The cancellation of the Return of Kings meetups, planned around the world, including in Bangor, has become a point of argument, with some disagreeing on what their “neomasculist” philosophy even means.
Daryush “Roosh” Valizadeh, the organizer of the worldwide meetups, is infamous for a post called “How to stop rape” in which he advocates legalizing rape on private property.
“I propose that we make the violent taking of a woman not punishable by law when done off public grounds,” Valizadeh wrote.
Valizadeh, who has been called “misogynistic” by the Southern Poverty Law Center, says the post is satire. If you want to read the post in its full context (and don’t mind giving him web traffic), you can read it here.
Otherwise, here are some arguments from that post that give some insight on what Return of Kings members believe, with a warning that he is pretty jokey about rape:
“If rape becomes legal under my proposal, a girl will protect her body in the same manner that she protects her purse and smartphone … she will never be unchaperoned with a man she doesn’t want to sleep with.”
“Without daddy government to protect her, a girl would absolutely not enter a private room with a man she doesn’t know or trust unless she is absolutely sure she is ready to sleep with him. Consent is now achieved when she passes underneath the room’s door frame, because she knows that that man can legally do anything he wants to her when it comes to sex.”
He adds: “Bad encounters are sure to occur, but these can be learning experiences for the poorly trained woman so she can better identify in the future the type of good man who will treat her like the delicate flower that she believes she is.”
The point? Valizadeh seems to believe that sexual assaults of impaired women are just innocent misunderstandings by the men who commit them, and that women are to blame for drinking in the first place. While rape victims often have trouble getting law enforcement to believe them, he believes that men accused of rape are the real victims.
News of the planned meetings brought outrage around the world, and several cities denounced the group. Here’s a tweet from the mayor of Ottawa:
.@ReturnofKings Your pro-rape, misogynistic, homophobic garbage is not welcome in Ottawa #its2016 #TurnAwayReturnOfKings
— Jim Watson (@JimWatsonOttawa) February 2, 2016
Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott also denounced them in a statement: “This pathetic group and their disgusting viewpoints are not welcome in Texas. I’ve spent much of my career protecting women from such vile and heinous acts, and it won’t be any different on my watch as Governor.”
To reach a sexual assault advocate, call the Statewide Sexual Assault Crisis and Support Line at 800-871-7741, TTY 888-458-5599. This free and confidential 24-hour service is accessible from anywhere in Maine. Calls are automatically routed to the closest sexual violence service provider.