They line up in front of a courthouse in southeastern France, from morning to evening, and have gathered in the thousands in cities across the country. They hold signs reading, “one rape every six minutes,” “not all men but always a man,” and “giving in is not consenting.”

They chant: “Rapist we see you, victim we believe you.”

Women across France are rallying in support of Gisèle Pelicot, a 72-year-old reluctant icon whose husband is on trial in the city of Avignon for systematically drugging her and inviting dozens of men, 50 of whom are now his co-defendants, into their home to rape her over nearly a decade.

The shocking case has sparked what many women in France call a long-overdue reckoning over “rape culture” and systemic sexism in the way the judicial system handles sexual violence.

  • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    6 months ago

    I don’t like that sign. Sure, when she gets raped it’s probably a man but every time it’s happened to me so far it has been a woman, so, no not “always a man.”

    “Good” news is that while I was forced to have sex (or else what was I gonna do fight her? Yeah that won’t end with me in cuffs) it isn’t rape because definitionally the worst women can do in my area is sexual assault, and people only care if you’re a minor, just try and report it as an adult. Most people just think “oh you’re a man you must’ve liked it” and just minimize it away because we’re just sex objects so who fucking cares, I just had to get the fuck over it and I did, but it still pisses me off that I’m literally the victim of this shit and treated like a perpetrator by default just because I happen to have a penis, it’s the ultimate “fuck you” on top really.

    • @ayyy@sh.itjust.works
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      406 months ago

      As a male SA victim I have been repeatedly told that it was my fault for having the privilege. So I guess “you’re welcome” to both of us.

  • @AllHailTheSheep@sh.itjust.works
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    676 months ago

    imagine taking this story, about where a woman was systematically drugged and raped for OVER 10 YEARS, and going “ah yes but what about the men?!?”. I truly feel for the men in the comments sharing their stories, and I hope they continue to share and raise awareness, but Jesus y’all not the time

    • @MellowYellow13@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Take your own fucking advice. If men talking about their own rapes triggers you so, then you are the same crap you are crying about. You are sexist beyond belief.

      It’s never the fucking time for male abuse victims to speak up and tell their stories, we’re always told to shut up and deal with it.

      • @mightyfoolish@lemmy.world
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        66 months ago

        I’s never the fucking time for male abuse victims to speak up and tell their stories

        It’s never time to break the status quo, even if it means liberation for those considered in minority groups (in this case people assaulted by women vs people assaulted by men). I’m paraphrasing a MLK article passed around a few weeks ago.

        In his letter sent from jail, King went on to criticize white moderates. He said that a white moderate is someone “who constantly says: ‘I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action’; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man’s freedom.” Such a person is, according to King, someone “who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a ‘more convenient season.’”

          • @EndlessApollo@lemmy.world
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            36 months ago

            If he were alive and protesting today you’d be whining about how white lives matter too and he’s a racist asshole who thinks white people deserve to be lynched. Fuck off

              • @EndlessApollo@lemmy.world
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                6 months ago

                The person I’m replying to, though tbf I don’t actually know if they’re racist like that, but they and a lot of people in this comment section are speaking out against this protest about a woman who got raped constantly and rape culture against women and trying to make it about the issues men face. it’s all very “I’m white and i got harassed by a cop, so this protest about police shooting a black child should be about me too”

    • @Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Yeah exactly. I’m a man who was assaulted as a kid by a woman. Shit happens. But looking at what shit happens most often - it’s sexual violence perpetrated by men against women.

      I don’t know how we change that. Maybe by continuing to level up the power dynamic between men and women, I feel like we’ve been making some progress with that over the past century. Finally. But it’s more than that, there are too many idiot arseholes who think they can have anything their fists can beat down. Almost all of them are men.

      Pretty much every girlfriend and female friend I’ve ever had has had bad experiences with men. Women I have cared about over the years have had experiences across the spectrum from cat calling and comments back when they were kids in school uniforms all the way through to stranger rape. Domestic violence isn’t uncommon either.

      I dunno, I wish I had a solution. It fuckin breaks my heart - when a close friend or a partner opens up about what happened to her and there’s nothing you can do, it’s years too late, you have these thoughts like if I’d been there I could have stopped it- but it happened years ago and you are fuckin helpless to do anything except maybe hug her if she’s comfortable with that, or if not try to tell her it’s over, she’s safe and stronger now, whatever you think might help.

      You don’t realise how harmful sexual assault is until you’ve been unable to help someone you love. The key word isn’t ‘sexual’, it’s ‘assault’.

      Shit like that makes me fuckin ashamed to be a bloke. I don’t know how we fix this, but I’ve got two suggestions for a good start - firstly, we don’t do that shit. Never, there’s never an excuse. Secondly, we fuckin shut down other guys, even if they’re our mates, if they start with that sort of talk.

      Yeah, there’s wrong uns in whatever gender. But in terms of atrocity it’s us men well in the lead. We gotta change that. I think we can at least fuckin try.

      • @AllHailTheSheep@sh.itjust.works
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        6 months ago

        thanks for being one of the reasonable ones in this comment section lol. and it seems you’re doing a pretty good job of trying to enact change. keep it up, it’s a team effort :)

        sorry to hear about your story as well, hope everything is going well for you now.

        • @Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world
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          116 months ago

          Cheers, yeah I’ve kinda grown into my own shit. It’s caused me a lot of problems over the years, but I’m getting old now and I’m okay with stuff.

