The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officially expanded its definition of rape this week, changing the standards for sexual assault for the first time since 1929. Under the new definition, rape will include male victims as well as women and not require victims to have physically resisted their attackers, including those victims who were under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It will also cover oral sex and non-consensual “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object.”

 

The old definition limited the crime to the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will. Federal officials said the change catches the U.S. government up to the majority of states, which have had a broader definition of rape for some time.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

U.S. Redefines Rape; Adds Men, Others as Victims (by Pete Yost, Associated Press)

Definition of Rape Officially Changed, Impacts Men as Well as Women (by Stephanie Hallet, Huffington Post)

FBI to Broaden Definition of Rape (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)