Why would a male assailant target a women if he knew she was a lesbian?
Lesbians and other members of the LBGTQ community are targeted for hate crimes because of their sexual orientation. Sometimes lesbians are targeted because of how they are dressed or look, which may be seen as looking like a guy. Sometimes men then rape women in an attempt to “feminize”* them. In addition, it is important to remember that sexual assault does not occur because the assailant is so sexually attracted to the survivor that they can not help themselves. Sexual assault is not about sexual attraction, so sexual orientation doesn’t really play a part in the reasons behind the assault.
