rainn.org statistics for victims of sexual assault.
United Nations: Reports of sexual violence in Ukraine rising fast, Security Council hears.
I posted the above links to reiterate why jokes about rape are never funny. There was some confusion as to why I added these, I apologize for not making this clear beforehand. Thank you.
Rape is not funny. The comments that I read in so many unexpected places, perplex me and make me feel like what has happened to me and other people is of no importance, just something to use as an unfunny punchline. (I did not report either of my rapes, I knew that there was a good chance that i would not be taken seriously, especially for the second rape, as I was extremely inebriated.) Not being believed is a whole other problem I won't get into here. There is also the shameful fact that so many rape kits sit untested in police stations across the country.
Rape can happen in your own bedroom, or with a man you think is just a safe, regular guy.
I have been raped twice in my life, the first time by my ex-husband and the second time was by a man I met in a bar. There have been many other instances of sexual harassment and sexual attacks in my life. The first time I was attacked, I was a fifteen year old kid, in the middle of the high school football field with a nineteen year old. ( I am not including this info to ask for condolences or sympathy, I do not need that) I am including this information to reiterate the fact that there are human beings behind these comments. There is no way to know what people we interact with on the internet have endured, so being flippant about rape is especially hurtful. It isn't a secret how emotionally damaging and debilitating a crime it is, which makes it all the more appalling. Reading these comments from allies in the fight against fascism is so startling, especially now, considering what is happening to people's rights, here and around the world. Dismaying, to say the least.