US redefines rape to include men as victims

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration says it is expanding the FBI's more than eight-decade-old definition of rape to reflect a better understanding of the crime and to broaden protections.

The new definition counts men as victims for the first time and drops the requirement that victims must have physically resisted their attackers.

The change will increase the number of people counted as rape victims in FBI statistics but will not change federal or state laws or alter charges or prosecutions.

It's an important shift because lawmakers and policymakers use crime statistics to allocate money and other resources for prevention and victim assistance.