According to the National Institute of Justice, one in six women and one in 33 men of the United States have been victims of rape or attempted rape during their lifetimes. To reinforce the need for prevention efforts, April is officially recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month by the federal government in 2001. You can show local support this Thursday evening by attending the Fourth Annual Take Back the Night Vigil and Speak Out. Writer/director/producer Julie Lynch, and USF Police Department Operations Commander and rape awareness expert Captain Bob Staehle share knowledge about sexual violence, with the "Speak Out" portion of the program led by a sexual violence survivor. On Friday evening, Sunrise Cinemas screens Getting Off, Lynch's critically-acclaimed docu-drama about three women awaiting the results of an HIV test; a discussion with Lynch follows. Proceeds raised at both events support the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay's APPLE Trauma Response Center. 7 p.m. Thurs., April 6, free admission, Temple Terrace United Methodist Church, 5030 E. Busch Blvd., Tampa, 813-988-4141; 7 p.m. Fri., April 7, 1609 W. Swann Ave., Tampa, $10, 813-258-4646.
This article appears in Apr 5-11, 2006.