the premiere date for “Birth Of A Nation” looms near more and more actors are speaking out on its embattled director Nate Parker. Gabrielle Union who stars in the film, recently penned a piece about her harrowing story of sexual assault and admitted that the rape allegations made against Parker have left her confused. “Since Nate Parker’s story was revealed to me, I have found myself in a state of stomach-churning confusion,” wrote Union. Via The L.A. Times: Twenty-four years ago I was raped at gunpoint in the cold, dark backroom of the Payless shoe store where I was then working. Two years ago I signed on to a brilliant script called “The Birth of a Nation,” to play a woman who was raped. One month ago I was sent a story about Nate Parker, the very talented writer, director and star of this film. Seventeen years ago Nate Parker was accused and acquitted of sexual assault. Four years ago the woman who accused him committed suicide. […] Since Nate Parker’s story was revealed to me, I have found myself in a state of stomach-churning confusion. I took this role because I related to the experience. I also wanted to give a voice to my character, who remains silent throughout the film. In her silence, she represents countless black women who have been and continue to be violated. Women without a voice, without power. Women in general. But black women in particular. I knew I could walk out of our movie and speak to the audience about what it feels like to be a survivor. According to Gabby, she doesn’t take the allegations lightly and she questions whether Parker really did have his date’s consent. Furthermore the story has sparked a new conversation between her and the sons she shares with Dwyane Wade. “We are making an effort to teach our sons about affirmative consent,” wrote Union. “As important and ground-breaking as this film is, I cannot take these allegations lightly. On that night, 17-odd years ago, did Nate have his date’s consent? It’s very possible he thought he did. Yet by his own admission he did not have verbal affirmation; and even if she never said “no,” silence certainly does not equal “yes.” Although it’s often difficult to read and understand body language, the fact that some individuals interpret the absence of a “no” as a “yes” is problematic at least, criminal at worst. That’s why education on this issue is so vital. As a black woman raising brilliant, handsome, talented young black men, I am cognizant of my responsibility to them and their future. My husband and I stress the importance of their having to walk an even straighter line than their white counterparts. A lesson that is heartbreaking and infuriating, but mandatory in the world we live in. We have spent countless hours focused on manners, education, the perils of drugs. We teach them about stranger-danger and making good choices. But recently I’ve become aware that we must speak to our children about boundaries between the sexes. And what it means to not be a danger to someone else. To that end, we are making an effort to teach our sons about affirmative consent. We explain that the onus is on them to explicitly ask if their partner consents. And we tell them that a shrug or a smile or a sigh won’t suffice. They have to hear “yes.” Before ending her piece, Gabby also made sure to note that she’s not sure what really happened the night that fateful night. “Regardless of what I think may have happened that night 17 years ago, after reading all 700 pages of the trial transcript, I still don’t actually know. Nor does anyone who was not in that room. But I believe that the film is an opportunity to inform and educate so that these situations cease to occur on college campuses, in dorm rooms, in fraternities, in apartments or anywhere else young people get together to socialize.” Read Gabby’s Nate Parker op-ed in full HERE. People have wondered for weeks if Gabby would speak out considering that she’s a sexual assault survivor. What do YOU think about what she said?? Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

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Birth Of A Nation: Sexual Assault Survivor Gabrielle Union Speaks On Nate Parker Rape Allegations