It's unfortunate that rape continues to be placed with in a heteronormative and essentialized gender framework. The claim that "only men can stop rape" renders invisible not only victims of rape where that socially identifiable category of woman doesn't apply to, obvious allies who are concerned about the perpetration of rape, and of course avoids any kind of institutional questions.
Many people are realizing how crucial it is to shift the focus of rape and sexism prevention/awareness from women and onto men.
Why is it a question of gender? Ought the question be about who is politically marginal and who is not? In the quote above, not only is the assumption implicit that rape is a heterosexual act of men raping women, but further, social identified men are the power holders. Can't the obviously positive sentiment of this claim be framed to "those with power must act in ways which help stop the perpetration of rape" rather than reinforcing a gendered view of rape and power as well as masking other kinds of sexual violence which are not easily categorized within heteronormative frameworks.
Found here: http://www.culturaldissent.com/index.php?/archives/197-guid.html#extended | Originally from:
http://speakoutonmaleviolence.wordpress.com/2006/10/29/only-men-can-stop-rape/#more-37
Only men can stop rape.
Only men can stop rape. Sexual assault is overwhelmingly a male crime perpertrated against women. The victims, mostly women, are unlikely to be able to access the criminal justice system to seek justice. If they are able, they face an invasive ordeal designed to question and impugn their sexual characters, intellect and behavioural choices.
Like it or not, rape is as statistically gendered as pissing on one's feet. Seeking to remove the discussion from this basis is a move to obsfurcate the real issues and further empower gendered perpertrators against their victims.
Unfortunately, I think this
Unfortunately, I think this comment highlights the issue I'm pointing at. First it makes the assertion that there is one group of individuals who can stop rape while failing to problematize the complexity of the specific category. Then it reverses its own logic to access the criminal justice, failing to relate the category of "men" to the criminal justice system. Thirdly, it misses the point that framing this issue in a gendered way alienates potential allies, defines rape in heternormative terms, and doesn't substantively address the question of how power functions in relation to rape.
The contention that I'm making here is not a denial that women are raped by men, nor is it an insistence that because there are rapes which do not fit this definition that therefore rape is unimportant. It is, rather, a demand that we not tie our own hands with our analysis. I am arguing that the critique of how society handles rape should not duplicate the very power dynamics which help maintain patriarchal relationships.
Check out this website for a
Check out this website for a local example (for me) of a group that takes your assertion seriously in their work:
http://www.nwnetwork.org/
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