It’s a claim we’ve all heard before, and is the new calling card of TERFs; spat out across social media, newspaper headlines, and comment sections alike. Sometimes its “99%”, or “98%”, or similar, either way, the narrative is the same; that ‘rape’ is one way, and one way only, and it’s men as a group who are the problem. Intuitively it seems true. And it is true. But when you understand how we define what ‘rape’ is, both legally and academically, you’ll see why. That is, for a crime to be considered ‘rape’, the perpetrator must have a penis, and that, in simple terms explains the ’99% are men’ claim. For how can a woman commit a crime that is defined in such a way? And more so, what does this mean for the men and boys who are forced, pressured, or coerced, incapacitated or otherwise, into having sex, with a woman? Well, those male victims are awkwardly classed as ‘made to penetrate’, and in the U.K. we don’t capture that data, and simply do not know how many male victims there are. The CDC however, does capture this data, and presents a far truer, more inclusive, progressive and shocking view of sexual violence, that finds that male victims are not an insignificant rounding error, and neither are female perpetrators. No matter how you slice the pie, no victim of sexual violence, no matter how few, of either sex, should be erased or left behind. So let me show you the full picture. What do you think? ~ Artwork by Feminist Collages Manchester NISVS 2016/17 Sibohan Weare ONS Washington Post

2025-05-07