Jerk Magazine article ‘F*** Me Maybe?’ wrongly places blame onto sexual assualt victims

It has recently come to my attention that Jerk Magazine, in their most recent issue, published an article titled “F*** Me Maybe?: No doesn’t always mean no.” I must warn you it is not an easy read and can be very triggering for a survivor of sexual assault.

I have been in discussion with other students who are also very concerned about the article and the message it leaves the reader with. Although, it seems the author attempted to turn toward a positive end, it may be difficult for a reader to completely understand the intended point.

The article, written from a heteronormative perspective, characterizes sexual assault as a situation where a male is the perpetrator of rape and sexual assault and the female is a victim. This discounts the fact that all members of our community can be targeted by sexual assault.

The article goes beyond problematic, typical victim blaming and places the responsibility solely on the woman in incidents of heterosexual acquaintance sexual assault. Although the article attempts to bring in the notion of positive affirmation, or an enthusiastic yes, it still leaves no explanation of how to draw the line where sexual activity no longer becomes consensual. It also seemingly removes all of the man’s responsibility in the scenario to ensure that there is mutual consent to the sexual activity.

I recognize it is the responsibility of the person initiating any sexual activity, regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation, to ensure that the other person involved is consenting. I also am an advocate for sex positivity and that we all should be able to express our sexuality freely.

I believe that it is necessary to address the problematic issues of the article, while making it known that no always means no; no is not a provocation to push further into non-consensual sexual activity. No matter who you are and how you identify, we all need to respect someone’s right to say no. Until issues of rape and sexual assault are no longer thought of as a taboo subject and taken seriously, I cannot idly stand by.

For anyone who has been affected by the article, I would encourage you to seek help through the Advocacy Center or the Counseling Center.

For anyone interested in engaging in a dialogue about the issues or to increase their understanding of sexual violence and its impact on our community, please feel free to contact me.

Paul Ang
Second-year M.S. candidate
Geospatial Information Science and Engineering
[email protected]