          I’m just saying that anyone can get hurt like that, but it’s mostly women getting hurt and it’s mostly men doing the hurting. We’ve got to fuckin stop doing that because it is profoundly wrong.

          • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            86 months ago

            Lol does it feel good that they literally called you “one of the good ones?”

            Personally I think that’s pretty wild, imagine saying that to a black person lol. I’d frankly be upset by that if I were you wait I am upset about it lol, look at me being one of those uppity men again.

    • @Nuke_the_whales@lemmy.world
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      306 months ago

      I was molested by a woman as a child. That sign just makes me see red, I’m sorry if my trauma and triggers are inconveniently timed for you

      • @AllHailTheSheep@sh.itjust.works
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        236 months ago

        no that’s not true at all. you’re supposed to talk about it, to share your stories, to go to therapy, support groups. to make online spaces to discuss and heal and grow. same as women. unfortunately, the only time I ever see men share their stories is when it takes away from a women’s experience, which is disgusting as has been happening more and more on this app.

          • @EndlessApollo@lemmy.world
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            136 months ago

            It literally does matter when you talk. If BLM groups only ever protested when there was another protest they could hijack that would garbage. Stop talking over other victims if you actually give a shit. Doing what you and arcaneslime and a bunch of other m*n here are doing has the same effect as going to a BLM protest with All Lives Matter signs

            • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              106 months ago

              LMAO really signaling allegiances censoring “men” like that. I would take a cue from you and start censoring w*men but thankfully I don’t actually hate “women,” I hate rape apologists like you.

              And I’m “a menonite” or whatever you called me earlier, right. You’ve got problems lmao.

              And don’t talk about me behind my back, have the common decency to tag me in your little tantrums.

        • @jj4211@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          If it weren’t for that “but always a man”, there would be no issue. Celebrating “but always a man” is the issue driving objections here.

    • @Soulg@sh.itjust.works
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      246 months ago

      The problem is the sign in the thumbnail. It sure as good god fuck is not always men and you’re a disgusting liar to claim that.

      • @AllHailTheSheep@sh.itjust.works
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        jesus man, not everything is about you. sure, not all men are sexual predators. easy enough to agree on. but the point is that all men have had opportunities to call their peers out on creepy behavior, whether it’s catcalling, looking down on women, sexualizing them, etc. and failed. each of these 50 plus men in this story could’ve reported this as odd, or talked to the women and made sure she was ok, or hung around until the drugs wore off to double check, and didn’t. each of them were given an opportunity and they took full advantage of it and of her. so yeah. all men have failed women at some point, and each of your MANY comments in this thread are honestly just another example of that, taking away from this poor women’s story to wage your personal crusade.

      • beefbot
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        106 months ago

        All men can walk around at night or alone never thinking about it though

        • @Krauerking@lemy.lol
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          116 months ago

          Said as another absolute that you shouldn’t, as if PTSD doesn’t exist for men that do get raped but just not as frequently.

          Yes it’s skewed but seriously try to avoid absolute statements like that cause it absolutely will push the same victim ignorance that we try to avoid with women comig forward and it will upset people.

          Just say “most” or even the “average man”

          • beefbot
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            26 months ago

            Well, the preceding comment wasn’t really in good faith, pooping on a thread with tone like “you’re a disgusting liar”, so I didn’t think they* deserved much benefit of doubt

            *THEY. Not “he”. See whut I done there?

            • @Krauerking@lemy.lol
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              86 months ago

              Your comment doesn’t attack the person upset it just leaves out other victims as if they don’t exist.

              You can edit a comment at any time and you don’t have to be miserable or rude just cause someone else is.

    • @Bamboodpanda@lemmy.world
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      206 months ago

      It’s the same argument people made during the black lives movement by saying all lives matter. Of course all lives matter, but right now we are talking about black lives cause they are the ones hurting. Woman are the overwhelming majority of sexual abuse victims. We are talking about them right now. I say this as a male who was a victim of abuse by an older woman.

      • @Hadriscus@lemm.ee
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        266 months ago

        Talking about it is never a problem, but a sign that says “always a man” is factually wrong and invisibilising, it is more harmful than helpful. It’s right to point it out, I think

      • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        96 months ago

        Oh yes the ever ignored male rape victims who are indignant enough to speak up in the face of a sign like this aren’t included in “the one’s hurting” because you’re literally ignoring their screams for help from the movement that is ignoring them almost harder than the rest of the world at large, by literally lumping male victims in with abusers and woman abusers in with victims, and then turning around and pretending we’re the fucking problem for being mad about that.

        It’s not enough I have to be raped by two different women, I have to be treated like an inhuman unfeeling monster simply because I have a wiener while I watch my literal abusers be praised for being the right gender, and then when I say “hey maybe don’t unfairly treat me as a pariah” I get told to sit down and shut up because “we’re not talking about you right now?” Well guess what? We certainly are talking about me now whether you like it or not. I’m sick of it if I’m being perfectly honest and I’m not going to let people pretend I’m culpable for the actions of others any longer, nor will I let them silence me and excuse my abusers with signs like these.

        • @Bamboodpanda@lemmy.world
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          76 months ago

          I’m sorry for the abuse you’ve experienced and for how dismissed you may feel. Your pain is valid, and it’s important that it’s acknowledged.

