What are rape myths?
Rape myths are widely held, inaccurate beliefs about rape and victims of rape. These myths provide a false sense of security to individuals by legitimizing sexual assault and blaming the victim for their experience or making excuses for the perpetrator and minimizing their assault. These myths perpetuate sexual assault by not addressing the realities of rape.
Myth: Rape doesn't happen very often.
Fact: Every 6 minutes another person is raped in the United States. 1 out of 5 college women are victims of sexual assault.

Myth: I don't know anyone who's ever been raped.
Fact: Rape victims are doctors, teachers, nurses, checkout clerks, mothers, construction workers, accountants, engineers or anyone. You definitely have people in your life who have experienced sexual assault; you may just not know who it is due to underreporting of this crime.

Myth: Sexual assault is an impulsive, spontaneous, uncontrollable act of passion. 
Fact: Rape is an act of violence, not of sexual desire. More rapes are carefully planned with place arranged, enticements used, victims deliberately sought, and coerced into sex.

Myth: Most rapists only rape one time.
Fact: Most rapists rape again, and again, and again - until caught. So, if someone has sexually assaulted you, it is likely that they are going to assault someone else if not reported. 

Myth: Women frequently cry rape to get revenge or because they had sex and changed their minds.
Fact Rape is the most underreported crime in the country. The FBI reports that only 2% of rapes reports are given falsely. This is the same report rate for other felonies.

Myth: Men can't be raped.
Fact: Men can be raped and sexually assaulted regardless of their size, strength, appearance, occupation, race or sexual orientation. Current statistics indicate that 1 in 6 men are sexually assaulted or abused in their lifetime. Most sexual assaults that involve a male victim are gang assaults. It is not unusual for men to “freeze” during an assault as men rarely entertain the possibility of being sexually assaulted and are totally unprepared.

Myth: Rape only happens to young attractive women.
Fact: Anyone can be raped regardless of their age, sex, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, physical appearance, marital status, ethnicity, religion, socio-economic status, etc.

Myth: Most rapes occur in a dark alley by a stranger. Stay at home and you will be safe.
Fact: Most often rape occurs in either the victim’s or offender’s home, apartment or dormitory. 4 out of 5 times, rapist is known by the victim in some way and the rape is carefully planned.

Myth: Gang rape is rare
Fact: In 43% of all reported cases, more than one assailant was involved.

Myth: If a woman isn't a virgin or/and has had many sexual partners then she cannot be sexually assaulted.
Fact: A person’s sexuality is their personal affair and does not forfeit their right to say 'no' to sexual contact at any time. Consent must be freely given each time two people are intimate with each other.

Myth: Victims ask for it by their actions or by the way they dress.
Fact: No other crime victim is looked upon with the degree of suspicion and doubt as a victim of rape. Research data clearly proves that a way a woman dresses and / or acts does not influence the rapist’s choice of victims. Rapists are looking for available and vulnerable targets. To assume that someone wants to be raped is no different from assuming someone wants to get murdered or robbed. Most rapes are dangerous, degrading, and humiliating for the victim. No person would ask for or deserve such an attack. 

Myth: You cannot be assaulted against your will. If you don’t fight back it is not rape.
Fact: Rape is a crime of violence and confronted with the fear of being beaten or killed, many victims do not attempt to fight an attacker. So lack of resistance should not be equated with consent. Whatever a person does to survive the assault is the appropriate action. Many mugging victims hand over their possessions to remain safe, and they did not ask to get mugged.

Myth: Your boyfriend/partner can’t rape you since you have already been sexually intimate with them.
Fact: An individual has the right to decide anytime if they do not want to have sex even if they have willingly had sexual relationship with the person in the past. Sex without consent is a crime whether the offender is your intimate partner or not.   

Myth: When a woman says 'no,' she really means 'maybe' or 'yes.'
Fact: When a woman says “NO”, her partner should STOP and should not assume that “no” means anything else.  Pleading misunderstanding is not a legitimate legal defense for sexual assault.

Myth: If a woman consents to have sex at the start of making out but changes her mind and says “no” into the act and her partner continues to have intercourse with her, it is not assault because she had consented at first.
Fact: Legally, a woman has the right to change her mind about having sex at any point of sexual contact. If her partner does not stop at the time she changes her mind and says 'no,' it is considered as sexual assault. 

Myth: Any signs of arousal in the victim during sexual assault indicate consent.
Fact: Many victims of rape feel guilty and confused when their body responds to stimulation and become aroused during their assault. Body’s response to touch is normal whether that touch was wanted or unwanted and it has nothing to so with desire. There is little one can do to stop the arousal and many offenders use the victim’s sexual arousal as a way to further control and humiliate them. It is similar to your body’s response when being tickled whether you want to be tickled or not, you end up laughing.

Myth: If a woman is drunk or passed out from drinking it is okay to have sex with her.
Fact: If a person is unconscious or their judgment is impaired by alcohol or drugs, legally, they cannot give consent. Having sex with a woman when she is drunk is sexual assault.

Myth: If the offender was also drunk at the time of the assault then they cannot be accused of rape.
Fact: The offender is responsible for their actions no matter how intoxicated they are. Legally, intoxication is not an excuse to hit and run someone while driving. Similarly, being drunk is not an acceptable legal defense to rape anyone.

The rape myths have been complied from various internet sources as follows:

Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ccasa.org/documents/Rape_Myths_&_Facts.pdf)
Univeristy of Minnesota, Duluth (http://www.d.umn.edu/cla/faculty/jhamlin/3925/myths.html)
DC rape crisis center (www.dcrcc.org/myths.htm)
Women Against Violence Against Women Rape Crisis Center (www.wavaw.ca/informed_myths.php)
Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault http://www.icasa.org/uploads/RapeMyths_fact_sheet.pdf