Sexual Assault of Adult Males

Abstract

The circumstances and characteristics of sexual assaults against adult males presenting to a crisis unit in a large metropolitan area were examined. Twenty-nine men, ranging in age from 18 to 65, who were victims of sexual assaults or attempted sexual assaults, were seen over a 16-month period. Information extracted from the unit database included client demographics and personal history, assault characteristics, and presentation information. Twenty-five (86%) of the reported assaults involved male perpetrators, one involved a single female perpetrator, and two involved both male and female perpetrators. Half the male-male assaults and all the female-male assaults were acquaintance sexual assaults. Only a minority of the stranger assaults were suggestive of antigay violence. Most victims were young gay men, many of whom had physical or cognitive disabilities making them particularly vulnerable. The results suggest a need for increased awareness of acquaintance sexual assault in adult males.

Full Issue

“…Due to such close linkages, male rape victims are frequently thought of as gay and less deserving of help and sympathy (Graham, 2006). This concurs with research that argues that gay male rape victims are blamed more than heterosexual male rape victims (Stermac et al 1996), and that homophobia is a significant predictor of male rape myth acceptance (Kassing et al, 2005). On balance, it can be argued that male rape myths are perpetuated by a substantial segment of the population and are linked to social norms regarding sexuality and masculinity.…”

“…These stereotypes of male rape and male rape myths proliferate in societies (Hodge & Canter, 1998), which are exacerbated by the visible tendency to hypothesise men's sexual 'experience' in comparison to women's, in that numerous male rape research compares male rape with female rape in terms of severity (Cohen, 2014). This can be seen in various male rape research (e.g., McMullen, 1990;Stermac et al, 1996;Scarce, 1997;Gregory & Lees, 1999). These research studies neither specifically develop nor apply theory while unchallenging the conventional frame of male rape-either within the sphere of feminism or sexual violence.…”

“…However, all men have the potential to rape or be raped, not just gay men (Lees, 1997). For example, Stermac et al (1996) found that heterosexual male rape victims are more likely to experience 'stranger rape,' while gay male rape victims are more likely to experience 'date rape.' 'Stranger rape' typically refers to a stranger raping a victim, a victim who had no knowledge about the offender prior to the attack.…”

“…However, research evidence regarding male rape has shown that acquaintance rape and date rape, which are both types of rape that involve people who are familiar with or know each other, are more common than stranger rape (Stermac et al, 1996;Isely & Gehrenbeck-Shim, 1997;Walker et al, 2005). It could be argued that such erroneous depictions may keep society misinformed, conveying an extremely distorted picture of the incidence, prevalence, and nature of male rape.…”

The Effect of Victims' Social Support on Attributions of Blame in Female and Male Rape

“…A small but growing literature on male rape has recently appeared (Anderson, 1999;Anderson, Beattie & Spencer, 2001;Isely & Gehrenbeck-Shim, 1997;Kaufman, DiVasto, Jackson, Voorhees & Christy, 1980;Mitchell, Hirschman & Nagayama Hall, 1999), representing a shift in focus from solely female to male rape, which can be attributed to the increasing public realisation that men can also be victims of rape. Until recently, it has generally been assumed by researchers and the lay population that male rape is rare, primarily occurring in incarcerated settings (Donnelly & Kenyon, 1996;Stermac, Sheridan, Davidson & Dunn, 1996;Struckman-Johnson & StruckmanJohnson, 1992;Whatley & Riggio, 1993). However, a significant number of men are raped each year in the general population although it is extremely difficult to obtain accurate incidence figures.…”