          Regarding the woman’s sign, it contains a false statement. However, she is just one person making that claim. While there may be others who share her view, they are a minority and don’t represent the majority of the movement or the core issue. My point is that signs like hers can distract from the broader discussion—that the vast majority of sexual assault and abuse victims are women, and now is the time to raise awareness about that.

          Of course, men like you and I have been abused by women as well, and it’s essential that all forms of abuse are recognized and addressed. We must advocate for all victims. But in this moment, let’s focus on standing behind the women who are survivors and show them our support.

          • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            You know good and well she’s not the only person saying things like “all men,” though she may be the first I’ve seen say “only men.” Why are you lying? I’ve been a male victim of female abusers since years ago by now, you think I don’t remember each and every time someone has said “shut up and sit down we’re not talking about you right now?” I’ve lived this shit, you can’t tell me it isn’t happening when it happens constantly. And racists are in the minority too, should I not call out their bullshit when I see that too or is that fine because that isn’t a belief you hold?

            My point is that signs like hers distract from the broader discussion and that is why they should be actively discouraged even if they really don’t care about us. Your point is that I’m the problem for having feelings about her sign or for voicing my opinions on it. Well, I disagree. This is exactly where my opinion belongs, right in defiance of that bullshit wherever it presents itself.

            I’m not the one shifting the focus, “always men” is. I’d be all about it if the sign simply said “Justice for Gisèle Pelicot” or something. She chose to make the sign, and the website chose to prominently feature it, be mad at them. That’s what I’m mad at, they are the ones that are attempting to erase male victims not Gisèle Pelicot, hell I stand with her too, I’m not just about male victims I’m the one in here begging for women to actually include male victims in the anti-SA movement ffs!

            And have been asking for it for years by the way, only to always be told “sit down shut up it isn’t your time you’re only 4% you must’ve liked it anyway you’re lucky you got laid quit being a pussy and complaining,” at every fucking turn.

      • @jj4211@lemmy.world
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        26 months ago

        It’s not the story in general, it’s the “but always a man” that’s objectionable.

    • @EndlessApollo@lemmy.world
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      This 100%. If men being raped is such a massive issue to yall, make your own protest about it, don’t shit on the protests of marginalized people bc they’re fighting for their own rights and not yours

  • @moon@lemmy.ml
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    646 months ago

    Came here to see discussions about the truly insane case mentioned in the article. Actually found an entire comment section full of ‘not all men’ vs ‘basically all men’ threads

    • @barsoap@lemm.ee
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      Do I want to scroll down? Nah, not really.

      I’ll just leave this here: No, not all men are rapists. Yes, all men should stand up to them. It’s that simple and if you deviate from that formula you dive into rape culture or misandry, depending, are part of the problem, actively, passively, in one way or the other.

      As a man, have this attitude (there’s subtitles).

      As a woman… “Dudes it’s only an embellishment” “noone thinks ‘all men’ is meant seriously” STFU you’re being catty you know exactly how often women use covert aggression, use plausible deniability to get away with the vilest shit, even if you don’t mean it like that right now, in this instance, it’s still how it’s perceived, and no, not all men deserve to be treated like that. So cut it out.

    • @rekabis@lemmy.ca
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      Then maybe you should understand that women rape men as frequently as men rape women:

      And now the real surprise: when asked about experiences in the last 12 months, men reported being “made to penetrate”—either by physical force or due to intoxication—at virtually the same rates as women reported rape (both 1.1 percent in 2010, and 1.7 and 1.6 respectively in 2011).

      In other words, if being made to penetrate someone was counted as rape—and why shouldn’t it be?—then the headlines could have focused on a truly sensational CDC finding: that women rape men as often as men rape women.

      Now consider: how many women do you see convicted and jailed for rape?

      crickets

      That’s the sound of massive gender bigotry in play, right there - 50% of all cross-gender rapists getting away Scott-free, purely by virtue of their gender.

      • @Akasazh@feddit.nl
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        206 months ago

        His point is that is not what the article is about. It’s off-topic.

        I get that you’re passionate about getting your point across but it’s swamping the discussion a bit.

    • @scarabic@lemmy.world
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      The internet loves to argue with a generalization that is only true 9,999 times out of ten thousand.

      • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        36 months ago

        Help me with the math on this, if “it’s always men” 9,999 out of 10,000 times, and I’ve personally been raped by two women, what’re my odds on that? I must be getting all the rape the women of the world can dish out then, huh?

        Couldn’t possibly be that men seldom report, seldom are taken seriously when they do, and even when they are taken seriously in many places women can’t legally “rape” so the best they can get a slap on the wrist for is “Sexual Assault” for forcing men to have sex with them? Could it? No waaaaayyyyy.

        • @scarabic@lemmy.world
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          26 months ago

          Instead of letting my numbers make you feel small, perhaps think for a second how enormous the problem of male sexual assault is. That’s the math help you need here.

          • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            26 months ago

            I agree, male sexual assault is a problem and nobody is talking about it. In fact when we (males who have been sexually assaulted) try and, not even “be included,” just “not be excluded,” we’re told to sit down and shut up, we’re only 4% so we don’t matter, we must’ve liked it if our body responded naturally to stimulus, she was hot anyway so we’re lucky, and quit being a pussy." In fact legally in my area and many more the worst the women who forced me to have sex with them even could be charged with is sexual assault becausr technically “rape” requires penetration. Isn’t that fucked up?

