On RAPE

Compared to subjects like child custody, circumcision and child support, rape issues are not seen as one of the hot button issues raised by many men's rights groups. This doesn't make them less important but almost appear to be ignored as a "lost cause" by many men's activist groups. I want to explore why this occurs and why so many people seem to think that rape can only take place when the perpetrator is male.

Now statistics show that of all reported rapes, only 10% of victims are male. The same studies show that approximately 99% of perpetrators are male. Add that to the fact that only 2% of all accused rapists are convicted and the likelihood of anyone accused of raping a male doing any jail time are very small. In recent years, however, a few cases have become widely reported by the media (See: May Kay Latterno etc...). It seems like these cases are often ridiculed. I seem to remember an episode of South Park called "Miss Teacher Bangs a Boy" where 3 year-old Ike begins a sexual relationship with his kindergarten teacher. When his older brother Kyle attempts to report it to the police, the officers laugh and call Ike the "Luckiest Boy Ever". I have noticed that almost every comic who has discussed these cases takes a similar opinion and asks the same question. "Where were these teachers when I was in school???" We all laugh it off and ignore the fact that there is a crime with a victim involved.

I have always been sort of curious about whether or not it was even possible for a man to be rapedby a woman. Apparently, even a dedicated masculist can have stupid, sexist opinions every now and then. It wasn't until I saw an episode of Law & Order: SVU that I really started to wonder about the possibility. The episode is #310-"Ridicule"... an appropriate title. A male stripper had claimed that 3 women tied him up and raped him at a bachelorette party. I was a fan of the episode because it showed one of the major myths surrounding female-on-male rape. Elliot Sader (aka. Coolest Detective EVER) refuses to believe that a man can be raped since a man can't penetrate a woman without achieving sexual arousal. As we all know, sexual arousal=enjoyment... doesn't it?

Actually, no. Studies have shown that men experience an erection in a variety of situations including times of fear and anxiety. I believe that even many men seem to believe that if they become aroused it is a sign that they are enjoying the experience even if their senses tell them that they are not. This is probably one of the biggest reasons that men refuse to report being victims of rape. This pathology is also at play in cases of molestation. Many civtims of sexual abuse experience some kind of arousal during the abuse.

Another question that many people have is how it would be possible for a woman to overpower a man. I have no doubt that I will come back to this issue many many times but it remains true: Men are typically bigger and stronger than women. How is it possible for a man to be physically over powered by a woman? I have found 2 often forgotten explanations to this.

First, there are more ways to subdue a man than simple physical force. Fear or guilt would be two good examples and two that are used far more often in male-on-female rape than simple physical overpowering. All too often, the perpetrator in a rape case is someone the victim knows well. According to a UCSC study, 31.8% of rapists in female-on-rape cases are either wives or girlfriends. Another strange statistic is that 22.6% of female rapists are ex-girlfriends while only 12.2% of male rapists are ex-boyfriends. I have no idea what to make of that one.

Second, people seem to forget that in a great many male-on-female rape cases, the victim reports being CHEMICALLY subdued. Have men developed an immunity to date-rape drugs? Is it impossible for a man to be too drunk to consent to sex? Come on now.

Another problem that many masculists deal with is the idea that there are "macho" expectations out of men. (I will deal with this issue a lot further in a future post about female-on-male violence in general). For the time being let's simply imagine the social ramifications of a man who reports being raped by a woman. We have already seen that these cases are ridiculed in the media. Many women refuse to report being raped because they feel humiliated by the experience. Add to that the stigma that goes along with a man being violently attacked by a woman. Is it really any wonder that men are more reluctant to come forward?

Masculists only seek equality. In rape cases, we would like to see these accusations taken as seriously as male-on-female rape cases. We would also like equality in sentencing specifically in statutory rape cases. I fear that we may be further off than we hope since few men's rights activist groups are even addressing the issue.... (sigh)