# Tell me , is it possible for a women to rape a man?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [May 21, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422 "2004-05-21T20:18:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)
#### Post date: [May 23, 2004, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/41 "2004-05-23T23:53:34Z")
> [@ltfire](#):
>
> The majority of rapes against women are not about sex. They are about violence, they are about degradation, they are about dominance.
This, of course, being a matter of opinion. I, for one, believe sex has a lot to do with it.
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### Author:  [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2004, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/42 "2004-05-24T00:48:35Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#):
>
> This, of course, being a matter of opinion. I, for one, believe sex has a lot to do with it.
Fact: Rape and sexual assault are crimes of violence and control that stem from a person’s determination to exercise power over another.
See here…[http://www.4woman.gov/faq/sexualassault.htm](http://www.4woman.gov/faq/sexualassault.htm)
and here,[http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/MythsFactSexualViolence.htm](http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/MythsFactSexualViolence.htm)
Google ‘rape’ and you’ll see plenty of definitions. Sex is not in the majority.
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/43 "2004-05-24T00:56:23Z")
> [@ltfire](#):
>
> Fact: Rape and sexual assault are crimes of violence and control that stem from a person’s determination to exercise power over another.
It doesn’t necessarily follow that the crimes are “not about sex”.
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### Author:  [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2004, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/44 "2004-05-24T02:52:18Z")
> [@ltfire](#):
>
> Fact: Rape and sexual assault are crimes of violence and control that stem from a person’s determination to exercise power over another.
Rape is definitely about sex as well, though. Why else would rapists be on a sex offenders list? It’s right there in the name of the list.
The “rape is not about sex” slogan was devised as a counter to the rapist’s defense of “but she became aroused, therefore it wasn’t rape.” It truly doesn’t matter whether she became aroused, but that in no way means that the rape wasn’t about sex to the perpetrator.
Regarding the broken teeth analogy, that is only one kind of rape. Would you also say that date rape is not about sex? There is surely some element of power at play, but nowhere near the street-rapist level.
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### Author:  [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2004, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/45 "2004-05-24T03:00:41Z")
My mother called me while I was typing this, and I see on preview that **Ellis Dee** slipped in and said basically what I was going to say.
I’m still going to say it, though. 😉
> [@ltfire](#):
>
> Fact: Rape and sexual assault are crimes of violence and control that stem from a person’s determination to exercise power over another.
>
> See here…[http://www.4woman.gov/faq/sexualassault.htm](http://www.4woman.gov/faq/sexualassault.htm)
>
> and here,[http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/MythsFactSexualViolence.htm](http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/MythsFactSexualViolence.htm)
>
> Google ‘rape’ and you’ll see plenty of definitions. Sex is not in the majority.
Errrmmm…so date rape isn’t rape?
I’d hazard a guess that the overwhelming majority of women **do** “have their makeup intact” following a rape. Non-violent rape is not the **same** thing as violent rape, but it is far more common than most people realize, is vastly under-reported, and presumably can be no less traumatic for the victim than violent rape is.
They drilled it into my head in high-school and freshman year of college, and I’ll drill it into yours now–if a woman says no, **even if she previously said yes and even if you are both already naked and about to begin** , it’s rape.
I’d say it’s no different morally if the victim is a man (though legally, it depends on jurisdiction, as this thread demonstrates).
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2004, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/46 "2004-05-24T05:54:41Z")
Another issue that hasn’t been mentioned is statuatory rape. If a 30 year old female teacher has sex with a 15 year old male student, it’s rape even if it was consentual. There are also some areas where sexual acts between two people are defined as rape because of an unequal legal relationship between. For example, here in New York, it’s illegal for any employee of the prison system to have sex with any prisoner. It doesn’t matter what their ages are, if there was consent, or if the employee was a man or woman. It’s all legally defined as rape.
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### Author:  [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2004, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/47 "2004-05-24T06:23:01Z")
If a man was intoxicated and had intercourse with a woman, technically it would be rape because he could not consent to intercourse while under the influence. As far as I am aware, this applies to both genders (why wouldn’t it?! 😕 )
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### Author:  [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2004, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/48 "2004-05-24T07:41:01Z")
> [@Lynn Bodoni](#):
>
> First, it’s possible to force some men into having an erection. I won’t go into details.
We might need details and a cite or two, since many of the replies in this Thread still insist that a man can not be forced into having an erection.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2004, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/49 "2004-05-24T07:55:56Z")
A man doesn’t need an erection in order to be raped. Does only a vaginal penetration by an erect penis count as rape? No. So- the point is moot whether or not an erection can be “forced”. It doesn’t matter.
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### Author:  [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/50 "2004-05-24T14:15:46Z")
> [@ltfire](#):
>
> Fact: Rape and sexual assault are crimes of violence and control that stem from a person’s determination to exercise power over another.
>
> See here…[http://www.4woman.gov/faq/sexualassault.htm](http://www.4woman.gov/faq/sexualassault.htm)
>
> and here,[http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/MythsFactSexualViolence.htm](http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/MythsFactSexualViolence.htm)
>
> Google ‘rape’ and you’ll see plenty of definitions. Sex is not in the majority.
It is not a fact. It is a matter of _opinion_. As stated above, It is my opinion that rape is primarily (but certainly not entirely) about sex.
