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Rape as a Hate Crime: An Analysis of New York Law

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2020

Lisa Campo‐Engelstein
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Abstract

New York defines rape as forced penile vaginal penetration, which means only women can be rape victims. Given this definition, rape should always be considered a type of hate crime and thus eligible for sentencing enhancement because the perpetrators target victims based on their group membership. Such a narrow definition of rape is problematic because it fails to acknowledge oral and anal rape and overlooks the fact that men can also be raped. I argue that regardless of the type of sexual assault that occurs (vaginal, oral, or anal), rape should be considered a hate crime when the rapist chooses the victim based on gender, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation and the rape reinforces the patriarchal and heteronormative hegemony.

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Hypatia , Volume 31 , Issue 1 , Winter 2016 , pp. 91 - 106
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Copyright © 2016 by Hypatia, Inc.

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