Nonconsensual Sex = Rape
Read the news? We now have a term that makes a distinction without a difference.
The erosion of rights can happen in a variety of ways, and manipulation of language is one of them.
“At the root of the problem on campuses is a change in the way the word “sex” is used. While sex is considered an activity, until recently, it commonly referred to an activity shared between people, as in the familiar phrase, “having sex.” Implicit in the concept of sex is consent. Without consent, sexual activity becomes rape. The prevalence of drugs and alcohol on college campuses, however, has blurred the boundaries between sex and rape to the point that many college campuses have adopted the term “nonconsensual sex” to refer to sexual activity that occurs when one party, usually a woman, is unconscious or semiconscious. Rather than address sexual assault as the felony crime of rape, these campuses define it as the honor code violation of nonconsensual sex. Given that unconscious women cannot say either yes or no, they can give neither affirmative nor negative consent”.1
“The cost of a college education should never include a 1 in 5 chance of being sexually assaulted. According to The National Institute of Justice, an estimated one out of five women suffers some form of sexual assault at some point during her undergraduate career.
To make matters worse, colleges and universities are ill-equipped to handle this crisis, sorely lacking in survivor support services, often sweeping assault accusations under the rug, protecting the assailant while re-victimizing the survivor. According to Senator McCaskill, the system is broken and we must fix it”.2
If you, or someone you know, has suffered such an assault, trusted mental health providers are here to help. Beyond the physical trauma, emotional trauma becomes its companion. Whether the case has/has not been resolved, this trauma continues.
Should you- or a loved one- need more support than Colleges/Universities can offer…
This is where Counseling on Demand comes in. We are here for you.
We are online at CounselingonDemand.com
We are only a click away.
- Kelly Oliver, THE STONENOV. 21, 2016 nytimes.com/2016/11/21/opinion/there-is-no-such-thing-as-nonconsensual-sex-its-violence
- Kirsten Gillibrand@SenGillibrand, May 15, 2014,The cost of a college education should never include a 1 in 5 chance of being sexually assaulted. #1is2Many (Senator McCaskill quoted)
