| Myth: | Any woman who agrees to be alone with a man deserves to get raped. |
| Fact: | No one, male or female, deserves to be raped, no matter what the situation. |
| Myth: | Women who do not fight back haven’t really been raped. |
| Fact: | If you have been forced to have sex against your will, you have been raped. |
| Myth: | If no weapon was used, you were not raped. |
| Fact: | A rapist may use his fists, verbal threats, isolation – anything that will work to overpower you. |
| Myth: | Agreeing to some sexual contact means a woman has agreed to intercourse. |
| Fact: | Everyone has the right to say “no” if they choose not to continue sexual activity, regardless of what has already occurred. |
| Myth: | A husband cannot rape his wife. |
| Fact: | In 1984, New York State courts declared marital rape a criminal offense. |
| Myth: | Males cannot be raped. |
| Fact: | 1 out of 7 males are sexually assaulted by the time they reach adulthood.* |
* U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1992
Remember, it is never the victim who causes the rape.