her partner had been the first to use violence in their relationship, even if she was usually the aggressor later on. Women's advocates also point out that most female offenders are arrested for minor, non-injurious acts like pushing, grabbing or hair-pulling. But the same is true of most men swept up in the net of strict domestic-violence laws passed by many states in the last 10 years. Many women who are arrested for domestic assault say they were striking back. But so do many male defendants. The truth in these situations can be hard to sort out. Unfortunately, many public officials have been swayed by extreme woman-as-victim arguments. Some jurisdictions have tried to reduce female arrests by training the police to see violence "in context." Often, the guidelines instruct officers to decide who is "in control" and who is "in fear" -- vague terms likely to be used as code words for "arrest the man." Measures intended to get women off the hook violate not only the constitutional principle of equal protection but true feminist principles. The slogan "There is no excuse for domestic violence" should not end with the exemption "unless you are female." ___________________________________________________Katie Roiphe is a brave woman. She counters the "Take Back the Night" ideology with what might be tagged "Take Back the Mind." Specifically, she urges young women to think twice or three times about what they are being urged to endorse in the name of victim feminism. Is there an "epidemic" of rape on college campuses? Are all young men sexual predators just waiting to pounce? Are all women helpless before the vulgar jokes, the sexual metaphors, the "unsolicited ogling" (an actionable offense on many campuses, by the way), the sexual innuendo, the ride "alone" with a man on a first date, the many subtle and egregious ways, so the ideology claims, men make their "power" felt, yea even irresistible, in each and every encounter that involves wh...
