Tatum says he was incredulous to learn of former Stanford student Brock Turner's lenient six month jail sentence for sexually assaulting a 23-year-old unconscious woman outside a campus party in 2015.
The case burst into the spotlight after the victim, who remains anonymous, made public a powerful letter to the judge who sentenced her attacker on June 2.
The statement written by Turner, along with many of his friends’ letters of support, provide insight into what activists describe as rape culture in the United States, meaning an environment in which assault and sexual violence is normalized and victims are blamed for being attacked.
Tatum discussed the "very real" concept of rape culture and the Turner case.
"It's a horrible idea to let someone off because of possibly what they're gonna be capable of doing," he said. "Because if you start doing that, where do you end? Where does that stop? Where does that line actually quit?"
'It'd be like, if you killed someone. If you got caught red handed, murdering someone, and then just because you went to a nice school, and you...were a good swimmer, you somehow get a lesser sentence then what you would have for cold blooded murder. That doesn't make any sense,' he said.
'I think the rape culture is a very real thing. I think partially, is what we were talking about with the porn, a lot of the porn that I see looks like rape,' the star said.
Tatum added: "I don't think it's right. I think he should've been punished, personally, but I also don't know what the answer is to protect women, to keep them out of those situations."
Turner was sentenced to six months in jail and three years probation and must register as a sex offender for life. DailyMail.com has learned that he is set to serve just half of his six-month sentence and will be released on September 2.
The woman who was assaulted has received national attention for her powerful statement describing the trauma she and her family have experienced. The victim's harrowing 12-page account of the January 2015 assault and its impact on her life lit up the Internet within hours of being posted online, drawing a global chorus of outrage at the light sentence and prompting calls for the judge to be removed from the bench.
One particularly compelling part of the victim’s testimony is her anguish over Turner’s refusal to express remorse and take responsibility for sexually assaulting her.
Brock Turner's father also sparked outrage by writing that his son shouldn't have his life ruined over 'twenty minutes of action.'
Beginning June 9, the Brock Turner Family Support page published a series of increasingly offensive posts lamenting Turner's 6-month stint in county jail and trivializing the plight of his victim.
Turner’s full statement to judge Aaron Persky offers a close look at the many ways Turner has refused to acknowledge that he assaulted the woman, despite the guilty verdicts, and has instead continued to place blame on a “party culture” of “drinking”.
Excerpts from testimonials show how former student Brock Turner’s friends and family called on Aaron Persky to minimize Turner’s sentence.
Although the victim and the prosecutor raised concerns about Turner’s hollow apology and his continued unwillingness to admit that he committed an assault – despite overwhelming evidence that the woman was unconscious – the judge said this should not count against him at sentencing.
“I take him at his word that subjectively that’s his version of his events,” Persky said. “I’m not convinced that his lack of complete acquiescence to the verdict should count against him.”
Earlier this month, Stanford University's graduation ceremony was overshadowed by Turner's case and prompted a protest by students.
Students held signs that read 'Stanford protects rapists' and 'Brock Turner is not an exception' during the so-called 'Wacky Walk' processional into the university stadium.
A plane hired by a women's activist group earlier flew overhead, trailing a banner that read 'Protect survivors. Not Rapists. #PerskyMustGo.'
A Facebook page that defended Brock Turner as the "real victim" has been taken down for violating the social media company's community standards.
The person who administered the page pretended to be Turner's parents, hoodwinking thousands of Facebook users who left furious comments underneath the posts. Turner's attorney, Mike Armstrong, said the family was not involved with the page, which included ridiculous phrases and assertions that were designed to provoke outrage.
A Facebook spokesperson said the page was deleted after enough of the posts were deemed in violation of the standards guiding Facebook content. The guidelines prohibit bullying and personal attacks but give substantial leeway to commentary on public figures.
The administrator could have the page restored if his or her name is publicized with the page, as a measure of accountability, according to Facebook.
