page 2 fathom friday, march 14, 1980
Introduction
Sex. A three letter word that transmits
giggles, shy smiles, uproarious laughter and
alluring glances.
When the reaction is buried along with
devastating stereotypes, the issue takes
shape and becomes real.
This issue of Fathom goes beyond the
stereotypes and giggles and looks at
portions of society which are shoved aside
and covered up with a facade.
Fathom takes a close look at rape,
changing trends in adult magazines, singles'
bars, topless dancers, gay social life, adult
theaters and bookstores, massage parlors
and the availability of adult magazines in
jails and libraries.
The subject is broad and touches many
areas of society, for this reason, this issue
wUl not attempt to judge or stereotype any
portion of our society,
For each area to exist there need to be
participants.
And when these participants come out
from behind the wall, that segment of
society emerges between the norm and
themselves, the giggles cease and honesty
begins.
Jill Denning
Cry
By Kim Wilt
The promise of a healthy, fulfilling sexual life can be
thwarted, sometimes temporarily, sometimes permanently
by the act of rape.
The victim can seek counseling in the offices of a
psychologist, a minister or any number of rape crisis
centers across the country, but ultimately it is up to her
and the passing of time to decide how much emotional
scar tissue will remain,
Jo Ann Dunn, Lincoln Rape Crisis Center coordinator,
said in an interview that victims' reactions to rape vary
widely,
"After they've been assaulted, a lot depends on the
person, the reaction they get from their sexual partner,
and the type of assault it was," she said.
"If the husband or boyfriend's reaction is negative-accusatcry-if
he feels she's violated or dirty, there will be
trouble unless he receives counseling,"
The Rape Crisis Center offers counseling to husbands
and boyfriends, but not many take up the offer, Dunn
said.
Some relationships simply cannot stand the strain of
the sexual assault, she said, and about half have dissolved
a year later,
The young woman was raped in Austin, Texas two
years ago. The man she was seeing at the time (s her hus
band now, "He sofd, 7 bw ' stay by you now. If it
changes, I may not be able to.' And I did change. And he
stuck; by me.
Typical reactions to a rpe include marital difficulties,
an aversion to sex, or promiscuity, Dunn said. Victims
could experience all, some or none of these. In addition,
she said, victims go through the Rape Trauma Syndrome,
a three-phase readjustment to the rape, identified by two "
women who have studied victims' reactions to sexual
assault.
The first is the acute phase, where the victim exper
iences acute anxiety, guilt and shock. She may be un
certain as to the reactions of others around her, and could
feel confused, angry out of control, and afraid. This phase
lasts from a few days to a week.
She couldn't stay in the same apartment after the
rape- a violent assault which began when she woke up
to find the man on her bed choking her. The assault lasted
45 minutes, and when he left, she learned later, he
though tshe was dead.
"I had to talk to a psychiatrist. I had trouble sleeping
if I heard a noise, I assumed someone was in the house. I
had to stay in the same apartment complex (the police
requested her to) but I wouldn 't go back into that apart
ment ,..lwas afraid he 'd come back. "
She was his Nth victim.
The second phase, Dunn said, is the denial part.
'The victim doesn't want to talk about it, she puts it
aside. She may have nightmares, and a change in eating or
sleeping habits. She may feel depressed, or feel like she's
crazy. A triggering event', like seeing the man or being in
a similar situation, may bring her back to the feeling of
the first phase."
This phase may last for a few months or for years, until
the victim is able to deal with her feelings. Dunn said
some women have never gotten past this phase.
The police took her to a hypnotist in an attempt to
obtain information about the assault.
"I thought that was the most excellent way to do it. It
was very relaxed . . . Before, I had a mental block-I
couldn't think about it. The hypnotist led me step by
step. The information they got eventually led to his
capture . . . The line-up was the first experience I had in
dealing with my anger. No one else (of the other victims)
could identify him, (Afterwards), I went into the bath
room, and I just had uncontrollable anger. I kicked the
toilet paper rack off Before, if had all been inside me. "
Integration is the third and final phase of the Rape
Trauma Syndrome. Dunn said victims at this stage realize
they need to integrate the rape into their lives, and accept
the changes it has made in them. At this point, they are
able to deal with their feelings, and accept their validity.
