This explosive investigation reveals the profound failures of the Title IX system and identifies concrete, surprisingly simple steps we can take to protect students.
The debate over campus sexual violence is more heated than ever, but hardly anyone knows what actually happens inside Title IX offices. On the Wrong Side provides the first comprehensive account of the inner workings of the secretive Title IX system. Drawing on a yearlong study of survivors, perpetrators, and the administrators who oversaw their cases, sociologist Nicole Bedera exposes the structures that predictably punish survivors who come forward in the service of protecting—or even rewarding—their perpetrators. In doing so, she reveals that the system tasked with ending gender inequality on campus only intensifies it, upending survivors' lives and threatening the degrees that brought them to college in the first place.
Equally heartbreaking and optimistic, On the Wrong Side makes it easy to imagine life-changing interventions for the next generation of students by proposing specific solutions to the structural problems of Title IX. Bedera proves that ending sexual violence is within our grasp—and dares us to be courageous enough to take action.
On the Wrong Side How Universities Protect Perpetrators and Betray Survivors of Sexual Violence
About the Book
Reviews
"Nicole Bedera is one of the most important thinkers of our time about sexual violence on campus. Her case for how universities continue to protect perpetrators and their own reputations at the expense of survivors—even as they claim, in the post #MeToo era, to do the opposite—is eloquent, definitive, and, most of all, deeply urgent. I am grateful for her work."—Peggy Orenstein, New York Times–bestselling author of Boys & Sex: Young Men on Hookups, Love, Porn, Consent, and Navigating the New Masculinity"A brilliant, timely, and moving analysis of gendered violence on university campuses and the horrendous failures of universities to deal with it adequately (or often, indeed, at all). On the Wrong Side is a must-read for anyone invested in social justice."—Kate Manne, author of Entitled: How Male Privilege Hurts Women
"An essential, accessible intervention. Bedera reveals how universities address gender violence behind closed doors—and how, again and again, they betray survivors. Bedera's shocking and disturbing research offers an urgently needed corrective to sexist and inaccurate culture war narratives."—Alexandra Brodsky, author of Sexual Justice: Supporting Victims, Ensuring Due Process, and Resisting the Conservative Backlash
"Simultaneously brilliant and enraging, On the Wrong Side is likely to become the definitive book on the myriad ways universities mistreat victims of sexual violence. This compassionate and incisive work meticulously documents the processes allowing universities to undermine Title IX—ostensibly designed to protect victims of sexual assault—by stacking the deck against survivors. Bedera amasses startling details on how administrators weaponize bureaucracy to defend (and promote) perpetrators while demeaning (and retraumatizing) victims. This compelling, important, and compassionate book will become a go-to resource for scholars interested in bureaucratic violence, practitioners interested in crafting more humane systems, and activists interested in malign organizational practices. I can't recommend this book enough."—Victor Ray, author of On Critical Race Theory: Why It Matters & Why You Should Care
"A raw, intimate, no-holds-barred analysis of why—exactly—Title IX is failing to protect students on campus."—Lisa Wade, author of American Hookup: The New Culture of Sex on Campus
"This is a brave and brilliant book. Based on an innovative and painstaking ethnographic study of one university, Bedera uncovers the underlying mechanisms of institutional betrayal currently dominating how American universities handle sexual violence. In elegant and clear prose illustrated with compelling real-life narratives from victims, perpetrators, and administrators, Bedera makes the case that this broken system, which is so at odds with the spirit of the Title IX law, can be fixed to prevent the continuation of profound harm and injustice."—Jennifer Joy Freyd, Professor Emerit of Psychology, University of Oregon, and Founder and President, Center for Institutional Courage
"On the Wrong Side highlights the betrayal and traumatic harm that survivors of sexual violence experience on college campuses—a sobering reality. Her extensive research with survivors, perpetrators, administrators, and university documentation exposes an even more disturbing truth: these harms are not isolated mistakes or inadvertent accidents but instead are entirely predictable, systematic, and—importantly—preventable. While On the Wrong Side is heartbreakingly poignant, it also charts a path forward by centering the original goal of Title IX: equal access to education. Bedera shows that the true cost of the quotidian sexual violence on college campuses is far too high to ignore. The time for change is now, and On the Wrong Side is the book to lead the transformation for universities that want to instead find themselves on the right side."—Jennifer M. Gómez, author of The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women and Girls: A Black Feminist Approach to Healing from Sexual Abuse
"On the Wrong Side brings much-needed clarity to the discourse about sexual violence and accountability in higher education. Bedera sets the record straight about the reality of rape culture and institutional betrayal in our academic institutions with a compelling blend of research, theory, and survivor stories. This book is necessary reading for survivors, college administrators, and anyone interested in the relationship between rape culture and powerful institutions. A timely and vital book for the post #MeToo era, On the Wrong Side expertly shows how survivors' negative experiences with Title IX are not isolated flukes or accidents but the system working as designed."—Wagatwe Wanjuki, survivor-activist
