Madison - A state representative is drawing heat for saying that his father had told him when he was young that "some girls rape easy" as a way to warn him that a woman could agree to sex but then later claim that it wasn't consensual.
Freshman Rep. Roger Rivard (R-Rice Lake) in December discussed a case with the Chetek Alert newspaper in which a 17-year-old high school senior was charged with sexual assault for having sex with an underage girl in the school's band room.
The newspaper quoted him as saying his father warned him, "Some girls rape easy" - meaning that after the fact they can change what they say about whether sex was consensual. On Wednesday, Rivard told the Journal Sentinel that the article did not provide full context of his comments and that his father's exact words had been slightly different from how they appeared in the Chetek Alert.
He told the Journal Sentinel that his father had advised him not to have premarital sex, and he took that seriously.
"He also told me one thing, 'If you do (have premarital sex), just remember, consensual sex can turn into rape in an awful hurry,' " Rivard said. "Because all of a sudden a young lady gets pregnant and the parents are madder than a wet hen and she's not going to say, 'Oh, yeah, I was part of the program.' All that she has to say or the parents have to say is it was rape because she's underage. And he just said, 'Remember, Roger, if you go down that road, some girls,' he said, 'they rape so easy.'
"What the whole genesis of it was, it was advice to me, telling me, 'If you're going to go down that road, you may have consensual sex that night and then the next morning it may be rape.' So the way he said it was,
'Just remember, Roger, some girls, they rape so easy. It may be rape the next morning.'
"So it's been kind of taken out of context."
About three hours after speaking to the Journal Sentinel, Rivard issued a written statement that he said was meant to further clarify his points.
"Sexual assault is a crime that unfortunately is misunderstood and my comments have the potential to be misunderstood as well," his statement said. "Rape is a horrible act of violence. Sexual assault unfortunately often goes unreported to police. I have four daughters and three granddaughters and I understand the importance of making sure that awareness of this crime is taken very seriously."
Rivard's original comments were made 10 months ago but have resurfaced as Rivard finds himself in a tight race against Democrat Stephen Smith. Smith said he didn't learn of the comments until August, when U.S. Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri drew controversy for claiming women's bodies could prevent pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape." His fellow Republicans from around the country urged Akin to drop out of his race for U.S. Senate, a call he did not heed.
Smith called Rivard's comments offensive.
"I'm offended to think that my sister or my daughters would be thought of in that manner," he said. "I feel Roger is out of touch with the majority of voters and his views are extreme."
Nichole Kathol, president of the Barron County Domestic Abuse Project, said she was alarmed when she read his original comments, but could not get area media interested in them at the time. She said he appeared to want to give the benefit of the doubt to those accused of rape, rather than to those who say they are the victim of it.
"It portrays women as the perpetrator of the violence being perpetrated against them," she said. "He's blaming the victim and implying the definition of rape is all too encompassing."
Pennie Meyers, interim executive director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, issued a statement in response to Rivard's comments that said people in Wisconsin need to be better educated about sexual violence.
"Unfortunately, comments like these are all too common, and an indication of ways in which the culture is generally under educated about what sexual assault is; sexual assault remains an underreported and under prosecuted crime," her statement said.
In his December interview with the Chetek Alert, Rivard was asked to discuss the case in which the local high school student had been charged with sexual assault. It is illegal to have sex with someone under age 18 in Wisconsin, and that has caused controversy at times when two teenagers are involved in a sexual relationship.
Rivard indicated in that interview that he was open to so-called Romeo and Juliet legislation that would reduce or eliminate penalties for minors close in age who have sex, but he did not explicitly endorse such legislation.
Ryan has now withdrew his endorsement
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan has dropped his endorsement of a Wisconsin lawmaker who said that his father had told him "some girls, they rape so easy" as a way to warn him that women could consent to sex but then later claim they hadn't.
Gov. Scott Walker and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson have not yet responded to inquiries about whether they are standing by their endorsements of freshman state Rep. Roger Rivard of Rice Lake.
It is the second time Ryan, a Janesville congressman, has withdrawn his support from a fellow Republican when they made comments about rape. In August, Ryan and other Republicans unsuccessfully urged U.S. Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri to drop out of his U.S. Senate race when he said women's bodies can "shut down" to prevent pregnancies in instances of "legitimate rape."
