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Chrissie Hynde Sparks Outrage With Comments About Rape: ‘You Have To Take Responsibility’

By Aaron Homer
Published on: 04:40 PST, Aug 31, 2015

Chrissie Hynde, lead singer of The Pretenders, is under fire after remarks she made that suggest some rape victims share the blame for what happened to them, Fox News is reporting.

In an interview with the U.K.’s Sunday Times, Hynde discussed an incident that took place in Ohio, way back when she was 21. Hynde says she picked up a ride with a motorcycle gang member who offered to take her to a party; instead, he took her to an abandoned house, where she was forced to perform sex acts on members of the gang. She blames herself for the incident.

“You can’t f**k about with people, especially people who wear ‘I Heart Rape’ and ‘On Your Knees’ badges — those motorcycle gangs, that’s what they do. If you play with fire, you get burnt. It’s not any secret, is it? Technically speaking, however you want to look at it, this was all my doing, and I take full responsibility.”

Hynde then went on to suggest that women who get drunk, or dress provocatively, also bear some responsibility if they are raped.

“If I’m walking around in my underwear and I’m drunk. Who else’s fault can it be? If I’m walking around and I’m very modestly dressed and I’m keeping to myself and someone attacks me, then I’d say that’s his fault. But if I’m being very lairy and putting it about and being provocative, then you are enticing someone who’s already unhinged – don’t do that. Come on! That’s just common sense.”

Chrissie Hynde’s comments on rape did not sit well with rape victims and women’s advocates. Lucy Hastings, the director of the group Victim Support, slammed Hynde’s suggestion that a rape victim is to blame for what happened to her.

“Victims of sexual violence should never feel or be made to feel that they were responsible for the appalling crime they suffered, regardless of circumstances or factors which may have made them particularly vulnerable.”

A spokesperson for the sexual assault prevention advocacy group RAINN also took exception to Hynde’s remarks, via the New York Daily News.

“This feeling of self-blame, described by Chrissie Hynde, can often prevent survivors from coming forward and getting the support that they deserve. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding a sexual assault, a victim is never to blame. The responsibility always lies solely with the perpetrator, no matter what.”

Hynde’s remarks also sparked outrage on social media, with Twitter users calling the 63-year-old out.

Do you find Chrissie Hynde’s comments on rape outrageous or on the money?

[Image courtesy of: Getty Images/Terry Wyatt]

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