            How 'bout instead of trying to silence male victims of sexual assault when they’re rightfully indignant about being excluded you do a little soul searching and try and realize why we “always have to make the conversation about us” when people write signs like “not all men but always a man,” m’kay? Maybe that introspection will lead you to opinions like “rape is possible for women to commit, and it’s bad when they do it too, AND we should speak for all victims of all genders or lack thereof, and against all abusers of all genders or lack thereof, rather than ‘men bad women good nonbinary irrelevant.’”

            • @scarabic@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              How 'bout instead of trying to silence male victims of sexual assault when they’re rightfully indignant about being excluded you do a little soul searching

              Dude you’re desperately trying to make this about you and aiming all your complaints about society at me when I have done exactly nothing you describe.

              Here we are, in a thread about a woman being raped, with you lecturing me about how much male rape matters. That just says everything right there.

              If you think no one online talks about or cares about male rape then you just aren’t listening. It’s one of Reddit’s favorite topics. They never miss a chance to highlight male rape, and threads about it get 100x the love of those discussing the problem of rape by males. Your issue is, in a word, overrepresented if anything.

              You matter. Your trauma matters. You really seem to need to hear that. But yeah your assault is not in fact interchangeable with that of women. Theirs is the result of systematic devaluing and oppression of women across our culture that makes assault almost inevitable. Yours is a deplorable act of violence but not continuous with the entire fabric of our society.

              In other words, we’re set up to rape females. And so we’d better talk about that. What do we do to prevent much more rare and isolated incidents of violence? I’m really not sure how much we have to say about that.

              Anyway I won’t reply again or read replies. It’s been said.

              • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                26 months ago

                “Overrepresented”

                “Always a man.”

                Yeah, I guess it has been said. Fuck me for calling out bullshit when I see it, I should just sit down and shut up again, huh?

                Good, don’t reply.

  • @Krauerking@lemy.lol
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    556 months ago

    Its a shame an obviously inflammatory sign and clickbait seeking article image has made it so that the discussion is mostly off topic.

    Its insane and the whole evil piece of shit that perpetrated his kink of having multiple people raped by omission and literal drugging and rape gets away from conversations by the obvious bullshit of absolutes is insane to me. how about no victim blaming on either side and recognition that rape is awful abuse of power dynamics that occur whenever its viewed as possible.

    But also this post should probably be removed because that sign is meant to cause this kinda of angry response and it leads into a lot of hurt victims and happily ignorant people hand waving it away.

      • @Krauerking@lemy.lol
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        Told that it was the wife’s kink to pretend to be asleep and that consent was given earlier to be passed on since they would be roleplaying as soon as they got in the bedroom…
        Fuck that’s fucked up, typing out.

        If stealthing is rape by altered consent then this certainly falls somewhere in that spectrum too.

        reportedly saying he received a message on coco.gg reading, “I am indeed his wife, and I agree to welcome you.” [Source]

        Edit for a quote but yeah I mean this is a huge deal and full of insane testimony that should be the basis of this discussion.

        Basically threesomes where 1 of the participants have not been given a chance to fully consent and 1 was given none. Because of 1 guy who enjoyed the power he felt.

        • @aceshigh@lemmy.world
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          26 months ago

          The men didn’t care about the woman’s consent. They just wanted to fuck so they accepted whatever was said. They’re victims of their own bad judgment.

    • @JustARaccoon@lemmy.world
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      286 months ago

      The heck you mean “close enough”, 4% is not within margin of error, and even then this is a grave accusation to lump on an entire demographic.

    • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      Ooh good, only 4%? I’m an anomaly and deserve to be categorized with the aggressors instead of the victims because while I am the victim of two different women I happen to be a male, so fuck me!

    • Roflmasterbigpimp
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      Dafq is wrong with you. You just chose to ignore and invalidate a horrible experience of thousands, if not millions, just to defend a random person’s Sign? Maybe take a step back and think again.

    • @where_am_i@sh.itjust.works
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      116 months ago

      Certainly close enough says the expert. And then someone in the other thread explains how the legal definition is so fkd up it essentially excludes male victims. Tell me about real sexism here.

      But you know what? It shouldn’t fuckin matter either way, because if it does to you, you’re the problem.

    • @Resonosity@lemmy.world
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      56 months ago

      Yeah I also saw the similarly to ALM in the comments of this post.

      Yes, women also abuse men (and also other women), but the vast majority of cases that appear before a judge involve men as the perpetrators. I’d want to tackle the big problems first if I have to prioritize cultural (and sexual) progress of a society.

      But I also recognize bias exists at pretty much every level of this process, inside or outside of a courtroom. I think we should still value evidence over hearsay, as was demonstrated in a case like Depp v. Heard, yet show compassion for victims because they need to feel safe to speak up, no matter the gender.

  • @InvertedParallax@lemm.ee
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    486 months ago

    Ok, wow, this is a fucked up thread.

    I just came here to say “More power to her!”, she’s setting an incredible example and we need to turn back the misogyny and just general sexual violence that we’ve had in society since time immemorial.

  • @Jayjader@jlai.lu
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    476 months ago

    I think I would have more sympathy with those focusing on the “not all men but always a man” sign if this weren’t in the context of a woman being drugged by her husband and then said husband inviting about 50 random men to rape her, over 10 years.

    One of the worst times to advocate for men’s rights/issues is when everyone is talking about the heinous crimes a bunch of men have done. Especially if the comments you’re leaving are focusing on how women rape just as much as men do, etc.