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### Author:  [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/51 "2004-05-24T20:18:44Z")
I came into this thread in post # 35, to dispel the believe of NOCTURNAL-TICK, that the forced taking of Viagra, by a man, would cause him to obtain an unwanted erection. I said no, and I gave a few scenarios. Of course rape is about sex. At least, I believe, that’s how most rapes begin. The majority of the rapes that hit the newspapers , are about violence and control. The comments here are getting completely away from the OP ‘Can a woman rape a man?’Sure, with a dildo maybe, but, NOT by feeding him Viagra. And that, is my opinion.
“The majority of rapes against women are not about sex.”
I said that, and , I should have put the word ‘always’ in there, between ‘not’ and ‘sex’.
Mea culpa, if that took everyone off track.
The two web sites I sent you to? Again, I got off track.
I answered NOCTURNAL-TICK, and no one has gone there with a comment.
Could we stick to the OP?
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### Author:  [@Sofis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofis)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2004, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/52 "2004-05-24T20:40:12Z")
> [@ltfire](#):
>
> I came into this thread in post # 35, to dispel the believe of NOCTURNAL-TICK, that the forced taking of Viagra, by a man, would cause him to obtain an unwanted erection. I said no, and I gave a few scenarios.
It is of course the case that Viagra is not a magical instant erection pill. However, you seem to believe that involuntary erections do not occur:
> [@](#):
>
> If he doesn’t WANT an erection, that alone will overcome the pill.
As anyone who has gone through puberty with a penis in their possession knows, penises become erect at inappropriate times, despite the fervent attempts of their owners to think of wrinkly old nuns or dead puppies.
The point being that it is possible to induce an involuntary erection in a man, and if one were to attempt to do so, Viagra (or similar) would probably be helpful.
A woman does not require a dildo in order to rape a man.
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### Author:  [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)
#### Post date: [May 24, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/53 "2004-05-24T20:52:51Z")
[slight hijack]
On the Tonight Show once, Johnny Carson mentioned in his monologue a case where a man was claiming to have been raped by two women. With his usual perfect timing and delivery, he dropped this line:
“Isn’t that like trying to push a wet noodle through a straw?”
I was probably 13 at the time and I thought it was the dirtiest and funniest thing I’d heard on network television. I was an instant fan.[/hijack]
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### Author:  [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2004, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/54 "2004-05-25T00:44:20Z")
> [@Sofis](#):
>
> It is of course the case that Viagra is not a magical instant erection pill. However, you seem to believe that involuntary erections do not occur:
>
> As anyone who has gone through puberty with a penis in their possession knows, penises become erect at inappropriate times, despite the fervent attempts of their owners to think of wrinkly old nuns or dead puppies.
> The point being that it is possible to induce an involuntary erection in a man, and if one were to attempt to do so, Viagra (or similar) would probably be helpful.
> A woman does not require a dildo in order to rape a man.
No, I don’t believe involuntary erections do not occur. What I believe is that…remember the OP, now…feeding a man viagra during a rape attempt will not cause an involuntary erection.
As to your second statement, you mention puberty as the time frame for unwanted erections. Please, again, remember the OP. We are discussing the rape of a man by a woman, and that age group is not a factor (I hope you weren’t going there.) I’ll grant that the involutary erection can continue into late teens, maybe very early twenties. If you are going to say that they continue in men after that, I’ll need a cite.
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2004, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/55 "2004-05-25T00:56:29Z")
> [@ltfire](#):
>
> I’ll grant that the involutary erection can continue into late teens, maybe very early twenties. If you are going to say that they continue in men after that, I’ll need a cite.
I’m mid-twenties, and there’s no sign of anything slowing down.
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### Author:  [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/56 "2004-05-25T18:04:14Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#):
>
> I’m mid-twenties, and there’s no sign of anything slowing down.
Yeah, but, you’re a gorilla. I’m talking homo erectus.
homoerectus…good one!
😃
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### Author:  [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2004, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/57 "2004-05-25T21:09:26Z")
I have to agree, a guy who is under any sort of serious stress (physical or mental) will not be able to get an errection without some serious naughty thought going through his head.
If you want to test this theory, next time you’re stuck in traffic, pissed off that you’re 15 minutes late for a date/job/interview whatever, try immediately thinking about sex and trying to get hard. You probably can’t (when I’m mad, I can’t get hard).
My GF has tried making up by immediately grabbing my package and my first thought is to push her hand away. Guys might get hard during a school test (by gods it’s happened enough to me) but under real stress, I bet most, if not all guys, can’t get hard.
We’re not ALL pigs ya know 😃
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### Author:  [@Sofis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofis)
#### Post date: [May 25, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-is-it-possible-for-a-women-to-rape-a-man/246422/58 "2004-05-25T21:34:58Z")
From [http://www.rapevictimadvocates.org/male.html:](http://www.rapevictimadvocates.org/male.html:)
> [@](#):
>
> Some men experience an involuntary erection and/or ejaculation during the assault, but both of these responses occur as involuntary reactions to extreme stress, fear or stimulation.
Or from [http://www.tcadsv.org/vcscc/malerapevictims.htm:](http://www.tcadsv.org/vcscc/malerapevictims.htm:)
> [@](#):
>
> Sometimes men will experience an erection or ejaculate during their assaults as an involuntary response to physical sensation, intense fear or pain.
Or similar from any number of other sites easily found through Google.
There is also **D.E.S.K.Top668** ’s account in post #40.
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