So in Roger's eyes Bristol Palin was raped very easily by Levi Johnston.
Freshman Rep. Roger Rivard (R-Rice Lake) in December discussed a case with the Chetek Alert newspaper in which a 17-year-old high school senior was charged with sexual assault for having sex with an underage girl in the school's band room.
The newspaper quoted him as saying his father warned him, "Some girls rape easy" - meaning that after the fact they can change what they say about whether sex was consensual. On Wednesday, Rivard told the Journal Sentinel that the article did not provide full context of his comments and that his father's exact words had been slightly different from how they appeared in the Chetek Alert.
He told the Journal Sentinel that his father had advised him not to have premarital sex, and he took that seriously.
"He also told me one thing, 'If you do (have premarital sex), just remember, consensual sex can turn into rape in an awful hurry,' " Rivard said. "Because all of a sudden a young lady gets pregnant and the parents are madder than a wet hen and she's not going to say, 'Oh, yeah, I was part of the program.' All that she has to say or the parents have to say is it was rape because she's underage. And he just said, 'Remember, Roger, if you go down that road, some girls,' he said, 'they rape so easy.'
"What the whole genesis of it was, it was advice to me, telling me, 'If you're going to go down that road, you may have consensual sex that night and then the next morning it may be rape.' So the way he said it was,
'Just remember, Roger, some girls, they rape so easy. It may be rape the next morning.'
"So it's been kind of taken out of context."
About three hours after speaking to the Journal Sentinel, Rivard issued a written statement that he said was meant to further clarify his points.
"Sexual assault is a crime that unfortunately is misunderstood and my comments have the potential to be misunderstood as well," his statement said. "Rape is a horrible act of violence. Sexual assault unfortunately often goes unreported to police. I have four daughters and three granddaughters and I understand the importance of making sure that awareness of this crime is taken very seriously."
Rivard's original comments were made 10 months ago but have resurfaced as Rivard finds himself in a tight race against Democrat Stephen Smith. Smith said he didn't learn of the comments until August, when U.S. Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri drew controversy for claiming women's bodies could prevent pregnancy in cases of "legitimate rape." His fellow Republicans from around the country urged Akin to drop out of his race for U.S. Senate, a call he did not heed.
Smith called Rivard's comments offensive.
"I'm offended to think that my sister or my daughters would be thought of in that manner," he said. "I feel Roger is out of touch with the majority of voters and his views are extreme."
Nichole Kathol, president of the Barron County Domestic Abuse Project, said she was alarmed when she read his original comments, but could not get area media interested in them at the time. She said he appeared to want to give the benefit of the doubt to those accused of rape, rather than to those who say they are the victim of it.
"It portrays women as the perpetrator of the violence being perpetrated against them," she said. "He's blaming the victim and implying the definition of rape is all too encompassing."
Pennie Meyers, interim executive director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, issued a statement in response to Rivard's comments that said people in Wisconsin need to be better educated about sexual violence.
"Unfortunately, comments like these are all too common, and an indication of ways in which the culture is generally under educated about what sexual assault is; sexual assault remains an underreported and under prosecuted crime," her statement said.
In his December interview with the Chetek Alert, Rivard was asked to discuss the case in which the local high school student had been charged with sexual assault. It is illegal to have sex with someone under age 18 in Wisconsin, and that has caused controversy at times when two teenagers are involved in a sexual relationship.
Rivard indicated in that interview that he was open to so-called Romeo and Juliet legislation that would reduce or eliminate penalties for minors close in age who have sex, but he did not explicitly endorse such legislation.
Ryan has now withdrew his endorsement
Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan has dropped his endorsement of a Wisconsin lawmaker who said that his father had told him "some girls, they rape so easy" as a way to warn him that women could consent to sex but then later claim they hadn't.
Gov. Scott Walker and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson have not yet responded to inquiries about whether they are standing by their endorsements of freshman state Rep. Roger Rivard of Rice Lake.
It is the second time Ryan, a Janesville congressman, has withdrawn his support from a fellow Republican when they made comments about rape. In August, Ryan and other Republicans unsuccessfully urged U.S. Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri to drop out of his U.S. Senate race when he said women's bodies can "shut down" to prevent pregnancies in instances of "legitimate rape."
So in Roger's eyes Bristol Palin was raped very easily by Levi Johnston.
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