    • Roflmasterbigpimp
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      266 months ago

      I agree with you. Yes, this is not the time nor the place to go full on men’s rights activism, 100% correct.

      But if someone tells a rape victim his experience does not account because he part of the 4%, then nobody won anything at all, and I will speak my mind about such a heinous statement, the same way I will speak my mind about any one telling Woman shit like “It happened bc you dressed so seductive”, "You sure he heard you saying No?"etc etc. .

    • Makhno
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      One of the worst times to advocate for men’s rights/issues is when everyone is talking about the heinous crimes a bunch of men have done. Especially if the comments you’re leaving are focusing on how women rape just as much as men do, etc.

      Agreed. Unfortunately there’s always gonna be a whataboutism as long as men feel unheard…

      People can lose empathy when they think the world is ignoring them. It’s taken me years to move on from people telling me to “man up” or “get over it” about my SA.

      • @captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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        126 months ago

        I really hope that at some point male victims of sexual assault will work to create a movement of support. It’s not ok that y’all get told to man up, and it’s not ok that y’all are often used as a way to shut down discussions of sexual violence against women.

    • @VinnyDaCat@lemmy.world
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      66 months ago

      Absolutely agreed.

      Something I used to hear regarding feminism was that it also fought for men’s rights even if indirectly for equality purposes. While I wouldn’t say it’s accurate of the movement now, I will say that it’d be a nice thing for men’s rights groups to pick up. If these movements want to be heard then they must be willing to listen to the voices of women and be willing to bring their own to justice.

      • @Warl0k3@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Yo, feminists have been leading the charge on shit like paternity leave (FMLA was feminists), battered men’s shelters (now there’s four! In the country!) and getting equality of rulings on spousal abuse or visitation rights. Don’t buy into the alt-right BS about how the movement used to be good but now it’s just full of all those self-centered women, and I only hate the current version. It’s a really common line, and it’s bullshit.

        • @VinnyDaCat@lemmy.world
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          26 months ago

          I’ll be completely honest: I don’t really know which organizations/movements are doing what these days. There’s too much to keep track of. The groups where I am aren’t particularly kind though. That’s coming from my knowledge of an experience with a family member’s divorce, so I apologize for being misinformed.

          I just do what I think is right. It’s all I have energy for.

      • @captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        As a modern feminist I think that’s one of the differences between the third and fourth waves. The third wave (and early second wave) had a strong emphasis on “feminism is for everyone” and was much more “theory based” if that makes sense. The fourth wave is generally understood to be defined by the era of mass social media. It’s been hardened by things like gamergate, the me too movement, and the rabid opposition to the third wave by reactionary men refusing to accept that it was the most pro man wave feminism saw. I don’t think it’s tactically wise or theoretically sound, but I get and feel the anger. That said I’m generally more pro third wave as a whole, including thinking bell hooks really understood how patriarchy negatively impacts men.

        But yeah, modern feminist culture is jaded and angry, and for good reason. And I do agree that a men’s movement to deal with y’all’s issues would be incredibly helpful so long as you’re able to keep the reactionary voices out of it. Because from this woman’s perspective, a lot of men really need to develop friendships based on mutual care and understanding. Women can’t fix the malaise men are currently showing, and reactionaries can only make it worse.

    • @Soulg@sh.itjust.works
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      296 months ago

      I’m not one of them, but the problem is the sign in the thumbnail. Without that I doubt it would’ve upset as many people.

        • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          256 months ago

          Nah lol I literally would be in here in full support without the sign, but with the sign I am reminded that even though I have been raped by two different women, not only am I seen as a horrid abuser for the crime of having been born with a penis, the women who raped me are seen as victims for the virtue of having a vagina. Erasing male victims and woman perpetrators in one fell swoop really isn’t a good look, it makes the issue gendered rather than about abusers V victims, and then to turn it around and claim that men are making it “all about us” as if the sign didn’t lead us there in the first place is some A+ victim blaming.

          If women don’t like that the conversation becomes about male victims in response to their erasure of male victims (and in this case woman perpetrators), then women should start speaking up for ALL victims instead of erasing us, regardless of how insignificant they think we are ignoring us is hurting OUR cause, yes “ours:” victims’ regardless of gender.

            • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              226 months ago

              Then put that on the sign, not “always men” ffs. The sign is a lie and a problem and the fact that you can’t see that means you’re part of that problem.

                • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  6 months ago

                  To be quite frank, the vast majority of sexual violence against women is perpetrated by men. The vast majority of all sexual violence is against women.

                  Oh thank you for clarifying why you think me being raped is insignificant and doesn’t matter. Wanna go for the rest of the hits while we’re here? “You must have enjoyed it because you’re a man” and “she was hot you should consider yourself lucky,” or who could forget the classic “get over it pussy?”

                  Fine, if there’s nothing left to say, then say nothing. That’ll be better than what you’ve been doing.

          • @EndlessApollo@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            “yea I’d like this protest, but there’s literally one sign that offends me and they didn’t chant my name so fuck them all” you’re a piece of work omg xD

            • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              116 months ago

              No u lmao, you literally are trying to silence victims of rape as we speak and you think I’m the piece of work? You having a stroke or something?

        • @Regrettable_incident@lemmy.world
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          156 months ago

          I didn’t even look at the thumbnail. I’m a man btw. If I had to rewrite that sign it might say ‘NOT ALL MEN - JUST TOO MANY’. Or, I dunno, something like that.