"As someone who spent more than a decade listening to survivors of campus sexual violence recount injustice, the familiar stories in this book remind me just how entrenched the culture of inequality is on college campuses. Written with care and courage, On the Wrong Side is a scathing look into how college administrations betray not just their students but also Title IX's intended goal of protecting access to education. But this status quo isn't the only way. Bedera's work is essential reading for educators and anyone working to build systems that invest in survivors and their education."—Andrea Pino-Silva, survivor-activist featured in the film The Hunting Ground and coauthor of We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out
"Whether we realize it or not, institutional betrayal is real and has often harmed survivors. In this book, Bedera outlines clear steps for beginning to turn the tide and explains how colleges and universities can begin to truly center survivors under Title IX. By reading this text with an open heart and mind, administrators can take the first necessary steps toward restoring institutional courage."—Jennifer Henkle, Director, Sexual Violence Prevention and Response, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators
"Bedera's compelling book offers a raw and profound exploration of campus sexual violence, exposing the clash between campus leadership's responsibility for safety and the scripted platitudes of masked protectors prioritizing institutional interests. Going beyond the confines of one campus, the book's anonymous setting makes the narrative universally relatable, prompting readers to question the integrity of their own alma mater. Bedera uniquely engages readers, providing insights into the complexities of addressing campus sexual assault and unveiling the often overlooked perspectives of students at the intersections, whose silenced stories add depth to the broader discourse."—Kenyora Parham, CEO, End Rape on Campus
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"This is a brave and brilliant book. Based on an innovative and painstaking ethnographic study of one university, Bedera uncovers the underlying mechanisms of institutional betrayal currently dominating how American universities handle sexual violence. In elegant and clear prose illustrated with compelling real-life narratives from victims, perpetrators, and administrators, Bedera makes the case that this broken system, which is so at odds with the spirit of the Title IX law, can be fixed to prevent the continuation of profound harm and injustice."—Jennifer Joy Freyd, Professor Emerit of Psychology, University of Oregon, and Founder and President, Center for Institutional Courage
"On the Wrong Side highlights the betrayal and traumatic harm that survivors of sexual violence experience on college campuses—a sobering reality. Her extensive research with survivors, perpetrators, administrators, and university documentation exposes an even more disturbing truth: these harms are not isolated mistakes or inadvertent accidents but instead are entirely predictable, systematic, and—importantly—preventable. While On the Wrong Side is heartbreakingly poignant, it also charts a path forward by centering the original goal of Title IX: equal access to education. Bedera shows that the true cost of the quotidian sexual violence on college campuses is far too high to ignore. The time for change is now, and On the Wrong Side is the book to lead the transformation for universities that want to instead find themselves on the right side."—Jennifer M. Gómez, author of The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women and Girls: A Black Feminist Approach to Healing from Sexual Abuse
"On the Wrong Side brings much-needed clarity to the discourse about sexual violence and accountability in higher education. Bedera sets the record straight about the reality of rape culture and institutional betrayal in our academic institutions with a compelling blend of research, theory, and survivor stories. This book is necessary reading for survivors, college administrators, and anyone interested in the relationship between rape culture and powerful institutions. A timely and vital book for the post #MeToo era, On the Wrong Side expertly shows how survivors' negative experiences with Title IX are not isolated flukes or accidents but the system working as designed."—Wagatwe Wanjuki, survivor-activist
"As someone who spent more than a decade listening to survivors of campus sexual violence recount injustice, the familiar stories in this book remind me just how entrenched the culture of inequality is on college campuses. Written with care and courage, On the Wrong Side is a scathing look into how college administrations betray not just their students but also Title IX's intended goal of protecting access to education. But this status quo isn't the only way. Bedera's work is essential reading for educators and anyone working to build systems that invest in survivors and their education."—Andrea Pino-Silva, survivor-activist featured in the film The Hunting Ground and coauthor of We Believe You: Survivors of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out
"Whether we realize it or not, institutional betrayal is real and has often harmed survivors. In this book, Bedera outlines clear steps for beginning to turn the tide and explains how colleges and universities can begin to truly center survivors under Title IX. By reading this text with an open heart and mind, administrators can take the first necessary steps toward restoring institutional courage."—Jennifer Henkle, Director, Sexual Violence Prevention and Response, National Association of Student Personnel Administrators
"Bedera's compelling book offers a raw and profound exploration of campus sexual violence, exposing the clash between campus leadership's responsibility for safety and the scripted platitudes of masked protectors prioritizing institutional interests. Going beyond the confines of one campus, the book's anonymous setting makes the narrative universally relatable, prompting readers to question the integrity of their own alma mater. Bedera uniquely engages readers, providing insights into the complexities of addressing campus sexual assault and unveiling the often overlooked perspectives of students at the intersections, whose silenced stories add depth to the broader discourse."—Kenyora Parham, CEO, End Rape on Campus
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