Games of Thrones director defends rape scenes

The writer of Game of Thrones has defended the show's rape scenes, which have provoked outrage and a boycott from some viewers, Sky News reported.

Author George R R Martin said that portraying a war-torn society while pretending that rape does not exist would be "fundamentally dishonest".
 

He told Entertainment Weekly: "I want to portray struggle. Drama comes out of conflict.

"If you portray a utopia, then you probably wrote a pretty boring book."

He said the world of Games of Thrones is based on the patriarchal society of the Middle Ages.

"Rape, unfortunately, is still a part of war today," he said.

"It's not a strong testament to the human race, but I don't think we should pretend it doesn't exist."

The New Mexico-based writer also pointed out that millions of women are fans of the story.

"I have millions of women readers who love the books, who come up to me and tell me they love the female characters," he said.

"To be non-sexist, does that mean you need to portray an egalitarian society?

"That's not in our history; it's something for science fiction."

Last month, a US senator said she would boycott the show after Sansa Stark was raped by new husband Ramsay Bolton.

"Ok, I'm done Game of Thrones," tweeted Claire McCaskill, of Missouri.

"Gratuitous rape scene disgusting and unacceptable. It was a rocky ride that just ended."