Warning this is a thread about rape. 1/

It is the anniversary of me being raped.
I mark it differently every year. There have been years when the marking of it could have gone very badly. Because PTSD can be - well - pretty shit. I’m never going to be entirely out of the woods on that. 2/

But this year I’m marking it by offering a plan to prevent rape. 3/

Make men responsible for ensuring other men don’t rape rape women.
There. That’s the plan. 4/

If you are a dad tell your sons not to rape women. Tell them it doesn’t matter if a woman is lying there naked; if she’s hasn’t consented it’s rape. Tell them explicitly what rape is and tell them that it’s wrong. 5/

As a man don’t tell women how to protect themselves by policing what they wear or where they go. What’s that got to do with rape?
Instead tell your friends and colleagues not to rape. Not tricky is it? 6/

Men - don’t tell women not to drink too much.
Reduce your drinking because even if you’re so drunk you can’t get it up your unwanted hands everywhere drunken passes aren’t funny - they are assault. 7/

Men-don’t laugh at rape jokes. The putting women down jokes. Don’t agree with objectifying women comments.

When a man puts a woman-or all women-down challenge him.

Silence in face of misogyny is wrong. It’s not a neutral area. You are either anti rape or you’re complicit. 8/

Men if a women tells you she’s been raped or abused believe her. Even if you ‘really like’ man she’s talking about.

Because you know the whole ‘women make it up’ shit isn’t born out by stats.

It takes nerve to call out abuse. Don’t you dare belittle a woman’s testimony. 9/

Because here’s the thing. Rape of women is not about sex.

Like its partners stalking & abuse it’s about power. It’s about hatred of women.

Women-we will fight it together. We have power.

And if every man who is anti rape adds his male privilege to our power we will win.
10/