MALE RAPE
ABOUT MALE RAPE

Dear Alice,

Is male rape possible? Where can I find more information on male rape?

--Floor question

In the past decade, America has "discovered" that women are hidden victims of acquaintance rape. During the 1990's, we are finding that men too, are hidden victims of acquaintance rape. Contrary to commonly held beliefs that men are "too big", "too strong", "too much in control", or "too much into sex", to be sexually assaulted, a substantial number of men are victimized each year. The exact prevalence of sexual assault upon American men is difficult to determine because of a lack of research and official records. With the exception of studies of sexual assault on men in prisons, there is a dearth of literature about male sexual assault victims. As of 1988, the Uniform Crime Statistics did not include statistics for male rape victims because, by the Bureau's definition, the victims of forcible rape are always female.

In a study done in a large university community in 1982, one of the earliest that determined that male victims of sexual assault exist, 8% of the male respondents reported unwanted sexual contact, and .5% reported an act of forced penetration. In a study in 1987 at a small midwestern university, 48% of 141 male respondents had felt verbally pressured by a female dating partner to have sex. 6% said that they had been physically forced by a dating partner to have sexual intercourse. Other studies have found that between 12 and 16% of male college students have been forced to have sexual intercourse while on a date with a female. Most said that they had sex due to verbal pressure such as pleading, demands or blackmail. Some said they were pressured by verbal coercion and physical restraint, and some were too intoxicated to consent.

A few studies have also been noted of male gay students forced to have sex while on a date. A range from 12- 30% of gays and bisexuals surveyed have indicated that they engaged in sexual intercourse when they did not want to because they felt coerced to do so.

The issues at the moment are, how many men is this really happening to? What are the circumstances? And how do we continue to develop our research methods to include information about men potentially raped by women? If you or someone you know has been raped, male or female, call the University Rape Crisis Center at 854-HELP. In the community, you can call the Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project. No matter what your sexual orientation, they are trained to help male sexual assault victims. Their number is 807-0197. "

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