PSA on rape, since we seem to have some misunderstanding on what it is

[nadinbrzezinski]

When working as an EMT you get to treat women and yes MEN who were raped.

You also get to see how the SYSTEM usually doesn't listen or believe the victim. This is not something easy to deal with and many a times I, a lowly medic, became a victim advocate. (Yes there were times I wanted to smack the docs and cops)

So here is what we used to teach our EMTs regarding rape.

Any sexual act, whether there was vaginal or annal penetration or not, where the victim said NO, it means NO, and that means rape. BELIEVE THEM!

That includes what happened in New York from the report of the victim

Yes it is that simple. It is time to stop these games...

Now since i have gone into male rape, which is even more uncomfortable than female rape... yes, it happens, yes it is more common than people think. Yes, it is even reported less than female rape.

So now that I have gone there... it has nothing to so with sexual orientation, and like female rape it is about power, not sexual fun. It is a tool of terror, just like female rape.

Now LEGALLY there is evidence that needs to be collected and examined and all that. But please, just because the victim was a chamber maid don't mean she's lying... nor does it mean it did not happen. I brought some of the tin foil hattery that Hartman reported on the morn... and this case is STILL developing. But I will say this... if you have any doubts that an act NOT involving penetration is rape, I suggest you volunteer at a crisis center after doing some readying.

On a legal perspective, this will have to be tried...

Have people in the past lied about being raped? Yes... and in my experience it is such a small percentage that it is not even funny. But many victims refuse to come out because of this... your word against the perpetrator... or the lovely... but what were you wearing, you were asking for it... what you accepted that drink... I could go on.

Thank you... (It is amazing we even have to talk about this in such a serious way)