The Good, the Bad, and the Bizarre

One good thing has come out of the Sandra Cantu case: Lesbian rape is finally thrown into the light.

I'd say that's the reason this story has become national news. It isn't your typical rape and/or murder case. This time a woman raped a girl.

It's something different. Just like with the Laci Peterson case. God knows how many men have killed their wives. It was the fact Laci was pregnant with her son that made this story more tragic, and thus headlined across the country. (To this day, Scott Peterson still claims innocence while rotting on Death Row).

This time, it's lesbian rape that has us intrigued.

After being found in a suitcase floating in an irrigation pond in Tracy, Calif., 8-year-old Sandra Cantu is said to have been raped with a foreign object, said Fox News. But an autopsy is still pending, and Melissa Huckaby, the 28-year-old Sunday school teacher charged for the rape and homicide, had her second trial today. (Since a gag order has been issued, there's no news of whether or not Cantu pled guilty.)

A female raping a female? Not something many people could believe. Just as how many of us were incredulous to hear about the Massachusetts priest who raped an eight-year-old boy. It just doesn't happen.

But gay rape between males is easier to picture. On the other hand, "How could a vagina rape another vagina?" That's the common thought when it comes to women assaulting women.

"Society views male sexual organs as penetrating and destructive, and female sexual organs as receptive and nourishing, respectively. With the right context, female sexual organs can be just as destructive, or even more destructive, than male sexual organs," said Justine Chang and Armand Kaye, directors of She Stole My Voice: A Documentary about Lesbian Rape.

I don't know in what context female sex organs are, technically, more destructive than male organs, when it comes to assault on other females. But the point is, lesbian rape isn't a lie. It isn't a sex fantasy out there for porn watchers to enjoy. It's real and it damages just as much as male perpetrators.

I can understand, though, how this truth is hard to swallow. As much as I hate to admit it, we still live in a male-dominated society. We've yet to have a female president. There are still men who earn more than women for doing the same work, even though it's been over 40 years since the Equal Pay Act has taken place. And, yes, the majority of rapists are men.

But people are people, whether you're a guy, girl, or hermaphrodite. If one sex rapes, the other can too. We're capable of literally anything. Humans couldn't fly 106 years ago. Now it's almost a crime-like habit, and our carbon footprint serves as ample evidence.

Is the Sandra Cantu case bizarre, then? Not really. Is it bad? Duh. Absolutely terrible. Can it possibly be any good? If you look at the silver lining, then yes. Finally, America is disillusioned about the threat of lesbian rape.