ABSTRACT

Billed as a major contribution to the second wave of rape law reform, it is also the central piece in the edited collection of essays devoted to "date rape," the newest oppression offense du jour-and addition to the politically correct lexicon. Indeed it is plausible that "bad sex" as defined by women would be more common as a consequence of the sexual revolution and women's heightened sexual awareness and accessibility. The labeling of a variety of unsatisfactory sexual encounters as "date rape" undoubtedly is a politically effective rhetorical strategy. It capitalizes on the long-standing societal disapprobation, indeed abhorrence, of rape and brings the conduct that feminist advocates disapprove of into the ambit of the "horrible" in regard to which banning, zero-tolerance, and punitive responses are seen as perfectly appropriate. Any sex inconsistent with her sanctioned communicative model would be proscribed and subject to punishment.