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Rape in the United States
There are widely varying estimates of the prevalence of rape on college and university campuses. A study widely publicized by the Obama administration found that 19.0% of women and 6.1% of men on college campuses had experienced rape or attempted rape over the course of their lifetimes. An earlier study found that 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men are victims of rape or sexual assault since age 14. However, others have criticized these studies for using definitions of rape that they consider to be overly broad. These definitions included such things as consensual sex under the influence of alcohol or where the consent was not expressed verbally or "enthusiastic." Other studies have found the prevalence of rape on campuses to be as low as 1 in 50 women. In an effort to prevent rape on campuses, the Obama administration has instituted policies requiring schools to investigate rape cases and adjudicate rape cases under a “preponderance of the evidence” standard. These policies have been sharply criticized by civil libertarians concerned that they are eroding due process and will lead to wrongful convictions of the innocent. A number of lawsuits have been filed against colleges and universities by students claiming to have been wrongfully expelled for rape they did not commit.

Campus Rape
In 2011, the United States Department of Education sent a letter, known as the “Dear Colleague” letter, to the presidents of all colleges and universities in the United States stating that Title IX requires schools to investigate and adjudicate cases of sexual assault on campus. The letter also states that schools must adjudicate these cases using a “preponderance of the evidence” standard, meaning that the accused will be responsible if it is determined that there is at least a 50.1% chance that the assault occurred. The letter expressly forbid the use of the stricter “clear and convincing evidence” standard used at some schools previously. In 2014, President Barack Obama established the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault, which published a report reiterating the interpretation of Title IX in the “Dear Colleague” letter and proposing a number of other measures to prevent and respond to sexual assault on campus, such as campus climate surveys and bystander intervention programs. Shortly thereafter, the Department of Education released a list of 55 colleges and universities across the country that it was investigating for possible Title IX violations in relation to sexual assault.

The Obama administration’s approach toward sexual assault on campus has been widely criticized for not taking into account the issue of false allegations and wrongful convictions. Critics claim that the “preponderance of the evidence” standard is not appropriate for a violent crime and leads to students being wrongly expelled for crimes that have been proven to have taken place. Campus tribunals have also been criticized for lacking the necessary experience in criminal justice and for failing to provide many of the due process protection that the United States Constitution guarantees in criminal trials, such as the right to be represented by an attorney and the right to cross-examine witnesses. The American Association of University Professors and the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education have publicly opposed the “Dear Colleague” letter. In early 2014, RAINN, the nation’s largest non-profit dedicated to preventing rape, wrote an open letter to the White House calling for campus tribunals to be de-emphasized in favor of the criminal justice system. According to RAINN, “The crime of rape does not fit the capabilities of such boards. They often offer the worst of both worlds: they lack protections for the accused while often tormenting victims.”

Since the issuance of the “Dear Colleague” letter, a number of lawsuits have been filed against colleges and universities across the country by male students alleging that the schools violated their rights under Title IX by expelling them for rapes they did not commit. Xavier University has entered into a settlement in one such lawsuit.

In May 2014, the National Center for Higher Education Risk Management issued an open letter to all parties involved in the issue of rape on campus. While NCHERM expressed support for the “Dear Colleague” letter and the adjudication of rape cases by schools, they took no position on whether the “preponderance of the evidence” standard is appropriate and raised a number of concerns. They claim that many cases are not clear-cut, and there is often not adequate evidence to know what actually happened. The letter expresses concern that “in a lot of these cases, the campus is holding the male accountable in spite of the evidence – or the lack thereof – because they think they are supposed to.”

The letter makes note that, in cases where a school is inaccurately portrayed in the media as having let a rapist off the hook, the school cannot set the record straight due to its confidentiality obligations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. It also raises the issue of false allegations arising from mental health issues, in which the accusers sincerely “believe something has happened to them that evidence shows absolutely did not.” NCHERM criticizes schools for “[holding] men accountable for drunken hook ups that shouldn’t violate campus policies” and advocates for allowing students to have legal representation during campus hearings.

The Red Pill
The Red Pill is a 2016 documentary film by Cassie Jaye exploring the men's rights movement. It chronicles Jaye’s journey beginning as a skeptical feminist investigating what she believes to be a hate movement and going on to discover that the movement is different from what she expected and question her own views on gender, power, and privilege. The film discusses numerous issues facing men and boys such as false allegations of rape, military conscription, lack of services for male victims of domestic violence, higher rates of violent victimization, and issues concerning divorce and child custody. It includes numerous interviews with men’s rights activists and those supportive of the movement, most notably Paul Elam, founder of A Voice for Men; Harry Crouch, president of the National Coalition for Men; and Warren Farrell, author of The Myth of Male Power. It also includes interviews with feminists critical of the movement, as well as excerpts from Jaye’s video diary.

Funding controversy
After it became known that the film would not be critical of the men’s rights movement, Cassie Jaye was unable to finding funding to cover the cost of the movie from traditional sources. She instead started a campaign on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. The effort was strongly criticized by some feminists but received support from Breitbart News columnist Milo Yiannopoulos. In the end, the campaign exceeded its goal of $97,000 as well as two stretch goals to raise a total of $211,260.

Release
The Red Pill had its world premiere on October 7, 2016 at Cinema Village in New York City. It played there for a week before opening in Los Angeles on October 14, 2016. One-time screenings were also scheduled at various locations in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia.

Critical response
Milo Yiannopoulos has praised the film, calling it “a powerful film on a complicated, important, yet woefully unaddressed issue.” CineSource also praised the film, saying that “Jaye reveals that the movement’s core issues are valid and deserve much more attention.”  Cathy Young gave the film a generally positive review, praising it for raising important issues that often go undiscussed while also criticizing it for failing to devote attention to “the dark side of the men’s movement.”  Alan Scherstuhl was critical of the film, describing its cinematography as “amateurish” and suggesting that the many of those providing funding for the film may have themselves been men’s rights activists, thereby creating a conflict of interest. Katie Walsh contends that the film exacerbates the divide in gender politics.