After taking a rather extensive look at your own personal site, I have come to the conclusion that it is better just to drop the subject now…

But it is a bit off-topic surely? I assume the piece is more about the moral duty of her guardian/mother and the radio show than whether she was telling the truth or not.

It’s extremely off topic, and I’m really losing patience.

This is not an anti feminist argument, it is the way all laws should look at any accusations or injustices, regardless of sex.

I couldn’t agree with you more, but NO ONE is talking about law. We’re talking about public personal response to a girl saying she was raped.

When there is an accusation of rape, the person who makes the claim has to prove it as much as the accused has to defend it. Legals systems are structured this way for a reason, even though this system can have its inherint faults.

She hasn’t made an accusation, and has in fact called off the investigation so that there will not BE an accusation. She simply stated something that happened to her, and as there will be no court case she is under no obligation to defend or prove that charge. She is not entering the legal system, so your comments about the legal system are irrelevant

This does certainly happen, dispite your clear opinion that it does not.

Nope, never denied that it happens. I did deny that it happens “all the time”, or even enough time for the assumption that a woman is lying about rape cannot be based on statistical likelihood. To summarise: It’s far more likely that Random Woman A has been raped than that she is lodging a false allegation.

In my circumstance, this was not in a gay relationship, it was actually while I was a pre teen and the perpetrator was a teenage girl.

I’m sorry to hear that.

Now wouldn’t it be really fucked up if I responded to that statement with “BUllshit, you’re probably just making it up to get attention”? More importantly, what kind of a person would I be if that was my first response upon hearing a total stranger mention their rape? That’s what my comment was about.

The rest of your comment is just repeating your misconception that I’ve claimed false allegations never ever ever ever happen. Not the case.

Being a minority, in a minority, in a minority of ALL people you should understand this! This is not an anti feminist argument, it is the way all laws should look at any accusations or injustices, regardless of sex. Unfortunately people seem to cast too much preference towards one sex or the other.

When there is an accusation of rape, the person who makes the claim has to prove it as much as the accused has to defend it. Legals systems are structured this way for a reason, even though this system can have its inherint faults.

As for switching topics, thats certainly not what happened, allow me to assure you of that one, nor am I backpeddling on my statement of some women making false rape allegations. This does certainly happen, dispite your clear opinion that it does not. Infact, it was readily suggested and a well known scenario within people of my age group within Australia – I can assure you I have known people in my old social circles (yes more than just the one person!) who would brag about concentually losing their virginity one day and how wonderful the experience was, then the next day when mum finds out, be crying rape with a full blown investigation happening around it – go figure

I also know for a fact that I am not the only one who has heard of these kind of circumstances – as having grown up and speaking to other females, had it assured to me that this was happening in several schools, social groups etc so this validates to myself that this is not just a once off or somethng that just doesn’t happen.

I can appreciate that you have seen these things first hand in your life, and with friends and company around you – whether or not it be in a gay community the issue is this – domestic violence (which I have also encountered) and rape are alarming issues to ALL people from ALL walks of life and ALL sexes.

In my circumstance, this was not in a gay relationship, it was actually while I was a pre teen and the perpetrator was a teenage girl.

At the time this was reported, I can tell you first hand that NOBODY had any idea how to even approach such an accusation and had never even heard of it happening before or they just were not willing to research the matter. However I do realise that this is more recognised now, but at the time, no one seemed to even know how to file the report, and statically it just didn’t happen.

To this day, I still resent the fact that because people didn’t look at all possible scenarios or some things were merely passed off as “That just doesn’t happen” is the EXACT reason as to why I received not only no justice, but no help in my particular case, and the saddest part, that this person is more than likely out there somewhere still abusing.

From investiating world wide for statistics on false rape allegations, the stats seem to range from 2% at the lowest to 40% at the highest. Obviously extremist groups are at either end of the scales – finding true data is a very hard and complex proceedure.
Taking this into mind, even if we look at the two percent claimed from rape support groups, this shows that even these groups agree the scenario does happen.

