Not Germane

Germaine Greer: ‘Some Rape Is Just Bad Sex’

Controversial academic provokes outrage with comments.

The radical feminist academic Germaine Greer has provoked outrage after she stunned an audience at a literary festival by saying some rapes are just “bad sex” and that society should not view rape as a “spectacularly violent crime.” Greer, who spoke about her own rape as a young woman, said that in cases of violent rape, the courts should concentrate on the violence that should draw bigger sentences, rather than having long trials in which women are humiliated for long periods. Greer acknowledged her thesis would be controversial. “It is moments like these, I can hear the feminists screaming at me, ‘You’re trivializing rape!’” Many observers did indeed feel just that: Safer London CEO Sherry Peck tweeted: “Dreadful ramblings by Germaine Greer. I’m usually happy to listen to opinions different to my own but today after around 20 mins I had to walk out.” Anita Singh, the Daily Telegraph’s arts and entertainment editor, wrote on Twitter: “Had the misfortune to listen to Germaine Greer yesterday. She seemed to be making it up as she went along.”