There is a concerted effort among feminists to basically define “rape” as anything a woman wants. If the man and woman both drink and have sex, then it’s rape. If the woman willingly has sex with the man but doesn’t give verbal consent every step of the way, it’s rape. If the woman willingly has sex but later changes her mind, it’s rape.
Towards that end, “coercion” is supposedly the latest form of rape. That’s a pretty neat trick, isn’t it? Women want men to be the ones that initiate in every phase of the relationship, but if you initiate, you risk engaging in coercion, which means it’s rapey. So says Wendy Patrick in Psychology Today anyway.
Many couples who have been together for many years would never characterize sexual pressure from their partner as sexual assault. But where is the line? I have prosecuted spousal rape cases that were not revealed to law enforcement for months or even years after the fact. There are several reasons for such reluctance; one simple reason involves perception.
Within established relationships, particularly when there is no violence, victims question their perception of unwanted intimacy, asking themselves whether the behavior was criminal or consensual, and acknowledging that their perception is influenced by their intention to maintain the relationship.