62 Million

by Therese M Wood

In February of 2026, 62 million men accessed a special website

known as The Rape Academy

The website offers tips and tricks to help men learn how to drug and rape their wives or girlfriends, then post the videos of this on the site for other men

To enjoy

62 million is hard to imagine so let me help

The population of South Africa is 62 million

The population of Texas is 31.5 million

The capacity of Soldier Field is 61,500—this means you would need a little over 1,000 Soldier Fields packed with eager men to

Equal 62,000,000

There is now special nail polish for women so they can dip their finger into their drink and if it has been roofied the color changes

There are now special drink covers for women to protect their drink at a bar in the off chance they glance away for a minute

There are special code words for drinks women can order at a bar to let the bartender know they are in danger

Most men act outraged

“Not all men!” They say,

“I protect the women in my life!”

Here’s the deal guys—

We are tired of having to need protection from MEN

Tired of being afraid to walk out to our cars after dark at a shopping center

Tired of carrying an alarm on our keychains

Tired of driving by a rest area and not being able to use it because we are alone

Tired of all the disgusting and depraved men who delight in harming and humiliating women and sharing it with friends

As women we are taught from an early age to be afraid of men we don't know

In subtle and not so subtle ways the message has always been that these

Men are predators and we are the prey

And it’s up to us to learn to navigate all the many ways men want to hurt us

No one told us to be on alert in case one of those 62 million men

May be someone we know

Someone we love

Somewhere in big and small towns all around the world

62 million women are in danger

The call is coming from inside the house

And I’m ready to burn it to the ground

***

Therese Wood is a writer from Lansing, Michigan. Her writing is often a reflection of her work with patients during her career as a nurse. She appreciates diverse art and enjoys feeding her many backyard critters.