Amy Paulin to Co-Host Program on Sexual Assault at SHS

NYS Assemblywoman Amy Paulin (D-88), along with the Scarsdale High School PTA, Scarsdale Edgemont Family Counseling Services (SFCS), and the Scarsdale Coalition on Family Violence, will co-sponsor a "watch and discuss" program with a panel of experts on the documentary Audrie & Daisy at Scarsdale High School's Little Theater on November 30 at 7 PM.

Audrie & Daisy, which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, is a stark and provoking examination of the aftermath of sexual assault on family, friends, schools and communities from acclaimed filmmakers Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk.

The documentary chronicles the stories of Audrie Pott and Daisy Coleman, two underage high school students, who were victims of sexual assault by school acquaintances, assaults that were caught on camera. Both girls were bullied by their peers following the attacks while their assailants received little punishment. Audrie & Daisy takes a hard look at America's teenagers coming of age in this new world of social media bullying while examining how and why these teens continued to be victimized after they were sexually assaulted.

"These are stories about young women who were sexually assaulted when they were too drunk to consent, by boys they considered friends. We then come face to face with the protracted bullying and public shaming these teens endure after their assaults in their school and area communities," said Paulin. "This film illustrates so many issues that we need to talk about as a community – the roles of alcohol in consent, social media and bystanders. It is not about pointing fingers, but about raising awareness so we can work together to make sure young people in high school, who will go off to college and face the same issues, do not experience sexual assault and the wrenching aftermath in this world of instantaneous connectedness."

Paulin will serve as the event moderator with Kristen Bowes, General Counsel and Title IX Coordinator for Mercy College, Anna Utsinger, a graduate student and former Operations Coordinator of Students Active for Ending Rape (SAFER), and Katie Cappiello, the founder of The Arts Effect NYC and author of SLUT: A Play and Guidebook for Combating Sexism and Sexual Violence, as the guest panelists.

Reservations for the event can be made here.