Press Release

Response to fashion designer Anand Jon's sexual assault convictions.

November, 14, 2008 -- (Rochester, MN) -- The 14 felony convictions of fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander in a Los Angeles courtroom demonstrates that credible evidence can prevail over a defense strategy which seeks to put the victims on trial using nothing more than meaningless circumstantial evidence.

"One of Anand Jon's defense attorneys, Larry Levine, tried to cast email and cell phone contact between alleged victims and the designer after the assaults as proof that the alleged victims weren't credible and the allegations were fraudulent," said Marcella Chester, founder of Date Rape Is Real Rape. "Fortunately, the jury realized that communication after an assault is proof of nothing except there was communication."

"The belief that victims of sexual violence will never again communicate with their assailant is a dangerous myth which is often used to make false criminal accusations against crime victims," said Chester. "Because of this myth many people who sexually assault someone they know will work hard to get some type of communication from their victim so they can tell themselves and others that they did nothing wrong or at least nothing criminal."

"Date rapists will only stop viewing themselves as being law abiding people when the criminal justice system and the public stops inhaling date rape denial like it is a mind-altering drug," said Chester. "The Anand Jon verdict which may result in a life prison sentence is a small step toward basing convictions on evidence instead of baseless assumptions about what real sexual assault victims will or will not do after being assaulted."

All types of crimes are committed both by strangers and by those who have relationships with their victims. To deny this when the crime is rape is a dangerous delusion.

About Marcella Chester

Chester is a date rape survivor, author and advocate with over 9 years of experience as a volunteer answering her local rape crisis line. Her personal blog, abyss2hope.com has had over 150,000 visitors since it was created in 2006. 

For more information, please visit daterapeisrealrape.com.