When Is It Rape?
Answers About Date and
Acquaintance Rape
Many people have questions about date and acquaintance rape. When exactly is it rape? Can it really be rape if you've had sex before? What if you'e been drinking or making out? This pamphlet will help you understand the difference between consensual sex(sex when both people want it to happen) and forced sex (rape).
Date rape is when someone you know forces you to have sex.
- This can happen when you are out on a date, at a party or in some other social setting.
- Date rape can happen when people have just met or when two people have been going out for a long time.
- If someone you don't know well and are dating forces you to have sex, it is called acquaintance rape.
Force isn't always physical
- When we think about force and rape, we often picture someone using a knife or gun. Or, we thinkg about one person overpowering the other person.
- But there are other kidns of force. Her are some examples:
- Threatening to harm the person.
- Making it seem like something even worse will happen if she/he doesn't give in.
- Having sex with someone who is too drunk or high to say no.
- These may also be a kind of force:
- Not taking no for an answer.
- Threatening to tell other people the person had sex unless she/he gives in.
- Saying things such as, "if you don't, I'll hurt myself."
Remember, a person has the right to say no to sex ANY time.