this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2026
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As she walked the aisles, MR said in an interview, she sensed a man standing close behind her. She turned to confront him and noticed that he was a good six inches taller than her. He was talking in graphic detail about sexual things he wanted to do to her. “You’re so disgusting, get away from me,” she told him, and hurried off to find her friend.

Still, he stayed close, and for a few tense minutes the two of them locked eyes while she waited in line to pay. When at last he left, she thought that was the end of it – until, back outside in the chill of the winter morning, she felt something cold against the back of her leggings.

The man had ejaculated on her.

“I didn’t know how to react. I wanted to kill this man,” said MR, who was 47 at the time, recalling the horror and helplessness she felt as her friend wiped her off with towels. (The Guardian has verified MR’s identity but is not publishing her full name to protect her privacy.)

Hours later, on the advice of a sister who worked in law enforcement, she fished her soiled leggings out of the garbage and took them back to the store to report what had happened. A clerk listened to her account and, not seeming to realize that MR understood Spanish, shouted to a colleague in a backroom: “Tenemos otra.”

“We’ve got another one.”

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[–] CobblerScholar@lemmy.world 67 points 3 days ago (5 children)

I mean what else would it be if not sexual assault tantamount to rape?

[–] Zak@lemmy.world 54 points 3 days ago

Under Texas law, it's indecent assault, a misdemeanor for a first offense in most cases. It's similar in Pennsylvania. Those are two of the states where incidents in the article took place.

I'm generally against the recent trend to increase the severity of existing crimes, but I will make an exception here: this should be a felony.

[–] pressedhams@lemmy.blahaj.zone 32 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Rape has a legal definition that this does not meet.

[–] velma@sh.itjust.works 44 points 3 days ago

It's sexual assault.

[–] HCSOThrowaway@lemmy.world 1 points 2 days ago
  1. Assault with a sexual motive =/= "Sexual Assault" in most jurisdictions

  2. This isn't tantamount to rape. It's definitely in the ball-park and it's done by the same kind of people so it should be treated very seriously, especially as a "gateway offense" to prevent rape down the line, but let's not minimize rape by exaggerating non-rape things.

[–] anarchy79@lemmy.world 3 points 3 days ago (3 children)

This is not "rape". Let's stay sane please.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 47 points 3 days ago

It's sexual assault.

[–] wide_eyed_stupid@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

All these down votes.. I guess about half the people here want words to no longer have definitions.

It's definitely not rape, but these guys need to get charged with sexual assault or something. If this happens a lot, they're obviously getting away with it. That's just disgusting.

[–] velma@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

That user is up and down this comment section defending the gooners. That's why their comments are being rejected and downvoted.

[–] wide_eyed_stupid@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

I don't know anything about his other comments or about the user, but the comment I responded to is 100% true. Rape has a specific definition and this is not it. It's still indefensible, you're absolutely right. It's a disgusting violation and these men need to be charged with sexual assault.

[–] Folstar@lemmus.org -2 points 2 days ago

tantamount to rape

I miss when words had meanings and victims were respected.