To get to the third phase, a victim must usually seek
counseling somewhere. The Rape Crisis Center, with three
paid staff members, and 30 volunteers who must attend
25 hours of training, has been in the counseling business
since 1975.
Dunn said RCC counselors talk to victims about their
feelings about the assault, and explain assertiveness and
self-defense techniques.
"We help them to regain a certain amount of control
victims feel a definite loss of control in their lives," she
said.
By being aware of potential rape situations, women can
decrease the chances that they will be assulted. Dunn said
new, studies have shown that rapists choose their victims
by accessibility, not looks. A booklet published by the
V ,r. . f ' ' ' VTT-iyTyS XV ST -HT r JZ ' si's, .f J . ' -r -y . 1
whit . v ?Zij?rs? sjl a i
L C
r1 v
9
r .i ti t
RCC urges women to be aware of their surroundings,
when they are out alone at night, whether on foot, or in a
car.
Preventive measures include parking in a well-lit area,
carrying car keys wherf walking to the car, and keeping
the car windows rolled up, and the doors locked when
driving. At home, doors and windows should be securely
locked, and no stranger should be allowed inside, accord
ing to the booklet. If a rape occurs-Think, don't panic.
Always look for a way to escape."
" struggled to get my finger under the cord he was
choking me with, to get air. Then I decided to fust freeze.
It was the smartest thing I could have done ...He raped
me, and began strangling me again, froze, I could feel
him looking at me, then he went downstairs, I heard him
in the kitchen, starting to go through drawers. J thought
he was going to get a knife . , . waited for about 20
minutes, then I stood up on my night stand and broke the
window with my guitar , . . The sun was coming up by
then. I felt real lucky that I got to see the sun come up. "
Dunn said the amount of sexual problems a victim
might have after an assault depends on how sexually well
adjusted she was before the assault, and what happened
during the assault. Some victims have few problems, she
said, while others take six months to a year or longer
before they feel comfortable about having sex. Some
victims feel comfortable around their husbands or boy
friends but are repulsed by the sight of other men.
If the victim was not involved with a man before the
rape, Dunn said, he will have a fear of men, both those she
does and doesnot know.
"It will be a long time before she gets involved in a
relationship, especially a sexual one " she said.
"Most people, like men, think, 'Oh, well, she's been
screwed before, it's Just another lay. It's degrading, that's
a good word for it . , , If guys whistled, or winked at me,
I'd get upset, I'd tell somebody to fuck off if they just
said 'hi.' I was a virgin before I got raped . . . We waited
( to have sex) until after we got married. The rape bother
ed (her husband) more than it did me . . . Such a long
time elapsed between the rape and the first time I had sex.
I was determined not to let it screw me up. "
Denise Daup, RCC volunteer coordinator, who is doing
filed placement training for a Master's degree in counsel
ing at the Women's Resource Center said students can face
special problems.
"For many, it's their first time away from home, and
the first time they've had to deal with their sexuality,"
Daup said.
Students are more vulnerable to rape, she said, because
night classes require them to be on campus late. Also, she
said, they live in apartments and, 'Vho knows who has all
tfw keys to those apartments."
"Many students come from small towns where rape
isn't a reality. They don't lock their house or car, they
have trust."
Another concern students have is how or whether to
tell their parents, she said, Most are from out-of-town and
don't have the same support they would have ff they were
at home, she added, .
"It's an added stress.to an already stressful life. It
could cause them to miss classes, to interrupt their
studies."
"It affected my concentration for a year. My average
went from a 3,8 to a 2.8,
Sometimes just have this desire to go see him in
prison, to tell htm how he screwed up my life, "
fathom
Magazine editor; Jill Denning. Layout editor: Denise
Anderson. Editor in chief: Rocky HJV. Strunk. Advertis
ing Manager: Denise Jordan, fliotography Chief: Mark
Billingsley, production Manager: Kitty Policky, Business
Manager: Anne Shank,
Fathom is a magazine published and distributed once
every three weeks on Friday by ths Daily Ncbraskan.
Unless covered by another copyright, material may be
reprinted without permission it attributed to Fathom,
magazine of the DaUy Nebraskan.