Today in Rape Culture

[Trigger warning.]

This story from today's Seattle Times is an especially egregious example of how our culture minimizes the gravity of sexual crimes—particularly crimes committed against sex workers, because ha ha, they must see it as a compliment:

Lusty Lady performers had admirer from above.

Maybe he was just confused about how peep shows work.

Seattle police arrested a man around 2 a.m. Saturday for investigation of malicious mischief after he climbed into the space above the ceiling at the Lusty Lady in an apparent attempt to get into the women's dressing room.

According to a police report, the man came in the front door of the famed downtown peep-show club — backward — then went into a viewing stall. He somehow got into the ceiling crawl space overhead.

Then, he crashed partially through the glass-panel ceiling above the dance floor, startling a performer below when his legs came through the glass.

The man was still in the crawl space when police arrived, and was arrested after he jumped down, the report says. He was booked into King County Jail for investigation of malicious mischief.

The man made no statements to explain his actions, the report says. But his Lusty Lady lark caused so much damage the club had to be shut down for the night, the report says.

The man was released from jail Monday night.

This—again—is rape culture—normalizing and thereby minimizing the severity of sexual assault and coercion (and perpetuating the belief that sex workers can't be sexually assaulted) by treating what must have been a terrifying experience as a compliment. A misunderstanding. A hilarious "lark" by a well-intended, if bumbling, "admirer."

Teaspoons? Aim 'em here.