After the “traumatising” content of the Capping Show this year, Rape Crisis Dunedin has declined OUSA’s offer to be the official charity this year.
Heidi Cripps of Rape Crisis Dunedin said the move was made due to the lyrics and content of the sextet sets. Rape Crisis felt that receiving charity funds from the Capping Show would be inconsistent with the fundamental message of the organisation: “that rape and sexual abuse is common, is serious, and is unacceptable.”
One song in the set featured a singer pretending to scream while being sodomised by his abuser. The second set included a song about drug-facilitated rape. The sextet are said to feel terrible their songs had such an effect, and made some changes to their set as a result.
Cripps said that Rape Crisis was invited to sell jellybeans at the event, to further fundraise for their charity. However, Rape Crisis felt that the show was not safe for survivors of sexual abuse, as the show trivialised the seriousness of rape, which was likely to cause further trauma to victims of sexual abuse.
OUSA President Harriet Geoghegan thanked Rape Crisis for highlighting the issue. She maintains it was not the Capping Show’s purpose to re-traumatise victims, and says that she respects the decision of the charity, which she hopes can be supported by OUSA in other ways. However, Geoghegan did point out that the Capping Show is intended to offend, and that in future it may be necessary to draw potential charities’ attention to this prior to any arrangement.
Georgia Knowles, a support worker from Rape Crisis, said that although they were saddened by the show’s content, especially as Rape Crisis was the show’s official charity, the OUSA response was positive. “Not only did we receive an apology from Harriet, our concerns were taken seriously enough that the OUSA worked to have the content removed for the show for the rest of its duration.”
The Capping Show charity actually receives it’s money thanks to the Lost Property sales throughout the year, which has so far raised $1121.70. A new charity will be appointed at the next Executive meeting. The OUSA puppy lobby is understood to be hopeful.
Charity Offended by Offensive Show.
