Re: Male victim

*****Will all due respect, your response was uncalled for. Yes, male rape is just as serious as female rape, but as you said, it isn't reported as much; so someone who read his account may just be shocked at how close it is to the accounts of women (as I believe is the case with lovemy_babies).*****

Which is why I used the word "appears", not "is".

*****And women do not have people tripping over to help them. Female rape victims are reluctant to report their assault, and are rarely believed when they do.*****

Serial rapists who prey exclusively on men will victimize more individuals then serial rapists who prey on women. One study also suggested that those rapists who prey on men usually are only caught _after_ they have "switched over" and victimized a woman. Also men are more likely to be gang raped and far more likely to be violently victimized.

If female rape (and abuse) victims are "reluctant to report their assault, and are rarely believed when they do"; _male_ rape victims are even more so. IF they even get to the point of reporting their victimization, which they don't at far greater numbers then women due to their own internalized gender oppression: "real men don't need help."

For me, when I was sexually victimized the reason why I didn't report it was not because I didn't feel I would be believed, but because I didn't want to deal with it any further. Seeking to have the person who assaulted me punished was not part of how I wanted to process and resolve the incident. I know other victims who expressed the same view as me.

Perhaps society isn't falling over itself to help female victims, but compared to male victims it certainly does a far better job of assisting them. From day one women are taught to seek help if they need it and feel entitled to it. And men are taught to assist women in need. That alone gives them a leg up over male victims.

*****Most rapist are not convicted. There's even a recent account of 17 year old gang raped by college baseball team members. No convictions.*****

I assume you're talking about about the Hart County incident.

"But Bill Myers said the board needs to deal with other incidents, including a March 2 sexual incident in a Calhoun hotel room involving cheerleaders, a football player, a basketball player and two other boys. Three cheerleaders were suspended from their squad after the boys were found in their motel room.

Calhoun police became involved when one of the cheerleaders reported a rape. The case was closed when the 16-year-old girl said it was consensual sex."


http://www.independentmail.com/news/2007/mar/12/hart-county-board-education-r...


No convictions because the alleged victim withdrew her report. The situation itself also lends itself to the possibility that she was trying to avoid or mitigate punishment(suspension) by alleging rape.

*****Lets all be supportive of MX (as lovemy_babies was) and not start an oppression Olympics.*****

I am trying to be supportive by pointing out what I see as problems unique to male victims. They are uniquely more likely to be blamed, have their assault viewed as their fault, even believe _themselves_ that they must have secretly wanted it for it to have happened, and have absolutely no services available to assist in the persecution of their victimizers or their own healing.

To MX? I can only say that, as a woman, I will never be able to understand the depth of pain a victimized man faces in a society that actively belittles, mocks and ignores the pain of men. But it disgusts me, and I'm so very sorry for the part my gender plays in creating such an enviroment of disregard. Tweet