They line up in front of a courthouse in southeastern France, from morning to evening, and have gathered in the thousands in cities across the country. They hold signs reading, “one rape every six minutes,” “not all men but always a man,” and “giving in is not consenting.”

They chant: “Rapist we see you, victim we believe you.”

Women across France are rallying in support of Gisèle Pelicot, a 72-year-old reluctant icon whose husband is on trial in the city of Avignon for systematically drugging her and inviting dozens of men, 50 of whom are now his co-defendants, into their home to rape her over nearly a decade.

The shocking case has sparked what many women in France call a long-overdue reckoning over “rape culture” and systemic sexism in the way the judicial system handles sexual violence.

    • Doomsider@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      From your article, “In fact, 96 percent of women who report rape or sexual assault in the NCVS were abused by men.”

      • kofe@lemmy.world
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        3 months ago

        Plus, when has a man ever been drugged and gang raped by only women? That’s what’s even more disturbing about this case.

        • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          3 months ago

          Oh so we can only care about male victims of rape if they’re gangraped now? Gotta admit this is a new one on me, most just tell me I must have enjoyed it both times women raped me because I’m a man.

          Who gives a shit about all that though, because one of them got me drunk so I wasn’t “drugged” and there was only one of her, and the other was also singular and only used blackmail rather than intoxicants. Besides, men don’t have feelings anyway they’re like fish. I don’t even think they’re people, are they?

            • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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              3 months ago

              You replied in addition to a comment that is attempting to erase male victims experiences by waving them away as “only 4%.” Thus, you saying “plus it’s not like men are drugged and gangraped” reads as a tag on why we can further ignore male victims of rape, “because women have it worse” being the implication.

              • kofe@lemmy.world
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                3 months ago

                We are not attempting to “erase male victims.” I understand this is an extremely triggering topic as a victim myself. We are pointing out the difference in experiences that clearly exist. I am sorry you were harmed, both in the past and through my comment, but I ask that you take time to take care of yourself and think about the disparities between those numbers and experiences. No one should be victimized as you were, and certainly no one should go through what the women did in this trial. Can you understand the difference?

    • buddascrayon@lemmy.world
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      3 months ago

      Ok Mr False Equivalency. That study is from 2017. This one is from 2015.
      That Scientific American article and study also pertain to America. And the statistic in the article is from the French government report from 2021.

      Edit: I couldn’t find the statistics from 2021 but I could find this one from 2024. And would you look at that, the statistics on the percentage of male rapists in France is even higher now.