I think the issue is that there’s clearly something really wrong here - possibly an assault, possible sexual extortion, clearly a theft and a woman who was traumatized. And there’s nothing to be done about it. Meaning these men may force another woman to perform sexual acts after they steal something from her because…

it’s weird how we compartmentalise.

She said they demanded oral sex in return for getting her phone back. That is coercion. If she performed oral sex under those circumstances, that’s rape (or “sexual assault” if oral doesn’t fall under the “rape” statute).

See, the fact that she said she was no longer sure it was nonconsensual on the SECOND interview is enough to convince me that she probably “changed her story” after the cops treated her like a suspect and badgered her relentlessly about whether it was really rape or if she “consented.”

It’s awfully convenient that confusion and shame after a severe trauma is the “reason” this crime often goes unpunished.

OFC they should pursue charges either way. If a crying woman answers the door with a black eye after someone called in a domestic dispute, and insists that she just fell down, should they just shrug and go away?

Unfortunately, I don’t think that all of us are clear on what consent means, especially in context of sexual actions/assault. What is clearly sexual assault/rape can be interpreted otherwise, especially by victims who are compelled or encouraged to blame themselves.

Unless the victim is a lawyer, why would it be her responsibility to determine if the circumstances fit the definition of rape? It seems to me that any halfway decent prosecutor should be able to blow the defense away on that point. The victim is not the one in this scenario who should determine if rape charges apply,…

While I accept your points about how the victim’s statement about being unsure it was non-consensual would in fact make the case substantially more difficult, I want to push back somewhat.

Yeah. I read this as more of an “Oh, my god, how horrifying; that poor woman” story rather than a “Jesus, can’t the cops/prosecutors do anything right?” story. The thing about the woman not being sure whether it was consensual is what breaks my heart. My guess is that she felt like she was complicit in the act because…

Hot take: the sex isn’t consensual if it’s being extorted from you because your single most vital personal possession is being held hostage.

All rape is horrible. All murder is horrible. Period.

“Only two were true stranger rapes.”

There’s actually a huge split in the Methodist Church, to be fair. A significant portion is super liberal, a significant portion is not. They almost split when I was in high school over the issue, but ultimately stayed together. I think it’s coming to a head again though.

Thank you. What the actual fuck? There’s probably an Episcopal church across the street.

I don’t think I’ll ever understand the desire to support a religion that actively hates you. Cognitive dissonance is a hell of a drug.

My aunt’s wife is a retired pastor. I’ve never really understood it, either.

My father’s a Methodist. He thinks Methodism and the Methodist church support gay people, and specifically contrasts them with churches that don’t. I’m looking forward to seeing his reaction to this article.

Brainwashing from birth that you’ll believe in our fairy tale zombie god or suffer for all of eternity in the fiery pits of hell can do a lot to young fragile minds.

I don’t think I’ll ever understand the desire to support a religion that actively hates you. Cognitive dissonance is a hell of a drug.