ABSTRACT

We raise our daughters to look for rapists in parking lots, in dark alleys, and in crowded bars. Seldom do we tell them: look in the movie seat next to you where your boyfriend holds your hand; look across the altar to the man who is saying his wedding vows to you; look at the father of your newborn baby, smiling in your hospital room. And yet, these may be the rapists who will damage their lives. These may be the rapists who are held in high esteem in the community, who tell people their partners are crazy, who are given a wink and a nod as they describe forced sex, who seldom spend a night in jail, and who generally fly under the radar of our social institutions.