Twice in the past week the subject of a woman saying no, meaning no, and having her answer respected has come up in conversation. I do think women need to be responsible for themselves and not recklessly put themselves in dangerous situations. But "no" should still always mean "no". I've met men who don't think that "no" should be a valid answer. I've met men who always respect "no" and so do not understand why this is a cause of concern for women. I'm sure there are even more viewpoints out there that I haven't heard.
The only thing I can tell you for sure is where I stand on the subject. Women do not ask to be raped. Even believing that God created gender roles is no excuse for violence - sexual or otherwise - against women. "No" should always mean "no". "No" is a complete sentence. More people should learn to say it and more people should learn to accept it.
It just needed sayin'...
PS. If you want to read a recent male viewpoint on women's empowerment, you can read David Nilsen's review of the movie Sucker Punch here. Could be an interesting conversation starter.
