Regardless of The Perpetrator’s Identity, Rape Is Rape!

Originally published on wisekelp.tumblr.com and cross-posted here with their permission.

Rape is a horrible, atrocious assault that is not taken nearly as seriously as it should be.

Victims are blamed for their attacks. Survivors’ stories are continuously discredited. Comedians incessantly turn cis male rape into a joke and cis female rape into a compliment. Queer and gender non-binary narratives are completely pushed into the margins.

Consequently, the discourse around rape is limited to the narrow, heteronormative, gender-binaried lens of our patriarchal society, and that lens silences the experiences of so many people.

In reality, ANYONE can be a perpetrator and ANYONE can be a victim.

If we want to fight rape culture and advocate for victims and survivors, we have to stop gendering rape. We have to support all survivors and hold all perpetrators accountable.

Please read the following Everyday Feminism articles to learn more about rape culture:

• 25 Everyday Examples of Rape Culture
• To End Rape Culture, We Must Address These 3 Things
• On Parenting and Rape Culture
• Five Ways Rape Culture Exists Unnoticed And Goes Unchecked In Our Everyday Life
• Chivalry vs. Kindness: Which One Enables Rape Culture?

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Feranda Chua is a Year 5 student currently studying design in School of the Arts, Singapore (SOTA) for the International Baccalaureate (IB). She is interested in psychology and finds humans fascinating. She is currently working on the idea of shared muscle memory used in typing and piano playing as a common language. Please follow her on tumblr.