We need a separate word for leering, groping, fondling, sex with dubious consent, and violently beating someone during penetration without consent.
Rape used to mean only the last thing and it was regarded as basically the worst form of assault short of murder since it included every possible form of assault.
Today it's moved to fondling and people are trying to make it include leering. Using the same legal punishments for something that is clearly different makes very little sense and normalizes rape in the long term.
We need a separate word for leering, groping, fondling, sex with dubious consent, and violently beating someone during penetration without consent.
Rape used to mean only the last thing and it was regarded as basically the worst form of assault short of murder since it included every possible form of assault.
Today it's moved to fondling and people are trying to make it include leering. Using the same legal punishments for something that is clearly different makes very little sense and normalizes rape in the long term.