It only took 85 years, but the Justice Department now acknowledges that men, too, can be raped.
In an announcement today, the Justice Department declared that it’s changing its definition of rape, established in 1927, to include all genders.
Rape is now defined as “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim,” the Justice Department said, according to CNN.
The prior definition of the crime was written to only include “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.”
The change came at the recommendation of an FBI panel.
“This long-awaited change to the definition of rape is a victory for women and men across the country whose suffering has gone unaccounted for over 80 years,” said Vice President Joe Biden.
The new changes “send a powerful message that rape is rape,” said Susan B. Carbon, director of the Office on Violence Against Women, told reporters. “And it’s rape even if you’re a man, it’s rape even if you are raped with an object and even if you were too drunk to consent.”
