Man running away from woman holding machete in her hands, fog, misty woods (Getty)
We all know that there’s a double standard when it comes to rape. When men suggest that they have been sexually assaulted, their manhood is questioned. Their strength is questioned. And they’re ridiculed by other men (see: Terry Crews v. 50 Cent). Despite the stigma, boys and men are sexually assaulted in real life. But how often are their perpetrators called out and criminally charged for it?
In Montana, Samantha Ray Mears broke into her ex-boyfriend’s home, held a machete to his neck, and forced him to have sex with her. According to the Great Falls Tribune, the 19-year-old was charged on Friday with aggravated burglary, assault with a weapon, unlawful restraint, partner family member assault and two counts of criminal mischief.
But I have a question – where is the rape charge?
According to court documents, the two had been in a relationship for seven years. The victim told police that Mears broke into his home on Friday night, appearing from behind his bedroom door holding a machete, and according to the police report, the man said she held the machete to his neck and ordered him to take off his clothes.
After forcing him to have sex, the man tried to push Mears off him, but she bit him on the arm, and then proceeded to force him into sex again. This led to an argument, and then, in another bout of rage, Mears ripped a large piece of trim off the wall and urinated on the bed.
As with most people who assault others, this wasn’t the first time Mears had assaulted the victim. She was charged with felony strangulation for assaulting him back in April.
According to court documents in that case, Mears grabbed his hair and hit him in the face. He was able to get the Mears off him, “but was hesitant about physically protecting himself, as he thought he would get into legal trouble if he did.”
His sentiments on “getting into trouble” are very similar to how Crews felt when he was assaulted by a Hollywood executive. If the genders were flipped, how different do you think these charges would be?
Renese spends her early mornings writing, her days securing insurance for TV shows, and her in-betweens blogging about the silliness and seriousness of life on her blog. Follow Renese on Twitter: @reneseford
