Facebook supports rape?

I would assume that one of the reasons male on male rapes don't get reported along with all the reasons for not reporting any rape, is that gay men don't want to encourage the idea that they are all out there violently raping each other and so give rise to even more homophobia.

I think it is a few factors, one of which is that females are seen as incapable of rape because they are weaker and as with physical abuse, man rarely come forward because they are made to feel it is not as serious. If a man slaps a woman, people will tell her to get out of the relationship but if she slaps him, it's a bit of a laugh, a cat fight and not to be taken seriously. If we want to challenge the idea of women as being unequal to men, we need to challenge the idea that as a sex we aren't capable of everything a man is and that includes people who are compelled to rape and murder and physically assault people.

We have moved on from the idea that rape is simply a woman being held down for sexual intercourse and so if we admit that people can be coerced and withdraw consent, then we need to examine the truth that woman are just as capable as men at doing these things, not just being the victim of them. We can't have it both ways. We're either equal to men in all ways or we aren't.

Can someone clarify why SGM's post was deleted? I don't quite understand, especially as we're seeing discrimination and rape myths perpetuated across this board, along with cross references on another thread. I don't think SGM said anything inflammatory, or resembling "troll hunting", or a personal attack.

Yes Lenin, which is why it's essential to keep going with it and keep researching and analysing. No profiling is perfect because it is based on convicted criminals - how could it not be?

Conviction rates are better than some countries - we've still got a long way to go, I didn't say it was perfect but better than some and improving.

I'd like to discuss the point of this thread actually.

However, I had no difficulty at all interpreting what the article's author meant. We mustn't regard rapists as somehow "other". A read of the Relationships board shows us that there are men who hold down jobs and are perceived by the outside world and even their partners as all-round good guys, yet they feel entitled to invade a woman in their sleep, or when she is drugged, or to deprive her of sleep while they pester her for hours afther her initial refusal. Two live threads confirm this, yet I doubt that either of the men referred to, would own the accurate title of "rapist"

And the reason they don't own it and their victims have trouble defining it as rape, is precisely because of the prevailing culture that allows hate speech on Facebook and where porn is so normalised in our society. Facebook is especially dangerous, given that the majority of 11-16 year olds have an account, despite the age controls that neither parents nor Facebook, are willing to enforce. These are the pages that kids grow up reading and is why the numbers of "regular guys" who feel entitled to sex with a partner, whether she's willing or not, will increase.

SGM - tough. I am not a troll and I do not perpetuate rape myths.

Oh yes. We're excellent at handling rape cases. Hence the whopping 6% that end in a conviction.

Panda - that's America for you.

I do think that culture in the UK is significantly different. Our procedures for handling rape cases may need to go much further to improve, but they are still one of the best in the world.

One of the problems I have with saying that men do not know what constitutes rape is that this gives them a convenient excuse. A man who has sex with a drunken girl or a husband who forces himself onto his wife both know that they are doing wrong, that they are violating a person. They may be arrogant enough to think they can get away with it, but that arrogance goes not extend to thinking that they have not done anything illegal.

The UK media, police and campaign groups are pretty good at putting the message across about rape and so really, there is no excuse for ignorance.

As for sleep rape - that case where the husband was acquitted? Just how do you think the victim feels? She was violated yet because he did it in his sleep she just has to live with it? He didn't use a condom so what if she got pregnant or contracted an STD. I don't know enough about sleep rape but I am very cynical and thinking that it gives others the perfect excuse in court.

If continual consent was brought in and if something had to be inserted for the case to count as rape, then a man could not withdraw consent from the woman who is sitting on top of him while a woman could withdraw it from the man who is inside her.

LeninGrad, completely agree. Which is what I said earlier, that often men don't display any of these characteristics until it is too late. And even when they do, in cases of domestic abuse, the woman is so ingrained that she does not leave.

Criminal profiling serves to help the police tackle this kind of crime, to alert police officers, social workers and others to behaviour that may be odd. To advise charities and help spread awareness.

It is not there to lay blame on victims. People who believe in criminal profiling do not blame victims. I may think that even acquaintance rapists have common characteristics but that does not mean I blame victims. None of what I have written can be read like that.

I've just been going through the thread reporting the offensive crap directed towards me. Some of it has already been deleted. I've also deleted my own comments (or asked to) that upset SQ and that first link.

I am not a rape apologist. I do not think I am wholly right. I have the right to hold opinions with being abused. I do not blame rape victims. And should anyone accuse me of being a racist I suggest they read my blog.

I am happy to agree to disagree but don't expect me to put up with personal abuse.

I find it sexist to assume that a woman can't cajole or persuade or not stop when asked to with either a male or a female partner. The rape issue isn't just about female victims. Gay women can have sex and heterosexual couples aren't just made up of woman taking it from the man. If the idea of rape could be removed from the idea of gender, then the debate about what to do to reduce it would be less taken up with people feeling they have to defend/attack their sex and more about coming up with solutions to the problem of rape as a whole.