Yes, marital rape is a thing.
I did not enjoy my honeymoon. I had never learned to say no to sex. My freeze and fawn responses were alive and well.
Admitting that that was rape has taken me years.
I experienced marital rape because I was raised as a Mormon girl.
I was taught that women have to earn the fidelity of a husband and OWE him sex.
She is responsible for fulfilling his sexual desires.
Bishops are known to BLAME WIVES for a husband's infidelity.
I was never taught to say no.
What else would you expect. Mormonism was founded by rapist men who practiced predatory polygamy.
To be clear: when I say I experienced marital rape, that does not mean my husband is a rapist. I married him because I think he is very good about consent and I felt comfortable with him.
It was not his fault that I felt obligated to say yes to sex on our honeymoon.
I blame Mormon social pressure and cultural expectations about honeymoons for that. If I had not been brainwashed and groomed, I might have been able to clearly communicate the "no" I was feeling.