...begin to call it such? It's lazy journalism, and it implies that the victim consented to the act. Roman Polanski didn't "have sex" with this girl. He raped her.

This is by far the most tired argument about the supposed sexual advantage women have over men. Sure, it would be easy to go to a bar and pick up a stranger for sex. Would that sex be good? In all likelihood, no. Studies show that women orgasm in less than half of one night stands. Not to mention the risk of rape, robbery, or bodily harm involved with inviting a strange man into your bedroom.

...but what's up the incredible vitriol towards women inevitably expressed in the letters on any article concerning gender? I know the internet tends to bring out the ugliest in some people, but my goodness there is some real nastiness here! It makes me wonder whether Salon attracts a disproportionate number of scary women-haters, or if a good chunk of men out there are secretly hugely resentful towards anyone with a vagina, but only express it when they can do so anonymously.

...and experienced a fair amount of sexual harassment and threats from men on the street. However, it was similar to what I've experienced in any large US city.

Granted, harassment is not rape, and my experience is by no means universal. But my point is that misogyny knows know borders (as reading the Broadsheet letters section has reminded me recently).

That shouldn't preclude us from discussing the larger issue: that to a greater or lesser extent, men worldwide will exert social control over women through sexual violence. Too often when we discuss stories like this the subtext becomes look how awful those people are, luckily we're so much more evolved. I will certainly allow that South Africa is different culturally and historically than the US, and there is some worthwhile discussion there, but the broader underlying issues are also worth discussing.

I suppose I'm also tired of hearing that women in the developed world should just shut up and stop complaining, since other women have it so much worse. I mean hey, I could have a one in two chance of being raped instead of just one in six! (And yes, I'm aware that there's debates over the exact statistic, but you get what I mean?)

And Ms. Anthropia, I truly, truly envy your ability to avoid sexual harassment. I suppose by luck or geography it doesn't happen to everyone. If you've got some secret perv-kryptonite, though, let a girl in on it, willya?

Most feminists (I know, a dirty, shameful word around these parts) want men to be able to wear dresses, be stay-at-home dads, kiss other dudes, and do what they like in bed if that's what works for them. We don't like gender rolls for anyone! And men will get laid on much more often Saturday night when:

-Men AND women stop slut-shaming

-Women don't have to worry about rape or other assault if they go home with the guy they met at the bar

-Men (and women!) start putting more priority on female pleasure. I'm sure Broadsheet covered that recent survey that showed women orgasm less than half as often as men during hook-ups.

but they do sell gender rolls at your local erotic bakery if you're interested.

I don't think I buy that the underlying notion of slut vs. stud dichotomy is misandrous, not misogynous. When I hear men talking about their conquests in this framework, it sounds more like they're bragging about their ability to con something valuable from the woman (her chastity?). The derision aimed at the "slut" in question seems to come from a feeling that the woman was stupid to give it up, while the man was clever to get it. Thus, the positive connotation to "stud" and the negative connotation to "slut." I think it boils down to the fact that sex is still seen by many men and women alike as something of a transactions where the woman loses while the man gains.

Either way the stud/slut double standard sure seems to punish women much more (although there are downsides for men as well).

Straight males are the only ones in society not entitled to libido? Dude, popular culture is created around your libido. It's the reason why every other billboard, advertisement, and commercial features a sexy half-naked woman. And let's not even get started on the porn industry- how much of that doesn't focus on the male libido?

Sure, there messages out there telling women that it's ok to have a libido, because up until recently it was considered deeply shameful for women to have sexual desires. It has always been assumed and accepted that men are sexual.

It's not a woman's sexuality that's considered "valuable," it's her chastity. Trust me, it's no "privilege" (and I don't think that word means what you think it means) to have to choose between being either a slut or a Virgin Mary.

If women's sexuality itself was considered valuable, there would be no stigma attached to a promiscuous woman, since she's just trying to express and satisfy her sexuality.