It could trigger ‘survivors’ whose rapists weren’t punished
A candidate for student body president at the University of Missouri is shutting up about his experience going through a sexual-misconduct investigation, despite being cleared of wrongdoing.
Haden Gomez, a member of the Delta Chi fraternity, yanked his Facebook post about the experience less than a day later, apparently because of blowback from sexual-assault activists on campus.
That’s the insinuation of an apology post Gomez wrote earlier this month, on the eve of his presidential campaign
Meet Haden Gomez, our @MSAmizzou Presidential Candidate, and learn more about his plan at http://t.co/DdvKp4KW5z pic.twitter.com/PyoGJorU56
— GomezHanner (@GomezHannerMSA) October 19, 2015
The Maneater reports that Gomez’s original post said he was accused of “kissing and/or attempting to kiss” another person. That post also implied that Gomez’s accuser was telling other people about the investigation while it was ongoing.
The process of going through Mizzou’s investigation, begun in February, was “incredibly depressing and really devastating” for Gomez, and the school should make available more resources to students accused of Title IX violations, he told the paper the evening of his original post.
Evidently he suggested in the original post that accused students like himself be allowed to seek help at Mizzou’s Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Center, whose services are largely geared to “survivors.”
In his apology, posted Oct. 7, Gomez wrote that he does “not believe the RSVP Center should be a place of refuge for someone who has committed sexual assault.” It’s not clear from the post whether Gomez believes that he was in fact responsible for sexual misconduct.
A former communications official in the student government, Gomez helped produce the “Enough is Enough” campaign against sexual violence, according to his campaign page.
Gomez calls himself “deeply grateful” to those who “commented, called, texted or got in touch with me to correct my actions” when they read his original post laying out his Title IX experience. He apologized to “anyone [the post] may have offended, triggered, or hurt,” and promised he would “listen to ways I can make it up to those I have offended.”
Five days later he officially launched his campaign, whose platform includes continuing to partner with the national sexual-assault initiative It’s On Us and signing up fraternities for Title IX training.
Gomez did not respond to a College Fix request to describe the Title IX process he went through in detail. The original post does not appear to be cached on the Internet.
He came to even regret talking to The Maneater while his original post was up, later telling the paper that the published interview “could retrigger people” and that “the mental health of my fellow tigers is of utmost importance to me.”
Delan Ellington, a student senator, indeed leveled the triggering charge against Gomez for publicly describing his ordeal.
Citing his conversations with student “survivors,” Ellington told The Maneater that most rapists aren’t punished. Gomez’s post “reminds” them “how nothing has changed to stop the culture of allowing perpetrators of these violent and horrible acts to keep going,” Ellington said.
The senator continued that Gomez should have considered his accuser’s feelings before writing about the experience. The accuser “probably legitimately felt that something happened between them that made them want to even go through that process,” Ellington said.
Little information about Gomez’s personal life appears to be public, though his Twitter profile offers clues about his state of mind.
A handful of February tweets could be read to refer to the just-commenced Title IX investigation into his alleged kissing incident.
It's absolutely when life sucks the most when you realize how God has put you in the right place and surrounded you with the right people.
— Haden Gomez (@hadengomez) February 13, 2015
Its rare to gain friends in life who are truly genuine, dependable, supportive people. If you find them, latch on, and be the same.
— Haden Gomez (@hadengomez) February 22, 2015
Ive come to find that sometimes you go through some really awful things for the sole purpose of finding some really great people-Im grateful
— Haden Gomez (@hadengomez) February 26, 2015
He occasionally shows a religious side, including in several tweets from the summer.
I want God's plan for my life WAY more than any plan I will ever want for myself.
— Haden Gomez (@hadengomez) August 16, 2015
You don't have to go on a mission trip to give your life a mission. Make everyday count.
— Haden Gomez (@hadengomez) August 4, 2015
Mostly what God does is love you. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didnt love in order to get something from us. Love like that
— Haden Gomez (@hadengomez) July 26, 2015
Love strengthens the church. Love strengthens others.
— Haden Gomez (@hadengomez) July 26, 2015
In all things that you do, make sure it's for the praise and the glory of God. Love his people: Every action, every word, every thought.
— Haden Gomez (@hadengomez) July 26, 2015
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