Well, this is terrifying.
According to a new study, an insidious practice dubbed “stealthing” is the latest form of sexual assault to emerge. This scary new “trend” involves a man removing his condom mid-way through sex without telling his partner.
The study, conducted by Alexandra Brodsky for the Columbia Journal of Gender and Law, investigates the practice and includes firsthand accounts by people who have been “stealthed” by their partners, The Huffington Post reports.
This type of behaviour can result in negative consequences, such as unwanted pregnancies, the transfer of STIs/STDs as well as feelings of violation and shame—all of which the non-consenting partner never agreed to sign up for.
“Survivors [of stealthing] describe non-consensual condom removal as a threat to their bodily agency and as a dignitary harm,” Brodsky noted in the study. Of those who fell victim to stealthing, many were unsure if what they experienced was actual assault, with one participant calling it “rape-adjacent”.
Even more terrifying? The study notes that there are multiple online communities of men who encourage others to engage in this behaviour. These communities have members who coach and offer tips and encouragement to those trying to trick their partners into having unprotected sex.
Brodsky says this is an act of violence that should be deemed illegal. She adds: “One can note that proponents of ‘stealthing’ root their support in an ideology of male supremacy in which violence is a man’s natural right.”
Handy tip to men out there: having unprotected sex without your partner’s consent is never okay. Just don’t do it.
From: Elle Australia
