There is a tumblr campaign going on to hopefully get RAINN to change their definition of rape to a better, more inclusive one.
This is their current definition:
Rape is forced sexual intercourse, including vaginal, anal, or oral penetration. Penetration may be by a body part or an object.
You could argue that this could include being forced to penetrate, but the definition really seems to focus only on penetration qualifying as rape, and it also does not count all forced oral sex as such.
The plan is to get everyone to send an email to RAINN on March 15th, 2014 to ask them to change their definition to a better one.
Emails should be sent to info@rainn.org.
You can write your own letter or you can send them this one:
Hello,
I have noticed that the definition of rape given on your website is not as inclusive as it could be, and I think you could improve it by including victims who were forced to penetrate, and making it clear that all forced oral sex is rape as well. I am aware that rape laws vary from state to state, but as an organization dedicated to helping rape and sexual assault victims and raising awareness, your personal definition should not be limited by that.
Please consider rewriting your definition so that it does not exclude some victims.
Thank you,
[Your name]
Credit for the idea goes to permutationofninjas. This is a new post because I do not fully agree with theirs, and we have agreed that I can help in this way. I am sharing this post because I agree that changing the definition is a worthwhile goal.
- Mod D.
Fri, Mar 14th 2014 at 17 PM