Is inserting a knife into another person’s body rape? Is it less bad to stab someone in the gut than her vagina?
I’m not saying violence isn’t an essential part of rape, but by definition rape is sexual. Nobody gets raped with an awl in the neck, that’s just plain old (attempted) murder. Reducing rape to the level of simple assault minimizes the crime. There’s a reason we consider sexual violations different than ordinary violence.
