Male rape is an issue I have read about before (on reddit. Don’t go on reddit. It’s a huge time-waster), and I really wanted to do proper research about it. Once you’re familiar with the biology and psychology of it, it seems extremely obvious that female-to-male, female-to-female and male-to-male rape must be covered under law.
However, it is not quite that black and white. While nobody denies that male rape happens and that women do rape men and other women, there are arguments against making rape laws gender neutral; the strongest being that the structural power inequalities between men and women are so stark that any formal equality under law will be counter-productive and will not help those the law was created to help. It seems somewhat of a non-sequitur to me at the moment (so what if there are power inequalities? Does this mean we have no provision for male victims at all?) but I am sure I need to read a lot more to understand the argument better.
Then there is the issue of making laws for every single thing on the planet, and while I am all for broadening the definition of rape (or sexual assault), it’s a slippery slope in a way. Where does one stop? For example, Netherlands deems forced french kissing rape.
The broader problem, I believe, is the incredulous look people give me when I tell them my topic is male rape. “Men get raped? By women? For real?” I understand that it is rare, but it is possible and it happens. And ridicule and shaming is one reason male victims do not come forward (not having any legal recourse whatsoever is another).
Perhaps if we viewed rape through the framework of consent (and not “outraging modesty” or “destroying chastity”) we could make it that much easier for male, female and trans victims.
I do not want to give all my mind-blowing arguments away, so wait for it.
P.S.: I hope no one is offended by the somewhat light tone in this post. Rape is a serious issue, but the over-glorification of it is also rooted in archaic concepts (a woman has nothing but her chastity, etc.). This is where the demand for the death penalty for rape also stems from.
P.P.S: Things not to do in Delhi #1: Don’t get out of the wrong metro exit. It’s like the whole world has flipped.
Stuff to read if you have the time:
1. A blog post by Vinodhan, a victim of gang rape [http://orinam.net/ghosts-of-things-past-a-male-rape-survivor-speaks/]. Interestingly, Vinodhan believes even male rape is a gender crime, and that he was raped because he was “feminine”.
2. Arousal during rape [http://www.scribd.com/doc/23150432/Sexual-Arousal-and-Orgasm-in-Subjects-Who-Experience-Forced-Stimulation]
CCS Researching Reality Internship 