Lies
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Date
      Rape
      Reality
      .
     
     
      M.
      MacCallum
     
    

    
     
      It
      was
      a
      pub
      night
      on
      campus,
      last
      spring.
      A
      group
     
     
      of
      us
      went_to
      the
      Barn,
      had
      a
      few
      beers,
      and
      took
     
     
      a
      taxi
      downtown.
      We
      went
      to
      Myrons,
      then
     
     
      Tradewinds.
      At
      the
      Winds,
      I
      met
      a
      guy
      who
      I
      had
     
     
      known
      for
      a
      couple
      of
      years.
      We
      were
      feeling
     
     
      pretty
      good,
      so
      when
      the
      bar
      closed,
      we
      came
      back
     
     
      to
      residence.
      I
      had
      no
      reason
      to
      assume
      that
      I
      was
     
     
      in
      danger
      (in
      my
      own
      home)
      from
      this
      guy.
      To
     
     
      make
      a
      long
      story
      short,
      he
      raped
      me.
      He
      didn’t
     
     
      just
      have
      sex
      with
      me,
      he
      forced
      me
      to
      have
      sex
     
     
      against-my
      will.
      1
      said
      "no",
      I
      fought,
      I
      did
     
     
      everything
      short
      of
      screaming.
      I
      don’t
      know
      why
      I
     
     
      didn’t.
      After
      a
      while
      I
      just
      gave
      up
      and
      layed
      there
     
     
      and
      cried.
      He
      got
      up
      and
      left.
      Some
      might
      say
     
     
      that
      I
      asked
      for
      it,
      because
      I
      let
      him
      come
      back
      with
     
     
      me.
      Or
      some
      might
      say
      that
      I
      should
      have
      reported
     
     
      it,
      but
      anyone
      who
      knows
      anything
      about
      rape,
     
     
      knows
      that
      reporting
      it
      is
      letting
      yourself
      in
      for
      a
     
     
      bigger
      hell
      than
      the
      one
      that
      you
      just
      went
      through.
     
     
      So,
      I
      didn’t
      tell
      anyone.
      In
      fact,
      approximately
      a
     
     
      month
      later,
      he
      apologized,
      saying
      that
      he
      just
      got
     
     
      carried
      away
      and
      didn’t
      mean
      to
      force
      me.
      Well
      I
     
     
      just
      want
      to
      say
      -
      Sorry
      doesn’t
      cut
      it.
      He
      took
     
     
      something
      away
      from
      me:
      my
      control
      over
      my
      own
     
     
      body.
      No-one
      has
      the
      right
      to
      do
      that
      to
      another
     
     
      person.
      Theréfore
      I
      guess
      that
      I
      am
      one
      of
      the
      nine
     
     
      out
      of
      ten
      rapes
      that
      occurs
      and
      goes
      unreported.
     
     
      It’s
      called
      date
      rape
      and
      it
      happens
      here,
      on
     
     
      campus.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      This
      is
      a
      true
      account
      of
      a
      date
      rape
      that
      was
     
     
      supplied
      to
      us
      by
      a
      girl,
      who
      for
      obvious
      reasons,
     
     
      wishes
      to
      remain
      anonymous,
      researched
      by
      M.
     
     
      MacCallum.
      The
      above
      account
      is
      just
      one
      example
     
     
      of
      what
      happens
      often
      right
      here
      on
      campus.
     
     
      Almost
      none
      of
      these
      incidents
      are
      reported.
      Even
     
     
      when
      they
      are,
      most
      do
      not
      find
      a
      court
      date.
      For
     
     
      one
      reason
      or
      another,
      guilt
      is
      too
      difficult
      to
      prove.
     
     
      Because
      the
      girl
      doesn’t
      scream
      while
      it
      happens,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ~
      Campus
      Women
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Ella
      Holt
     
    
   
   
    
     
      \
     
    
   
   
    
     
      and
      nothing
      is
      done
      about
      it,
      date
      rape
      becomes
      a
     
     
      truly
      silent
      crime.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Rape
      is
      a
      serious
      and
      violent
      crime.
      The
      stereotype
     
    
   
   
    
     
      rapist
      is
      a
      man
      that
      hides
      in
      bushes,
      waiting
      to
     
     
      assault
      a
      random,
      unsuspecting
      victim.
      This
      is
      not
     
     
      always
      the
      case.
      In
      most
      cases
      the
      victim
      knows
      her
     
     
      assailant.
      They
      are
      often
      friends
      or
      are
      dating.
     
     
      Often
      alcohol
      plays
      a
      big
      role
      in
      the
      rape.
      You
     
     
      know,
      the
      old
      cliche
      about
      getting
      the
      girl
      drunk
     
     
      and
      taking
      advantage
      of
      her.
      This
      is
      a
      very
      accepted
     
     
      practice
      in
      today’s
      society
      and
      is
      even
      joked
      about.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      fact
      that
      so
      many
      people
      take
      these
      date
      rapes
     
     
      so
      casually
      is
      the
      root
      of
      the
      problem.
      The
      onus
     
     
      does
      not
      have
      to
      be
      completely
      on
      women
      to
     
     
      protect
      themselves
      from
      rape
      -
      men
      need
      to
      change
     
     
      their
      attitudes
      about
      what
      mutual
      consent
      means.
     
     
      When
      a
      girl
      goes
      home
      from
      a
      bar
      with
      a
      guy,
      she
     
     
      is
      not
      necessarily
      planning
      to
      have
      sex.
      Mutual
     
     
      consent
      is
      when
      both
      the
      man
      and
      the
      woman
      agree
     
     
      that
      they
      want
      to
      have
      sex.
      This
      is
      something
      that
     
     
      needs
      to
      be
      cleared
      up
      before
      anyone
      makes
      any
     
     
      physical
      contact.
      Women,
      in
      general,
      have
      more
     
     
      romantic
      ideas
      about
      going
      to
      a
      guy’s
      house
      for
     
     
      coffee
      after
      an
      evening
      out
      than
      men
      do.
      When
      a
     
     
      man
      asks
      a
      woman
      home
      for
      coffee,
      he
      may
      actually
     
     
      be
      asking
      her
      home
      for
      sex.
      Because
      the
      man
      is
      a
     
     
      friend,
      the
      woman
      feels
      safe
      in
      going
      with
      him.
      So
     
     
      maybe
      the
      problem
      is
      communication.
      The
      two
     
     
      sexes
      need
      to
      spell
      out
      what
      each
      other
      wants
     
     
      before,
      not
      after
      the
      rape
      occurs.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      So,
      is
      it
      more
      dangerous
      to
      walk
      home
      from
      the
     
     
      library
      at
      night,
      or
      to
      go
      out
      with
      some
      friends
      to
     
     
      a
      bar?
      Right
      now,
      for
      women,
      both
      choices
      can
      be
     
     
      pretty
      dangerous.
      Women
      do
      need
      some
      common
     
     
      sense
      about
      protecting
      themselves
      from
      rape.
      But
     
     
      shouldn’t
      men
      use
      some
      common
      sense
      also?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      UPEI
      X-Press
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      8,
      1990
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Page
      8