# Sexual assault? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 7, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692 "2016-06-07T00:52:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/21 "2016-06-07T13:24:02Z")
> [@GulfTiger](#): > > “shoving something up someone’s ass is a sex thing” > > sorry but no > > to me the anus is dirty, nasty, stinky thing, it’s just not sexy > > I get that I’m in the minority here, our general culture ties the anus to sex. I don’t, so I guess I’m swimming against the tide. Okay, so you understand that most of society understands anal penetration as a sex thing. That’s really all that’s needed for this case. I know men who aren’t into breasts, and don’t see breasts as sexual. This doesn’t somehow make fondling someone’s breasts without their consent sexual assault. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/22 "2016-06-07T13:32:37Z")
Is it sexual assault? It really depends on how sexual assault is defined in the statutes for each jurisdiction. In New Jersey it certainly is sexual assault. I think it would be in most states although some they have a separate sodomy statute (such as Oklahoma that was recently in the news for misleading headlines like [this](http://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/apr/27/oral-sex-rape-ruling-tulsa-oklahoma-alcohol-consent)). [QUOTE=lance strongarm] Should it be classified as simply aggravated assault instead of sexual assault? [/QUOTE] Should it be is a different question. Instead of beating the hell out of someone, the suspect holds down the victim and inserts an object into the anus. You don’t see how that is different? Maybe there is no sexual gratification such as the suspect’s sexual organ being simulated but it is done in order to sexually abuse or humiliate the victim. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/23 "2016-06-07T13:33:56Z")
> [@GulfTiger](#): > > “shoving something up someone’s ass is a sex thing” > > sorry but no > > to me the anus is dirty, nasty, stinky thing, it’s just not sexy > > I get that I’m in the minority here, our general culture ties the anus to sex. I don’t, so I guess I’m swimming against the tide. One person’s opinion on the sexiness of an act is not the basis for a statute. ---
**Author:** ![MandaJo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac91a4/32.png) [@MandaJo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MandaJo)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/24 "2016-06-07T13:56:53Z")
> [@GulfTiger](#): > > “shoving something up someone’s ass is a sex thing” > > sorry but no > > to me the anus is dirty, nasty, stinky thing, it’s just not sexy > > I get that I’m in the minority here, our general culture ties the anus to sex. I don’t, so I guess I’m swimming against the tide. I think a lot of people feel this way. That’s often the motivation for anal rape–either with a penis or an object. The rapist isn’t doing it for his own sexual gratification, but rather to disgust and humiliate his victim because it’s a sexual act that many people would resist and find degrading. If you were anally raped, do you really think it wouldn’t feel like rape to you because to you anal sex isn’t normally appealing? ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/25 "2016-06-07T14:30:27Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > A rectum is a sexual organ the same way breasts are. Really? Just because people use it for sex sometimes? By that logic, the hand is a sex organ. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/26 "2016-06-07T14:31:54Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Should it be is a different question. Instead of beating the hell out of someone, the suspect holds down the victim and inserts an object into the anus. You don’t see how that is different? It’s different, but that doesn’t make it sexual. > [@](#): > > Maybe there is no sexual gratification such as the suspect’s sexual organ being simulated but it is done in order to sexually abuse or humiliate the victim. Again, it’s abusive and humiliating, but that doesn’t automatically make it sexual. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/27 "2016-06-07T14:33:14Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > I find it strange that you would find this strange. To the best of my knowledge it’s typical for non-consensual anal penetration to be considered a sex crime. . So? I’m asking why. That’s just a circular argument. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/28 "2016-06-07T14:34:23Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > So wouldn’t a kick in the nuts be a sex crime? Yes. Great point. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/29 "2016-06-07T14:38:39Z")
