There are many myths associated with male sexual assault.

Myths about Male Sexual Assault

• Only homosexual males are victims of sexual assault, this simply is not true. Sexual assault is an act of personal violence where a victim’s personal choice is ignored.
• A male sexual assault victim might have an erection or ejaculation during the sexual assault, that the male victim wanted the assault and enjoy the sexual assault. The fact that the male body has an erection or ejaculation are physiological responses through pressure on the prostate and not that they wanted or invited a sexual assault or has anything to do with the victims sexual preference.
• Male rape only happens in prison. Male rape does occur in prison and some studies say as many as 25% of young male prisoners will be sexually assaulted during their incarceration; however, male sexual assault occurs outside of prison and in the community. In a National Crime Victimization Survey, 38% of the victims reporting sexual assault were male victims and they were not incarcerated at the time of the assault.

The trouble with myths about male sexual assault is that it makes it difficult for men to report the crime and prosecute the offender.

Research Shows Male Sexual Assault Occurs At Alarming Rates

In a study by Lara Stemple and Ilan Meyer that was published in the American Journal of Public Health, the research indicated that male sexual assault occurs are higher rates than previously believed. Here is some of the researcher findings:

“Based on the analysis of large-scale federal agency surveys, men experience a high prevalence of sexual victimization, in many circumstances similar to the prevalence found among women. In one of the studies included in the analysis, the CDC found that an estimated 1.3 million women experienced nonconsensual sex, or rape, in the previous year. Notably, nearly the same number of men also reported nonconsensual sex. In comparison to the large number of women who were raped, nearly 1.3 million men were “made to penetrate” someone else. Despite the use of these two different categories, the CDC data reveal that both women and men experienced nonconsensual sex in alarming numbers.

The study also included the 2012 National Crime Victimization Survey, which found that 38% of all rape and sexual assault incidents were committed against males, an increase over past years that challenges the common belief that males are rarely victims of this crime. Among men in prisons and jails, gay and bisexual men and other men who identify as non-heterosexual are at greatest risk of sexual victimization.  For example, the Justice Department’s National Inmate Survey of 2011-2012 found that among non-heterosexual prison inmates, 12.2% reported being sexually victimized by another inmate, and 5.4% reported being sexually victimized by staff. Both inside and outside of prison, male victims are overlooked due to the stigma they face.

The study assessed 12-month prevalence of sexual victimization from five federal surveys conducted, independently, by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2010 through 2012. The review of these surveys provides an unprecedented wealth of new data about male victimization, challenging long-held stereotypes about the sex of victims.”

The Sexual Victimization of Men in America: New Data Challenge Old Assumptions

Possible Effects on Male Sexual Assault Survivors

• Psychological (PTSD)
• Fear for heterosexual males that they will become homosexual
• Homosexual sexual assault victims sometimes believe that they are being punished for their sexual orientation.
• Future Relationship issues with intimacy
• Emotional Problems (anger issues)

Sexual assault is a crime of violence whether the victim is male or female.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Let us support the survivors of sexual assault by educating, respectful dialog, and compassion so we can reduce this crime and hold predators accountable for their behavior in our criminal justice system.

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