Mattress-Carrying Columbia Senior to Attend State of the Union

Columbia University senior Emma Sulkowicz – who gained attention last year for carrying around the mattress on which her alleged 2012 sexual assault took place – is headed to the State of the Union address.

Sulkowicz was invited to attend the State of the Union by New York’s Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who is making a big push for the currently pending Campus Accountability and Safety Act. Presumably Gillibrand is trying to prove the incredibly salient point (to all the very nice old white men in our government) that campus sexual assault needs to be handled a lot more seriously than it is now.

Sulkowicz, a visual arts major, has been carrying the mattress around for her senior thesis, and sees the act as way to raise awareness around campus sexual assault; her alleged attacker was cleared by the University of any wrongdoing.

Here’s to hoping Sulkowicz will change her mind and bring the mattress up to the podium and set it ~~gently~~ down on Mr. Boehner’s lap.