About Male Sexual Assault Victims

Our culture provides no room for a man as a victim."

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"When [a man] experiences victimization, our culture expects him to 'Deal with it like a man.'"

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"Restricting the range of permissible behavior and emotions compromises a man's creativity and his ability to respond flexibly to life."

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"The traditional view of the ideal man leaves every man isolated."

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- Mike Lew, Victims No Longer (1988)




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Male Victim of Sexual Assault
Society values the stereotype of a strong, competitive male who can protect himself and others. Males who express vulnerability are often seen as less than "real men." They may feel a need to prove that they are not vulnerable.
Males may fear that if they are victims and this is known, they will be seen as less masculine. Such expectations, distortions and norms prevent men from becoming whole people with a wide variety of normal feelings and behaviors. Additionally, they are barriers to men reporting sexual assault.

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Fact: Both heterosexual and homosexual adult males are sexually assaulted.

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Fact: Sexual assault of males by other males is a violent act perpetrated out of anger or a need to control, dominate degrade, or humiliate the victim.

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Fact: Sexual assault of males is primarily perpetrated by heterosexual males.

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Fact: Sexual assault of males usually involves forcible sodomy, forced oral copulation, sexual battery and other forms of violence.

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Fact: Men are sexually assaulted in the community as well as in institutions.

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Fact: Men can often be victims of multiple assaults by multiple assailants.

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Fact: Sexual assault of men may be accompanied by other physical trauma such as severe beating.

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Fact: While reports of male sexual assault may be increasing, men are still reluctant to report sexual assault and to seek help because of societal myths and fear of insensitive assistance.

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Fact: Male children are sexually assaulted, often by a known adult male whom they trust. These assailants are primarily heterosexual. Sexual assault of male children may not involve overt force, but is still emotionally traumatizing.

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The Effects of Sexual Assault on Men
When a male is sexually assaulted, he may experience many of the same feelings that a female sexual assault survivor does, as well as feelings and concerns that arise only for males including:
He may feel embarrassed and avoid discussing the assault or seeking help.
He may question why he was assaulted in this way:
Was he was victimized because he was sexually desirable to other men and viewed as a sex abject?
Does it mean that he is a homosexual?
If he is homosexual, does the assault mean that other men are punishing him for this reason?
Will he be viewed as homosexual and be further victimized because of this if he seeks help?
If he is homosexual and does seek help, will his homosexuality become the focus rather than the assault?
He may feel he was somehow to blame for being assaulted, finding it hard to accept that the assault was somehow beyond his control.
He may feel that rape crisis lines are women’s resources and not available to him or sensitive to men.
He may fear talking about the assault to other men, fearing that they will laugh at him or label him. He may also fear talking to a woman, fearing that she will not understand or will reinforce his feeling of lost masculinity.
He may feel that his basic manhood is now in question because he was sexually violated and was unable to protect himself.
He may be viewing the assault as sex, not the violent act is was.
He may feel totally alone and without sensitive resources:
Will a crisis line treat him like a prank caller?
Will his family and friends reinforce his fear that he somehow asked for it?
The male survivor may feel alone, without support and need assistance to correct his own misconceptions about sexual assault and to deal with his feelings about himself.

Crisis Intervention Tips
Do a safety check. Make sure that he is in a safe place.
Help the victim dispel the myths by providing information regarding sexual assault and male victims.
Empower the victim. Let him lead the intervention. Only his terminology, i.e., he may not be willing to term it "rape," preferring to call it an "attack," etc.
Understand that a male victim may be more graphic about the assault. He may need silent moments to gather his composure or choose his words.
Be gentle. The male victim is cautious when discussing an assault. Recognize the Alaskan Factor and give him praise for having the courage to call STAR. It is a courageous step that he is taking in talking with you.
Help him develop a plan of action. What does he do next? (rape exam, counselor, etc.) Who is his support system? Where can he go for additional help?

Special Needs There are many concerns for male victims. First, sexual assault has typically been viewed as a women’s issue, therefore many labels are placed on the male victim. These labels make it difficult to discuss the assault. Studies have shown that men who rape other men know that if they can force the victim to ejaculate, the victim will be even less likely to report the assault because many men associate ejaculation with an orgasm and the enjoyment of sexual relations. For the heterosexual male victim, this may be confusing and he may fear ridicule if he were to report the crime. You can help by sharing this and other information about sexual assault.
Second, many men are raised to always be in control of everything, including emotions. The assault may cause him to feel completely out of control and many men do not know how to handle this. Reassure him that what he is feeling is normal.
Many men associate sexual with consent to sex, and may question their sexuality. Reinforce that sexual assault is not about sex, it is about power and control.
Finally, male victims may experience other symptoms of RTS such as: impotence, depression, aversion to consenting sexual relations and a fear of inadequacy and abnormality.

Reinforce to the male victim that what he is feeling is normal.