Without getting into too much detail on what it’s like to actually prosecute a rape case, everything about the situation from the victim’s perspective, and not the rapist’s, is brought into question. Words and actions don’t seem to matter. It’s not enough for her to have refused. Anything from the way the victim dressed to how many sexual partners she had previously can change the entire outcome of a rape case, placing the blame on the victim instead of the rapist. This completely ignores any attempts the victim may have made to prevent the encounter, including saying no outright.
What concerns me — and should concern everyone for that matter — is the inherent sexism that comes along with ignoring a woman when she denies consent. By doing this, we are saying that we just don’t believe a woman who doesn’t agree to something, and not just in cases of rape. Society as a whole has a huge problem with accepting the fact that no means no. Just take a look at some of the shows on TV today; many feature a woman turning down a man’s advances, but the man refuses to give up, as though she didn’t really mean what she said. We’re taught that, if one is persistent enough, that no will eventually turn into a yes. It’s an incredibly problematic way of thinking.
Jackie Klein, A Lesson In Consent For All Ages, Feminspire.com (via feminspire)

(via feminspire)