DiscussMormonism.com

Lemmon said most Provo residents are religious and have a tendency to stigmatize discussion of sexual assault and sometimes to demonize the survivor.

He said he developed this opinion about 25 years ago when he moved to Provo and investigated the case of a first-semester freshman — the most common profile of a BYU rape victim — who was abducted while walking home from the campus library. The man took her inside his car and drove to Kiwanis park where he raped and sodomized her and threw her out of the car. It was nearly two years before the woman was emotionally stable enough to talk to Lemmon about the rape. "She said something that blew me away. She said, 'I should have died before I let him do that to me,' " Lemmon said. "I was troubled that she had to believe that."

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,515039389,00.html

She said, 'I should have died before I let him do that to me,' " Lemmon said. "I was troubled that she had to believe that."

Indeed. Why don't they ever say, "He should have died (or been castrated/maimed/tortured) before he would do that to me!" It might be nice if a prophet would say something like that to encourage more reporting.

dartagnan wrote:

Lemmon said most Provo residents are religious and have a tendency to stigmatize discussion of sexual assault and sometimes to demonize the survivor.

He said he developed this opinion about 25 years ago when he moved to Provo and investigated the case of a first-semester freshman — the most common profile of a BYU rape victim — who was abducted while walking home from the campus library. The man took her inside his car and drove to Kiwanis park where he raped and sodomized her and threw her out of the car. It was nearly two years before the woman was emotionally stable enough to talk to Lemmon about the rape. "She said something that blew me away. She said, 'I should have died before I let him do that to me,' " Lemmon said. "I was troubled that she had to believe that."

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,515039389,00.html

She probably read that better to be dead part in Spencer W. Kimball's book. I imagine the fear of her fellow Provo villagers with their torches and pitchforks was very real.

The rape victims feel demonized?

Does this ring any bells for anyone familiar with Islamic culture?

What troubles me is that she said "let". I worry oft. I never go out alone in the evening. I have read articles of students being attacked and raped ju [shizer, I burnt my toast...AGAIN]st outside their accommodation. I am quite fortunate that there is a police station at the entrance to our place. But it often enters my head that I ought to be careful because there are idiots out there that care very little of other peoples feelings. Only tnight I worried whilst waiting at the bus stop and was watching anyone that was in the viewable area around me. This is a terrifying world. I will make something to eat then read the link.

moksha wrote:

dartagnan wrote:

Lemmon said most Provo residents are religious and have a tendency to stigmatize discussion of sexual assault and sometimes to demonize the survivor.

He said he developed this opinion about 25 years ago when he moved to Provo and investigated the case of a first-semester freshman — the most common profile of a BYU rape victim — who was abducted while walking home from the campus library. The man took her inside his car and drove to Kiwanis park where he raped and sodomized her and threw her out of the car. It was nearly two years before the woman was emotionally stable enough to talk to Lemmon about the rape. "She said something that blew me away. She said, 'I should have died before I let him do that to me,' " Lemmon said. "I was troubled that she had to believe that."

http://deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,515039389,00.html

She probably read that better to be dead part in Spencer W. Kimball's book. I imagine the fear of her fellow Provo villagers with their torches and pitchforks was very real.

Virtue has nothing to do with having some physical part still intact and anyone who says that needs a swift kick in the rear. Anyone who teaches this to a youth is involved in child- abuse - emotional abuse. You don't give anything up when it is done out of fear. small girls, teenagers fall all the time on something - a bike - the playground. Even though the hyman is not there the person still is chaste, pure and has their virtue and still a virgin.

First, this article is from 2003 about 2002 stats. How does that have any bearing whatsoever on 2007/2008 stats??

Second, how did they estimate 400 rapes a year in Utah County?

But, yes, I agree that it is tragic that any woman should feel like it's her fault. This is not an LDS only phenomenon. Many women assign some portion of blame to themselves. "Did I give him the wrong signals?" "Was I dressed too provocatively?" "Should I have said stop sooner?"

"Domestic violence doesn't start after you say 'I do,' " Lemmon said. "Warning signs start kicking up even after the first date."

Not so I am afraid. Most abusers are highly calculated. I did not like that article. It lacked information and it was not sending much of a message at all.

"The sexual predator is alive and well in this community as well as over the world," Lemmon told the women. "I don't want you to feel like this is Rapeville, USA, because it's not. . . . We try to do everything we can to combat it, but it happens."

Wow that's justification, if I ever heard it.

"who said she wished she were dead. Tragic thoughts like these are common among rape victims in Provo,"

Erm, I thought this was common on all rape victims. Not just religious victims.


"Lemmon said rape survivors need to understand that God still loves them, that they are still "clean and pure," and that they have their whole lives ahead of them"

Easier said than done.

P.s. I think the reporter is not a very good reporter. N/O to her.

This is not an LDS only phenomenon.

Right, it is also an Islamic one. Victims being demonized? This isn't normally how rape victims are treated.

Many women assign some portion of blame to themselves.

Not to the extent that they refuse to report the incident. Certainly there has not be something about Mormon culture that would preclude someone from making it known.

This is obvious. A raped person is no longer a virgin, and most returned missionaries are looking for virgin women.

dartagnan wrote:

This is not an LDS only phenomenon.

Right, it is also an Islamic one. Victims being demonized? This isn't normally how rape victims are treated.

Many women assign some portion of blame to themselves.

Not to the extent that they refuse to report the incident. Certainly there has not be something about Mormon culture that would preclude someone from making it known.

This is obvious. A raped person is no longer a virgin, and most returned missionaries are looking for virgin women.

I disagree: your virginity is something you give - it's not something that can be taken from you - girls, teenagers fall all the time in sports and things get torn - they are still virgins. An assault is an assault whether it is vaginally or anally - you can't say someone who was raped vaginally is not a virgin where some who raped anally is - it's an assault- just like being hit repeatedly with a baseball bat. Those men who say that you can have your virtue taken from you need to be hit with a bat.