I would like to respond to Dr. D’s column titled Education of sexual assault needs changes (SN 9/25) and his claim that the perpetrators of sexual assault are “unhealthy.” While I agree that sexual assault is unhealthy for both parties, the offenders themselves are not mentally unhealthy. In the grand scheme of things, most sexual offenders are simply making mistakes. These mistakes might be as simple as getting too drunk and doing something stupid, or it could stem from the complex and deep issue penetrating our society that women are a piece of tail just asking to have sex with men.

The latter is the more publicized — a guy will get a girl drunk at the bar, take her home and sleep with her — but there is the entire spectrum of issues to consider. I strongly disagree with Dr. D’s statement that the offenders don’t have the capacity to communicate and that they don’t “know who they are.” Being an offender does not mean you live in the back alleys of society, shunning all human contact. Many of these offenders are sociable people, and many have healthy relationships with the people around them. Sexual offenders simply don’t make the right choices. It’s primarily because they are not given all of the options to choose from. It is a change in the attitudes of society regarding sexual relations that will bring about a change in the thoughts of men.