Clearly Hexy you are only hearing what you want to hear with what I am saying…

No, I’m reading what you’re saying. I just disagree with you.

And yes I have read your stats page and it is a little all over the place to say the least, and along with the running commentary that is added in it as well,

It’s a blog entry. They do that. The link to each source is right at the beginning of each section, if you’re looking for the statistical data without the commentary.

I was really hoping that you would be able to see where I was coming from with this, but it has become painfully clear in my opinion that your attitide of looking at the majority of cases exemplifies the same attitude that the authorities have on these matters and this view makes life very difficult for rape cases that fall outside of the norm.

My view on rape is really, really not reflected in the attitude of the authorities. I can assure you of that. But this is the first you’ve mentioned of “rape cases that fall outside the norm”… until now, you’ve been talking about false rape allegations and how they totally happen all the time. Don’t try and switch topics without anyone noticing.

I am a female that was raped by another female, try getting people to understand that in your statistical world.

In my world as a queer woman who has been exposed to domestic violence and sexual assault within the queer community and who has seen friends suffer through same sex domestic and sexual assault, I understand as much as anyone who hasn’t experienced it can. You’re really not going to get anywhere by trying to cast me as someone unsympathetic to those issues.

Good luck in your “standing up for the statistically obvious” I’m sure you will find this rewarding. Perhaps you should be paying a little more attention to the people that statistics are not given for?

I’m a minority within a minority within a minority. It’s shit. You’re preaching to the choir.

And I don’t stand up for the “statistically obvious”. I stand up, in this instance, for the rights of women to not be disbelieved and accused of lying when they talk about being sexually assaulted. From your story, I’d expect you to be on side with that one.

I was really hoping that you would be able to see where I was coming from with this, but it has become painfully clear in my opinion that your attitide of looking at the majority of cases exemplifies the same attitude that the authorities have on these matters and this view makes life very difficult for rape cases that fall outside of the norm.

In saying so, I myself, and my rape case fell outside of the norm and people with your opinions and closemindedness is what made help for me unattainable due to their preconceived ideas on what, why, and when these acts occur.

I am a female that was raped by another female, try getting people to understand that in your statistical world.

Good luck in your “standing up for the statistically obvious” I’m sure you will find this rewarding. Perhaps you should be paying a little more attention to the people that statistics are not given for?

I am curious in regards to your stats, can you please elaborate a little on where they were obtained from, the country that you have used for research purposes, what span of time that they were conducted over, what the criteras were for the selection of canditates, what professional bodies conducted the surveys etc – this would be much appreciated as I am not able to form a clear opinion for myself without such knowledge.

Oh, sure, not a problem. If you just read the damn post I linked you to, you’ll see the source clearly cited.

I would also look at the stats about how many women falsly claim to have been raped and it IS a common problem which DOES make it harder for the proper authorities to work out who is telling the truth and who isn’t..

No, it’s not and no, it doesn’t. All the actual data I’ve seen (and although I acknowledge I have no Australian sources on this, I seriously doubt there’s an Aussie epidemic of false accusations that isn’t reflected in the US and UK stats) reflects the idea that false allegations of rape are made at roughly the same rate as false allegations of any other crime. That myth about women totally throwing rape allegations around at the drop of a hat? It’s bullshit.

Firstly, I was not suggesting in any way, shape or form this has happened in this case, just pointing out that things are not always as they seem, and to take someones word for something is extremely narrow minded and could put someone in jail falsely, especially when its the media’s word that you are taking of all sources!

No. Me taking a woman’s word that she’s been raped, especially in a situation like this, is going to have absolutely no effect on anyone, and particularly not on the status of any police investigation or prosecution. My opinion, much as it sometimes pains me to recognise this, affects absolutely bloody nothing, on the large scale.

unlike most rapes, there is alot of publicity and media attention around this one, which would help her cause a little as well as the public are clearly not letting this drop.

You don’t pay much attention to the media surrounding high profile rape cases, do you? That media attention rarely helps the victim.