          I kinda feel like, for blokes there are two important things we can do. Aside from stop having arguments about who’s the bigger victim (it’s women). First is just don’t do that shit. Just don’t. It’s actually easy and rewarding to not be a bad person. Second is don’t let any other guys get away with even talking like that. Even if they’re mates, step the fuck up and let them know that talk is not okay. Let’s be honest, many of us have heard our mates talk about women in a way we weren’t quite comfy with and afterwards thought we should have said something. Say something.

    • Gibibit
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      96 months ago

      If she held up a sign holding “all gays should die” would that be enough to talk about? A protest for a good cause is not a free pass to spread untruths. There are some men in this thread who were actually raped and you rail against them for sharing their story. The trial still goes on, it’s not like people here are in favor of the rapists?

      To use your inflammatory language: it’s unbelievably stupid and fragile to believe you get to direct the contents of the topic. Let the adults talk

    • @Anyolduser@lemmynsfw.com
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      416 months ago

      I’m a man who was sexually abused by a woman when I was a child. If I point out that the sign in the thumbnail is both untrue and is a dangerous oversimplification am I a rape apologist?

    • @tacosanonymous@lemm.ee
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      206 months ago

      I don’t think that happens here? One of the reasons I’ve stuck with lemmy is that it’s relatively nice.

      • AmidFuror
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        366 months ago

        The commenter probably saw the “Always a man” part of the protest sign and is daring someone to deny it.

        It’s an unfortunate sign to feature in the main article picture because it distracts from the story. There’s no issue focusing on one part of an issue (victimization of women) and not all parts (sexual abuse and rape in general). But denying the larger problem exists is counterproductive.

        • snooggums
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          376 months ago

          Pointing out language that excludes a massive number of victims isn’t rape apology.

        • RickRussell_CA
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          326 months ago

          Women can be victims of women too, though. Look at how many mothers have subjected their daughters to genital mutilation, for example.

          I think it’s pretty reasonable to say, “please don’t use exclusionary language that implies some victims are more valid than others”.

          • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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            Ngl, as a male victim of two different women, yeah it kinda is the majority. Most people would rather categorize me with the abusers because of my genetalia than with the victims, even though I’ve never victimized anyone but have been myself twice, and when I have a problem with that I’m the problem because “it’s mostly men anyway” and “you must’ve enjoyed it because you’re a man” etc.

            In my area, the legal definition of rape requires penetration, women can’t even be charged with it, at most it’s considered “sexual assault.” Good luck trying to report it unless you’re a minor, if the cops even come, they may arrest you, and if they do arrest her she’s unlikely to be convicted of SA, and if she is it’s a slap on the wrist, again unless the male victim is -18.

            And every time you bring it up you’re the problem. Nobody fucking cares at all and in fact you’re a bad person for not accepting your role as “defacto rapist” for the crime of being born with a penis.

      • I'll be on ShareMySims@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        I’d say it (E: not just rape apology, but misogyny in general) only happens a tiny margin less than on the rest of the internet, which is to say it still happens a whole fucking lot, even if they are sometimes a little less blatant with it.

        E: in case the replies and the up/down vote ratios in this post alone isn’t evidence enough, the mod log sure shows what positions are defended in one of the biggest spaces on here.

        • @Ifera@lemmy.world
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          46 months ago

          Yes, the one protecting rape victims no matter the gender, and the one against people like you, who call people you don’t know abusers, just for having a penis. I hope you grow some empathy one day, and figure out what you did wrong here.

    • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      116 months ago

      Bro they’ve been here the whole time, they’re just apologizing for woman perpetrators of male victims because it’s “only 4%” so who gives a shit about male victims, lump them in with the perpetrators.

  • @rekabis@lemmy.ca
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    6 months ago

    And yet, what no-one wants to face is the fact that women rape men as frequently as men rape women:

    And now the real surprise: when asked about experiences in the last 12 months, men reported being “made to penetrate”—either by physical force or due to intoxication—at virtually the same rates as women reported rape (both 1.1 percent in 2010, and 1.7 and 1.6 respectively in 2011).

    In other words, if being made to penetrate someone was counted as rape—and why shouldn’t it be?—then the headlines could have focused on a truly sensational CDC finding: that women rape men as often as men rape women.

    I mean, yes - let’s lock up convicted rapists. But if 50%of cross-gender rapists are women yet almost 100% of convicted rapists are men, there’s some seriously weapons-grade gender bigotry at play, there.

    A legal system that is truly based on equality should see about a 50/50 split of male/female rapists convicted, and for largely equal time served as well.

      • @zaphod@sopuli.xyz
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        96 months ago

        The report you picked excludes quite a lot of victims as it’s about intimite partner violence which it defines as:

        The term, intimate partner violence, refers to any physical or sexual violence, stalking, and/or psychological aggression by a current or former dating partner or spouse.

        For the full numbers not just for intimate partners you want this report https://www.cdc.gov/nisvs/documentation/nisvsReportonSexualViolence.pdf which confusingly has the same title. It states 2.3% of women raped in a 12 month timeframe and 0.3% of men being raped and 1.3% made to penetrate in the same timeframe, so 1.6% of men either raped or made to penetrate.

        • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          106 months ago

          So for the first study, I have my emotionally abusive ex that would threaten suicide (at the drop of a hat, but also) when I wasn’t in the mood, and for the “full numbers” there’s the two women I never dated that raped me. Huh, neat. I wonder why the only three abusive women to exist in the world chose me. Couldn’t be that it’s more common than people think or anything, no waaaay.

    • @bane_killgrind@slrpnk.net
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      186 months ago

      In the context of this post this is disgusting to bring up.

      This doesn’t have any bearing on what this old lady was put through.

      • @Ifera@lemmy.world
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        126 months ago

        In the context of this comment section, and the image that was chosen to lead the article, it is not disgusting and it simply makes sense.

        She is a fucking hero, she is brave and she gives hope to us rape victims. But if on the same breath you praise her and the people who support her, and dismiss a fuckton of rape victims just because the perpetrators of their particular rapes were women, then that is bound to raise a significant level of discomfort and take away from what the story should be, giving support to the victim of The Beast of Avignon and all rape victims, encouraging them to come forward.

    • @Allero@lemmy.today
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      The share may differ - I’m not aware of it being equal and you bring up interesting stats right there - but regardless, men can absolutely be victims of all kinds of abuse, and we have to treat it seriously.

      Yes, men forced to do what they don’t like or coerced to have sex is rape, and same for women.

      • @rekabis@lemmy.ca
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        106 months ago

        Some American jurisdictions can’t even properly report a male victim of rape or sexual assault because their software is hard-coded to assign the victim as female and the perp as male.

        Plus, the vast majority of men have been brainwashed into thinking that it is impossible for a woman to rape a man. So many of them don’t even see their rape as a rape, and frequently blame themselves.

        And for the cherry on top, male rape victims can and frequently are forced to pay child support to their rapist if a child is conceived, thereby further traumatizing them. This happens even if the male victim was a minor - upon their 18th birthday they are hit with tens of thousands in arrears, and face jail time if they cannot immediately begin paying. Imagine - jailing a rape victim for the product of their rape!!

        Think of how this would go down if the genders were swapped, and then ask yourself: why isn’t it going down like that as it currently is?

        Because men don’t matter. Because men are trivially disposable. Because if men cannot provide something of value, they are worse than useless: they are a threat to society and need to be violently coerced into being useful. It’s why so many men are saying, “thanks, but no thanks” to the various “traditional” societal expectations of them (career, marriage, and even relationships entirely), and are going their own way. And I don’t blame them one bit.

        • @Allero@lemmy.today
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          6 months ago

          I follow you, until the last part.

          “Men don’t matter”, “women don’t matter” - those statements often seem to imply that the other gender is dominant and treats the other as disposable. This is not true - both men and women heavily suffer from bias, discrimination, and abuse - both in their own ways.

          Traditional expectations hurt everybody, men and women, and should be thrown out the window. This includes a traditional concept that men are always perpetrators but not victims of abuse, among other things - something that is still commonly ignored, sometimes out of genuine ignorance, sometimes in bad faith.

          • @rekabis@lemmy.ca
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            “women don’t matter”

            I have never heard that, anywhere within the last half a century. A statement like that would be seen as misogyny of the highest order, and would have the speaker publicly crucified on the altar of public opinion.

            I mean, sure - it might be uttered in dark, hidden, ChristoFascist corners, but that isn’t spoken anywhere in public like the statement “kill all men” is widely lauded and celebrated by female supremacists.

            Traditional expectations hurt everybody, men and women,

            Then why have women been allowed to disgorge almost all of theirs, while men are being constantly nailed to the wall for theirs?

            Women have been able to nearly completely release the “homemaker” status (yay! - honestly), but a man who wants to be a homemaker will nearly always remain a life-long bachelor. Having a prestigious, well-paying career (or, at least, the potential for one) is nearly always a woman’s first consideration in a man.

            If a career-oriented man can (and frequently do) wife up some minimum-wage barista with oodles of student loans, why do career women almost always only look above their current economic level for mates? Because that is a reinforcement of traditional expectations.

            • @Allero@lemmy.today
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              16 months ago

              Things along the lines of “women don’t matter” are commonly spoken by feminists much the same way you said a similar thing about men - as a statement that this gender group is a victim of modern society.

              You wouldn’t hear “men don’t matter” in another context, either.

              And I’m not saying that the pressure of traditional expectations is equal on women vs men, I don’t have what it takes to compare, so I won’t even try. I just state they hurt everyone, and you don’t have to sink one to raise the other.

              • @rekabis@lemmy.ca
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                Things along the lines of “women don’t matter” are commonly spoken by feminists

                And yet - facts and evidence. In a western society, those are severely lacking from their argument, whereas the flip side is bleeding out everywhere. Hell, a saucy jaunt through any dating service - online or meatworld - is a severe cognitive dissonance to anyone trying to shill the “women don’t matter” bullshit, as beyond the top-2% of men, women have ALL the power in the dating world.

                I just thank the fates that I left the dating scene behind me almost three decades ago. From what I can see, things have gotten much, much worse for men since then, and it was already horrid back then.

                Then there is the gender sentencing gap in the legal system, which is three times larger than the wealth sentencing gap, and seven times larger than the racial sentencing gap. And no, this is taking into account the exact same crime with the exact same damages.

                • @Allero@lemmy.today
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                  16 months ago

                  Yes, in the dating sphere women do wield more power. They, however, are also more common victims of stalking, more commonly chased by men they never asked for.

