Right now, lesbians "are being inhuman"

[trixtah]

And so are the men in South Africa (and many other places around the world, including the so-called "first world"), who carry out "corrective rapes": http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2009/mar/12/south-africa-corrective-rape

It's a video, and likely to be disturbing for many, although it isn't graphic.

So, yeah, I'm lucky I was born where and when I was, and that I live in the kind of places I do. I'm not immune to rape, but I'm less likely to be targeted for it just because I'm a dyke. Although, of course, I do know people who were raped just because they were dykes. Or trans. Or sex workers. Or powerless in a myriad of ways.

Comments

[radicalyffe.livejournal.com]

Thats incredibly fucked up.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

I thought so too. :-(

Slightly OT

[buddleia.livejournal.com]

Sometimes, when I get angry about rape stats, a guy, a nice, somewhat shocked guy will ask me how many women I know personally have been raped. When I start running out of fingers and asking him if I should include those who were abused as children, he'll go green and then might ask me how many went to the police. That's always the answer that really shocks him.

Re: Slightly OT

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

I dunno, sometimes the level of ignorance astounds me. It also astounds me from women who should know better. And then if they bothered looking into the conviction rate of those cases that actually made it to court.... meh.

Re: Slightly OT

[lederhosen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I can immediately think of five close friends who've been raped (probably more if I work my memory a while), two of them as children, plus various "almosts". Some of those people didn't tell me about it until we'd known one another for years, and I'm assuming there are quite a few more who I don't know about because they haven't told me.

Of those, one went to the police, which I think is about average. That guy did get convicted, but he made it pretty easy for the prosecution.

[pretentiousgit.livejournal.com]

Horrifying, as per usual, a phrase upsetting in and of itself.

I'm tremendously grateful to be both queer and Canadian, like I won the epic genetic lottery; imagine, born white and privileged and North American. Able to do so much and unlikely to be accidentally knocked up. It's literally a blessing I count almost every day.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Totally seconded. Now if only we could get to the point where the kind of relative safety and enjoyment we get out of life (and things like adequate food, shelter, education, respect) weren't actually representative of "privilege".

[alphaloria.livejournal.com]

wow... ugh :(

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

What the... oh my god. They actually believe rape will turn gay women straight.

Sorry, need to go and scrub my brain now.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Yeah, because giving someone a negative experience like that is bound to help