You can’t have it both ways — if you want people to be feminists, and engage in active political protest, you can’t then police the way they choose to do it, writes Karen Pickering.
Rape
Congo: still the rape capital
The mass rape of 300 women, men and children in a village in Congo has sparked a UN investigation into the incident. Even government troops sent to protect the victims have been accused of raping and looting.
How close I came to rape
Sexual assault has been the subject of much debate recently, particularly the issues of consent and alcohol. Campbell Mattinson provides a compelling description of how close he came to committing rape on a drunken night out.
Pobjie: How not to be a rapist
For anyone confused about whether or not sex is consensual, Ben Pobjie offers up a handy guide on how not to rape people. Tip 1: when you meet a girl who doesn’t want to have sex with you, don’t have sex with her. Sound advice.
must read Silvester: Women are sluts and men are morons?
The latest alleged sexual assault incident involving two Collingwood footballers has reignited the “she was asking for it” argument. Do we say the same thing about young men bashed while hanging around notorious night spots? asks John Silvester.
Is prison rape “too expensive” to stop?
Make all the “don’t drop the soap!” jokes you want, Amanda Hess talks to US prison rape victims and nobody is laughing. New standards have been released showing how prison rape can be prevented, so why do prisons think it’s too expensive to bother?
The day Lady Gaga made it into Australian parliament
Last week, NSW Labor MP Greg Donnelly remarked that singers like Beyonce and Lady Gaga are encouraging sexual violence against women with their raunchy attitudes. Um, that’s not quite how rape occurs, writes lauredhel.
How Iran uses rape to stifle dissent
Iran expert Mahmood Delkhasteh explains how the country’s regime regularly uses sexual assault — against both men and women — to silence and punish protesters and critics.
Why do good boys do bad things?
One of the big questions that underlies all the debates on university colleges, male sports teams and other forms of hooliganism, is: why do some groupings encourage thuggery? Eva Cox explores.
Sexual consent, Sydney University and me
The current and former students of Sydney Uni’s St Paul’s College responsible for a “pro-rape” Facebook page deserve to be named and shamed; but don’t blame St Paul’s for the actions of a few.
How university colleges foster a culture of rape
News that students living at Sydney Uni’s all-male St Paul’s College set up a “pro-rape” Facebook page doesn’t come as a shock to former college residents like Mary Gardiner — “rape culture” is endemic within the hallowed institutions.
The tricky business of rape reporting
When rape is reported in the media it is often tinged with blame. Why are sexual assaults only written clearly when the act is so horrific that the victim’s innocence is not in question?
Hitchens: A global perspective on Polanski’s child rape
The West’s “Hollywood exceptionalism” that has seen many give Roman Polanski a pass for having sex with a 13-year-old is vile, but it’s still better than countries like Yemen, where being married by that age is the norm, says Christopher Hitchens.
Guy Rundle: Hitchens not such a lovely little thinker
Guy Rundle recounts Christopher Hitchens’ talk at the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, where the crowd had their highly specific appetites and prejudices flattered, and loved every second of it.
Roman Polanski raped a child. Remember?
In the ongoing media circus surrounding film director Roman Polanski’s recent arrest, let’s not lose sight of one fundamental fact, says Kate Harding: he raped a child.
Congo: rape problem escalating
Eastern Congo is already considered by the UN to be “the rape capital of the world”. But the recent increase in men on men rape is a worrying trend.
