A new research paper written by Alexandra Brodsky has revealed the rise of a startling sex trend called “stealthing.”
The term describes “the deliberate and non-consensual removal of a condom during sex,” according to her appearance on @VictoriaLIVE. According to her study for the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, the removal of a condom during sex can “expose victims to physical risks of pregnancy and disease.” In addition, the act of “stealthing” is seen, as per interviews she conducted, “as a grave violation of dignity and autonomy.”
This act is seen as a form of gender-based violence, by transforming consensual sex into nonconsensual sex, which potentially violates many civil and criminal laws. Her paper, which outlines interviews with her friends and various communities on the internet where men encourage other men to partake in “stealthing,” seeks to explore options available to victims. It should be noted, the act of “stealthing” doesn’t only pertain to female partners, but partners of any gender.
As per The Huffington Post, she began her study as she entered law school in the fall of 2013. She said her friends were experiencing “mistreatment by sexual partners,” but it wasn’t being recognized in the existing “repertoire of gender-based violence.” However, the act of removing a condom during sex without consent is “rooted in the same misogyny and lack of respect.”
One girl, named Rebecca, who worked on a sexual violence outline, told Brodksy that many stories “often start the same way,” with many victims unsure if they have been raped or not. The act often leaves the victim in a similar emotionally and physically distressed state, however, these survivors could not properly identify a word to describe what had happened. The study continues, that “the United States courts have not had occasion to address and name the practice.” Therefore, her study seeks to lay out the foundation of what “stealthing” is, the terms of consent, legal remedies that are currently available and proposes the idea that “stealthing” is something that should be defined as criminal.
It does seem some action is being taken in courts outside of the United States, in regards to “stealthing” though. In January, according to Broadly., a Swiss court convicted a man of removing his condom during sex without his partner’s permission. The Federal Supreme Court In Lausanne, the highest in Switzerland, constituted his actions as rape and gave him “a one-year suspended sentence.” The victim’s lawyer said this was the first time someone had been convicted of this act in their country.
Source: twitter.com
