New Definition of Rape Is a Good Thing

Effective January 1, 2013, the FBI has changed the definition of rape for the Uniform Crime Report. This is surprisingly good. You see, the FBI keeps data on crime from 18,000 law enforcement agencies around the country. This is where politicians get their data, it's also the source for all those articles deciding which is the best place to live. 

Rapes committed in the future will be recorded differently. Sadly, this will not change the number of rapes in this country. According to the FBI:

The old definition was “The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.” Many agencies interpreted this definition as excluding a long list of sex offenses that are criminal in most jurisdictions, such as offenses involving oral or anal penetration, penetration with objects, and rapes of males.

The new Summary definition of Rape is: “Penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”

This doesn't change the definition of rape in the minds of rape victims and those who care about them. What does change is the reporting. Formerly, the only rapes recorded on the UCR were "forcible rapes." Basically, if he didn't beat the living daylights out of her, it wasn't rape. That is the definition preferred by jackasses and those who commit all the rapes (huge overlapping subset there). 



What is really significant about the change (which reflects the attitude of many, though not all, in law enforcement) is that it officially includes rapes that many people want to ignore. Everyone with a soul wants there to be no rape, ever. But not everyone wants to admit that rape is rape. Always. Under any circumstances. No means no and ignoring no is rape.
Lots of people deal with fear of rape happening to themselves, and/or those they love, by victim blaming. Never heard of victim blaming? Betcha've done it, most of us have. "She shouldn't have had so much to drink." "Who goes for a walk alone at night?" "Well, if she hadn't worn that slutty outfit. . ." "What was he thinking, parking with that boy?" That is victim blaming. Anytime you decide that the victim had anything to do with causing the violence ~ and make no mistake about it, rape is a violent crime ~ you are victim blaming. Often, we (the lucky ones) try to find something the victim did that we don't, as a talisman against it happening to us.
The problem with this approach is hurts the person who has already been hurt, and excuses the attacker.   The responsibility for a rape lies with the rapist, 100%. No ifs, ands or buts, it's the rapist's fault. You can walk down any street in the world, buck naked, sashaying your beautiful bottom and you don't deserve rape. You don't deserve praise, but you certainly don't deserve rape. No one ever deserves rape.
That's what is so exciting about the new rules for reporting rape. According to the FBI, gender of rape victim and rapist are irrelevant. Rape of men is often ignored by the police and the media ~ when gender is taken out of the picture, that suddenly counts. Transwomen are particularly vulnerable ~ approximately 50% of transwomen experience sexual violence at some point in their lives. Just typing that line makes my stomach roil and my eyes water. That statistic is so heinous. I don't want my sweet little E to ever suffer (no mother does, I know I'm not special). This change makes me happy because the FBI has declared that rape is rape regardless of gender ~ even if some asshole cop misgenders someone, they can't ignore the crime ~ they must report it to the FBI. The politicians can't pretend it doesn't happen. The first step in change is acknowledging the problem.
The other nifty thing is that a lack of consent constitutes rape. I taught my sons that a girl ('cause I was stuck in a hetero-mindest) who is too drunk to say "No" is too drunk to say "Yes." Not everyone agrees. That's because they're jackasses (see illustration above). Athletes & frat boys seem to thing they are nice guys when they rape drunk girls, because they didn't beat them up ~ well, actually, they don't think it is rape at all.
This little change means they can't pretend anymore. Anyone who wants to think of himself (or herself) as a nice person who would never rape either needs to acknowledge they aren't nice, or they have to be nice. I vote for being nice. Teach people rape is rape, no means no ~ the law backs you up. Let's change the world. Speak up when you hear jokes about sexual violence because that is never funny and letting people get away with that twisted humor enables the jackasses of the world.
Now, since this was a particularly heavy and depressing post, here's some pandas learning to use a slide. It's as close as I can get to hugging you ~ you look like you need it.