Lawrence, Kansas is home to the University of Kansas, and as far as Kansas goes, it's a pretty liberal place. Which may explain The Panty Line Project.

Wherein self-described victims of sexual abuse have written empowering messages of resistance on red panties displayed in a local bookstore window.

Take a stroll past the Raven Bookstore, 6 E. Seventh St., and you'll find more than reading material in the window display. You'll also find red, lacy lingerie. Look closer, and you'll see a message scrawled on the underwear: "Red Panties are Not Synonymous with Askin' for It."

Certainly not, and most especially if you don't strip down to them, in the company of a horny male.

"The discomfort people feel when they walk by and see underwear gives them a glimpse of maybe the discomfort that someone who's been sexually assaulted may have as well," said Tracy Williams, Sexual Assault Coordinator of Ga Du Gi SafeCenter, formerly known as the Rape Victim-Survivor Service.

Huh? Sorry, but, ah, I walk by some red panties in a window, I'm thinkin' a what my sweetums'd look like in 'em. Or some such thing. Puh-leeze!

The display of lingerie is part of the Panty Line Project, organized by Williams in recognition of April being Sexual Assault Awareness month. The project aims to inform the public about the prevalence of sexual assault in the community.

At The Raven, three pieces of thick blue ribbon hold up about a dozen pieces of women's undergarments. Most are pairs of panties, painted with messages like: "This is Mine" and "By Invitation Only." Tracy Williams and a co-worker from the Ga Du Gi SafeCenter look at the Panty Line Project display at Hobbs Inc., 700 Mass. Williams said survivors of sexual assault wrote the messages on the lingerie as part of the healing process. "It gives them the opportunity to let their voices be heard," Williams said. "It makes it real."

Great, great, Tracy. And I suppose "Ga Du Gi" is Sioux for "the gauzy pink cloud which temporarily obscures the view." Or something.

But see, here's the rub, Trace. By the time a gal, in the company of a guy, strips down to her panties, whether they be red, white, blue, green, or - god forbid - mauve, there are certain other issues which rise to the fore.

Yes, "No Means No," and that's what I'll make sure my son understands when he gets older. But I'll also make sure - or rather I'll make sure my wife makes sure - that my daughter understands that when a gal gets down to her panties with a guy, she's raising the bar, uh, expectations-wise.

Pre-marital celibacy, and relative chastness (i.e. kissing and not a helluva lot more) is certainly an option for young women and men. That's a personal choice, and one that should never be mocked, or dismissed.

Guys aren't quite the pigs some old-school feministas think. But they ARE guys. Young ladies: you wanna play it safe? Then keep your pants on.

Posted by Matt Rosenberg at April 25, 2005 07:54 PM

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