It’s not a great point. It’s not even a point. Penetrating someone’s anus with an object is most commonly done as a sexual act. Kicking someone in the balls is not. Different things are different. Sexual assault isn’t about what’s sexy. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/30 "2016-06-07T16:11:05Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > It’s different, but that doesn’t make it sexual. If the suspect penetrates a vagina with an object but doesn’t derive any sexual gratification from it does that mean it should just be assault as well? > [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Again, it’s abusive and humiliating, but that doesn’t automatically make it sexual. Other acts can be abusive and humiliating to varying degrees. Being penetrated anally is especially abusive and humiliating (as well as degrading and physically harmful) because it is sexual. Lets say I hit you over the head with a club or forcibly penetrated you with that club you would feel both acts are equal? ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/31 "2016-06-07T17:34:55Z")
What if the victim has a bag over their head and they are not sure what they are being anally penetrated with. Is it both sexual assault and not sexual assault until the waveform collapses? ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/32 "2016-06-07T17:55:39Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > It’s not a great point. It’s not even a point. > > Penetrating someone’s anus with an object is most commonly done as a sexual act. Kicking someone in the balls is not. Different things are different. > > Sexual assault isn’t about what’s sexy. So is administering an enema a sex act? Is breastfeeding a sex act? ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/33 "2016-06-07T17:58:04Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > If the suspect penetrates a vagina with an object but doesn’t derive any sexual gratification from it does that mean it should just be assault as well? No, because the vagina is undeniably a sex organ. > [@](#): > > Other acts can be abusive and humiliating to varying degrees. Being penetrated anally is especially abusive and humiliating (as well as degrading and physically harmful) because it is sexual. Whoa -so if it weren’t sexual it wouldn’t be abusive and humiliating? > [@](#): > > Lets say I hit you over the head with a club or forcibly penetrated you with that club you would feel both acts are equal? No, but that doesn’t mean they’re sexual. If I shoved the club down your throat, would that be a sex act? ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/34 "2016-06-07T18:06:36Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > So is administering an enema a sex act? > > Is breastfeeding a sex act? You could pick a porn site and use the search engine to find out. Is a pap smear, a sex act? The vagina seems to be a hard and fast rule for you. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/35 "2016-06-07T18:10:30Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > No, because the vagina is undeniably a sex organ. > > Whoa -so if it weren’t sexual it wouldn’t be abusive and humiliating? > > No, but that doesn’t mean they’re sexual. > > If I shoved the club down your throat, would that be a sex act? Your best bet, **lance** , should you personally ever find yourself held down and penetrated with an object against your will, is to petition the prosecutor not to charge your assailant with a sex crime. I’m sure they’ll cooperate when they learn how strongly you feel about it. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/36 "2016-06-07T18:20:17Z")
Context and customary associations are not difficult concepts. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/37 "2016-06-07T18:32:47Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Context and customary associations are not difficult concepts. Seriously. C’mon guys. This is just ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/38 "2016-06-07T18:44:02Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Is a pap smear, a sex act? The vagina seems to be a hard and fast rule for you. Not all penetration is a sex act, no, but I’d say all nonconsensual penetration is. But maybe not. Maybe that could be non-sexual too, such as if someone were trying to steal something stashed in a vagina, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![lance\_strongarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/87869e/32.png) [@lance\_strongarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lance_strongarm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/39 "2016-06-07T18:45:12Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > Your best bet, **lance** , should you personally ever find yourself held down and penetrated with an object against your will, is to petition the prosecutor not to charge your assailant with a sex crime. I’m sure they’ll cooperate when they learn how strongly you feel about it. Where did you get the idea that I feel strongly about it? I’m just posing a question for fun, and challenging the answers. It’s no big deal. Relax. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692/40 "2016-06-07T18:52:03Z")
> [@lance\_strongarm](#): > > Not all penetration is a sex act, no, but I’d say all nonconsensual penetration is. But maybe not. Maybe that could be non-sexual too, such as if someone were trying to steal something stashed in a vagina, I guess. Are you for real? “I object, Your Honor! My client wasn’t attempting to sexually assault the alleged victim by “fisting” him. My client honestly thought the _supposed_ victim had stolen his wallet and hid it up his own rectum, so he went looking for it.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sexual-assault/756692.md?page=3)