There is this awful myth that rape only occurs between people who do not know each other. What is even crazier than that myth is the one that says because two people are married or partners, one cannot be raped by the other! WRONG! SO WRONG!
Let us break it down for you: Rape can happen by anyone. Just because we begin to date someone or because we marry someone, does NOT mean they have control over our bodies, especially sexually!
Unfortunately, millions of people are harmed physically, emotionally and sexually by their romantic partners. This happens so often that we had to give it a name: Intimate Partner Violence. We know violence in any case is wrong and in Nevada, we are saying, NO MORE!
It does not matter if you are straight, gay, bisexual, love lots of people or no one, man, woman, transgender or do not own any of those labels-you should be safe to say what takes place with your own body.
The term intimate partner violence describes physical, sexual, or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse. When that violence involves sex, it is rape.
So remember, if your partner forces or tries to bribe you into doing things you do not want to do sexually, we call that sexual violence and we want you to get help.
For additional information about what real love looks like in a relationship visit www.loveisrespect.org
