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A New Democrat MP who says she was forced into “sex without explicit consent.” A woman who made out with Jian Ghomeshi but was caught off guard when he allegedly grabbed her by the throat and choked her.

These stories — and the steady stream of similar tales women have discussed publicly in the wake of, particularly, the Ghomeshi allegations — expose a “huge disconnect” between what the law says about sexual consent and what is socially understood and accepted, legal experts say.

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Much of the public conversation in both cases has been around the idea of ‘‘explicit consent,’’ suggesting someone who is unwilling has to make it crystal clear. But the law is decisive — and even places the burden of proof on the accused.

“There’s a big gap between social understanding and the legal standards,” said Lise Gotell, a professor of women’s and gender studies at the University of Alberta who studies sexual assault law. “This [big gap] is an unusual situation in which the law has pushed ahead of commonly accepted behaviours and norms.”