                  Sentencing gap is also very real.

                  But then there’s a pay gap, lower representation in politics (and also patriarchal traditions of diplomacy requiring high-ranking female politicians to show themselves as rough and cold to uphold their image), the common expectation to bear and rise children almost singlehandedly (despite also having to work full-time), etc. etc.

                  Women still face many real issues, and so do men. It’s just that men’s rights is a newer concept and it takes a lot of effort to overcome things that are sometimes as basic as the right to refuse sex.

    • @fne8w2ah@lemmy.world
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      46 months ago

      So basically, “not all men and not all women” should have been the slogan in the first place.

      • @rekabis@lemmy.ca
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        56 months ago

        So basically, “not all men and not all women” should have been the slogan in the first place.

        Yes. That is a very even and equal statement that properly balances the reality of the situation.

        But equality was never their goal. That’s why those who have rationally and logically studied the ideology call the practitioners female supremacists, and are likely to call themselves egalitarianists.

        • @petrol_sniff_king@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          46 months ago

          rationally and logically studied the ideology call the practitioners female supremacists,

          Wow. That was remarkably mask off. You watch a lot of Ben Shapiro, buddy?

          • @rekabis@lemmy.ca
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            Ben Shapiro is a moron. And so is pretty much anyone who has ever punted the “alpha male” narrative.

            What I do, exclusively, is listen to what “feminists” say, and compare it to not only reality, but also how any flip-side examples for men are perceived. From there it is clear that the ideology is one of gender supremacy. There is no other possible interpretation, because there is no equality in their objectives. Any “benefits” that men accrue from feminism are purely by happenstance and lucky accident, but the foundation and exclusive intent of any one incident has always been female-first and almost always to the intentional exclusion of men.

            • @petrol_sniff_king@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              26 months ago

              And what does that mean, you fill a document with feminist phrases and ctrl+v over every word ‘woman’ the word ‘man’? That is… wow, that is incredibly academic. I’m actually hit-stunned by how smart that is.

              • @rekabis@lemmy.ca
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                16 months ago

                And what does that mean, you fill a document with feminist phrases and ctrl+v over every word ‘woman’ the word ‘man’? That is… wow, that is incredibly academic. I’m actually hit-stunned by how smart that is.

                If that’s the best you can come up with, then you are just as bad as Ben Shapiro.

  • 2ugly2live
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    346 months ago

    My heart breaks for her. I’m glad she gets to see the support of those around her while going through this. And Jesus fuck, how can you even do that to someone? I just cannot wrap my mind of being able to hurt someone like that, and then to keep doing that, and just go on living life. I’m not religious, but I hope that man burns in hell.

  • @KillerTofu@lemmy.world
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    286 months ago

    Women made up 89% of rape victims, while 96% of sexual violence perpetrators were men.

    Ok, so not so men but 96% of perpetrators are men.

      • @buddascrayon@lemmy.world
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        That percentage came from the 2021 report by the French government. This is not outdated information. And it’s pertains to France not America.

      • @EndlessApollo@lemmy.world
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        Dude just shut the fuck up about that study xD most rape is done by men towards women, quit acting like that’s just not the case. Women deserve to not be raped, can you just say that with no qualifiers?

        • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          96 months ago

          Women deserve to not be raped, can you just say that with no qualifiers?

          Can you say that without qualifiers? NOBODY deserves to be raped, including men. How ironic can you get?

            • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              76 months ago

              Yes that’s why you say “dude shut the fuck up” to male victims and minimize their experiences, and completely leave them out of your “doesn’t deserve to be raped” category until called out.

              Dude just shut the fuck up about that study xD most rape is done by men towards women, quit acting like that’s just not the case. Women deserve to not be raped, can you just say that with no qualifiers?

              How 'bout you shut the fuck up and let male victims share their feelings and experiences too.

              • @EndlessApollo@lemmy.world
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                How about you stop shitting on female victims of sexual violence just bc they’re not nice enough for you? You can have your own protest if you need it so bad, stop shitting on the one that’s actually happening. It makes it crystal clear that you don’t give a shit about anybody being raped. You’re just an meninist whining about men’s rights as an attempt to shut down support for women’s movements, no better then terfs who pretend to give a shit about women as an excuse to shit on trans people

                • @ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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                  26 months ago

                  How 'bout you stop shitting on male victims of sexual abuse because we’re not nice enough for you? FOH with that “you don’t matter” bullshit, I do matter whether you agree or not, and you are GODDAMN WELL gonna hear about it! You’re despicable, reevaluate your views.

          • @EndlessApollo@lemmy.world
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            26 months ago

            I can, but it doesn’t get much more “all lives matter” than coming to a post about women protesting about the disproportionate sexual violence they face and saying “men get raped TOO so fuck you for advocating for yourself and having a sign that offends me”

        • @Ifera@lemmy.world
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          86 months ago

          I would prefer to say, nobody deserves to be raped, and as long as people keep giving that flawed statistic that harms both male and female victims of rape, I have no reason not to share it.

          That kind of disregard is what keeps most female child rapists out of jail, or nets them far lesser sentences.

    • @Allero@lemmy.today
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      This is only natural because the post features a picture of a woman holding a highly misandric and hugely misleading sign.

      Besides, it’s one of the rare venues to talk of what’s important. And when there actually are rare posts or comments regarding abuse of men, many women flock in as well to tell about women rights.