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It’s hard for men to admit it publicly. Very few have the nerve to
even talk about it. But a growing number of men claim they have been
misled, their anger rising to dangerous levels.
Despite the bluster and muscle flexing, the men
are easy victims. Not even our laws give them any protection. A
woman can scream rape and everybody comes to her aid. But a man can
get into trouble and charged with sexual harassment if he as much as
drop a bad word, or give a woman an amorous look, or worse, ignore
the advances of a flirt.
If a man cries rape, many people will laugh. If
a man cries sexual harassment, his friends will think he is trying
to call attention to his good looks and charming personality.
“Sus, yabang,” his friends would probably say.
But, yabang or not, a man can be raped. How come
we don’t hear any complaints? Maybe because they are unaware they
have been raped. By the time they realize what happened, it’s too
late. A victim knocks his head against the wall. He curses the
heavens. But what good does it bring? The despicable act cannot be
undone.
A man, of course, can exact revenge, which is
inadvisable. It would only draw attention to his predicament, and
his friends will ask what got him so incensed. After all, other than
his bruised ego, the question remains: “Was a crime committed?”
But if you are prepared to face the
consequences, you must demand justice. It might be next to
impossible to prove that a woman forced herself on you. But you are
hopeful and sincere, and you deserve justice.
What are we talking about here? Are we talking
about a man being raped by a woman? Is it rape if it was done by a
woman who was formerly a man? Is there such a thing as rape with
consent?
In Sydney, Australia, a transsexual sued two
policemen for allegedly telling her unsuspecting boyfriend about her
gender switch, which led to a violent confrontation. Sydney’s
Daily Telegraph reported that Brigitte Fell accused the officers of
breaching privacy laws by telling her boyfriend about the sex change
while he was in police custody for suspected theft.
One police officer accessed confidential
information about Fell, which revealed she was formerly a man. The
boyfriend, Garrick Jacobson, refused to accept it so they showed him
the documents indicating her gender. “See,” the policeman said.
“It’s a guy.”
Fell told the court that when Jacobson was
released from jail, he stormed into her flat and confronted her. She
said he repeatedly punched her in the face, resulting in her
hospitalization for several days.
In the Philippines, taxicab drivers in Manila
claim that some couples they bring to a motel sometimes end up in
the police station. Moments after they have checked in, one of them
would be thrown out with a bloodied nose and the police would come.
In one incident, the “girl” fought back when
the guy caught up with her in the parking lot. She took off her
dress and bra and showed rippling muscles ala Manny Pacquiao. She
beat up the guy.
Nowadays, you cannot be sure that the stunning
beauty that just gave you an engaging smile is “proper.” How do
you make sure?
Either you make background checks, or you follow
the example of our senators making an investigation in aid of
legislation. You ask biting questions.
The manner of questioning must be elegant and
impeccable. But the questions must be pointed and dripping with
sarcasm. So you ask: “Are you a real girl?”
Don’t get me wrong. It is possible for a
transsexual to have an honest relationship with a man. Nowadays,
people of the same sex live as a couple and some of them claim they
are married.
One jeepney driver said if his wife after many
years of marriage suddenly decides to come clean and confess she was
a guy once, he would not explode in anger. But he will tell her to
use her muscles: “Mula ngayon ikaw na igib ng tubig natin diyan sa
kanto.”
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