I think the rape was so deeply unconscious. But it was also the way to make the boy into a girl, and it's satisfying their own desires. I spent a lot of time thinking about how to portray Brandon's rape, so that it was subjective, didn't brutalize the audience or dishonor Brandon, but also was an evolution of the story. So it's all about the rape being a moment of psychological crisis, that unlocks a history and forces her to move on. And it's the moment when she has to say, 'I have a sexual identity crisis,' to take it on herself.
Boys take their rage out on girl bodies and girls take it out on their own.
She owns up to it, but still manages to move forward. And healing usually happens in public. For Brandon it has to happen with Lana. He had to learn how to love in a true identity. And he had to see that identity reflected in her.