Rape Apologism and the Details of Rape Charges Against Assange

**TRIGGER WARNING FOR DETAILS OF RAPE CHARGES**

I was just thinking, I wonder how the two women that reported Julian Assange for rape are feeling right now. All around the world people are calling their claims false, judging them and making them public by releasing their names. Everywhere people are fighting for Wikileaks but forgetting about what Assange is actually being charged with. 

The Guardian took it upon themselves to get the real information. They did it with integrity and honesty - not releasing any names or other risky information. 

"According to her statement she "tried to put on some articles of clothing as it was going too quickly and uncomfortably but Assange ripped them off again". Miss A told police that she didn't want to go any further "but that it was too late to stop Assange as she had gone along with it so far", and so she allowed him to undress her."

and

"Miss W told police that though they started to have sex, Assange had not wanted to wear a condom, and she had moved away because she had not wanted unprotected sex. Assange had then lost interest, she said, and fallen asleep. However, during the night, they had both woken up and had sex at least once when "he agreed unwillingly to use a condom."

"She had awoken to find him having sex with her, she said, but when she asked whether he was wearing a condom he said no. "According to her statement, she said: 'You better not have HIV' and he answered: 'Of course not,' " but "she couldn't be bothered to tell him one more time because she had been going on about the condom all night. She had never had unprotected sex before."

I suppose most people just have not seen this detailed account of rape, or maybe they have and they still blame these women. Whatever the case, what these women are likely experiencing from all of this victim-blaming and misogyny is sad to think about. I know how it feels to be blamed like this, but I cannot imagine what it would feel like if the whole world thought you were a liar. How awful that must feel. How awful the media has been to these women. I highly doubt any of this was made up by these women. Nonetheless, it is not okay to suddenly blame the women without any evidence against their complaint. The problem is that the media is rushing to call them liars, sending the message out to women around the world that governments and communities do not give a shit about rape cases. They feel men have an entitlement to sex and will go to any lengths to maintain that. 

So, whether or not you support wikileaks, remember that Assange is not Wikileaks. He does not speak for wikileaks collectively, it is made up of many people. Try and put yourselves in the shoes of those women - imagine how it would feel to have the whole world think you are a liar, you are the one at fault. How would you feel about yourself?