FormerSnag Sweetheart, it was the capitalist system that looted the third world countries for their resources. Wars sweetheart, are about gaining land and resources, and by that theft from the people in those third world countries, is why you enjoy the lifestyle you do.
Now how about you say sorry and start giving back what you did not earn!!

Kate, I appreciate your intention, but I stand by my point.

I find your assertion that "lesbians are increasingly being raped because they are seen by men as threatening their masculinity and thus their power", to be bizarre. Born as a white anglo-saxon first world male (arguably among the least "masculine" of cultural male stereotypes) I see it as incredibly strange that you think a woman's choice of sexuality should be emasculate her male peers. It's like suggesting women see a man in Jimmy Choo's as a threat to their womanhood.

I do not think you are in a position to assert that this is the root cause of the problem. You are entitled to hold that personal belief if it suits you, but you shouldn't assert it as fact.

You have quoted research that "the victims have cited being verbally harassed regarding their sexuality before and during the rape." But I wonder what was the topic of harassment for the straight women being raped? I doubt their attackers were silent.

My assertion is that homophobic rape and other rape have a root cause that lies outside of sexual preferences. The basic perception that one person has a right to violate another person's body is the issue, sexuality politics is just another excuse as to why she was "asking for it"; It's no different to the short skirt defence.

The problem isn't that X person disagrees with Y sexual orientation (no pun intended), they can think what they like. Nor does is matter if X thinks Y is a slut. You cannot regulate or enforce opinion, nor should we hope to.

The problem is that some people feel like they have a right to perpetrate rape, everything else is adjunct to that.

Kipp,
QED, White guilt.
If I'd sat and done nothing instead of working all my life I'd have about the same standard of living as the average Third Worlder.
The spoils of "Capitalism" go to the capitalists,global capital is controlled by less than 150 companies/families,that's why everyone opposes it.
Lefty logic defies comprehension, anything goes as long as White children are punished for their Racism and the sins of their fathers.
Last time I looked Southern Africa was still suffering under the rule of ignorant, dumb Black Marxists, maybe you Lefties could take some responsibility for that?

KIPP:

...It is the cause Kipp, not the individual I oppose: That is the true and genuine meaning of my post.

...Homosexuals are misguided in efforts to high profile homosexuality. Thankfully, most homosexuals realise the dangers associated with such attempts. A classic example highlighting the dangers of high profiling the homosexual "cause", is the one described graphically in this article by Kate Walton; why such surprise when confrontation leads to the brutal murder of homosexuals?

...The simple truth is, universally, homosexuality is unacceptable.The worry is, obvious realities are blissfully ignored by an element of homosexuals on a campaign trail against prohibitions and exercising a loud voice to achieve set aims disguised as human rights issues.

...It is a human "birthright" to be homosexual, but not a right to attempt social engineering of the environment where this message is obviously unwelcome; especially SA.

Once again we are using our white anglo Western middle class mindsets to make judgements about an entirely different culture. Masculinity takes many different forms according to cultural norms. This is not new or surprising. Compare Middle Eastern attitudes to women and the West and issues like FMG. This is all to do with culture.

Why does resentment based gender/sexuality politics have to enter these debates even when the crimes are horrific. It is the criminal act that is despicable as well as the reasons behind it.

A sense of perspective would not go astray.

I'm not sure to what extent this is a real 'culture' issue. I do not think that pre-European South Africa had anything like the social problems that it has today.

South Africa from the time of slavery, colonisation and onwards to apartheid has long been a very troubled place. It is unsurprising that the violence of dispossession has lead to entrenched social dysfunction. Those problems were not going to magically disappear after apartheid stopped, and if anything, in the absence of an authoritarian state, crime was always going to get worse.

There might be a culture of violence and rape in South Africa now, but it does not reflect the 'culture' of thousands of years of African settlement in the region.

The real question is how do you get rid of a negative cultural practice? And how far are you willing to go to achieve it?