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From: kmw@iheds.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Rape of the Male
Message-ID: <329@iheds.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 24-Jan-84 23:42:14 EST
Article-I.D.: iheds.329
Posted: Tue Jan 24 23:42:14 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 27-Jan-84 09:23:23 EST
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 92

I wish I had time to reply to your article in the detail I would
like.  Instead, I will mention a few points, and strongly
suggest you read the references listed at the end.
 
>> Since few people seem to be aware of the realities of rape of
>> males, I will give you my reasons why I think it is worse for a man to
>> be raped than a woman.
 
I was aware of the issues you bring up.  I disagree
with your contention that they make rape worse for a man than for a woman.
They make it the same.
 
>> First, men tend to be raped in situations where there is no long term
>> escape, such as in prison, armed services, or at sea. After a rape most
>> women can arrange their lives differently so that they are less likely
>> to get raped, ie. add locks, move, get police protection, not walk on
>> that lonely street. For the male, due to the location this is not
>> possible. Since this is true the rape becomes not an isolated instance,
>> but a part of his life for a long period. This has long term effects. 
 
Men are raped in prisons.  Women are raped everywhere.
A raped man who gets out of prison finds himself in a situation where
he no longer expects to be raped.  A woman raped in her home, on the
public streets, etc., has no where to go where she can expect to be
safer.  (Over 30% of rapes occur in the woman's home, after forced entry.)
Some women are raped over long periods of time in situations where they are
imprisoned, by a combination of force, complete financial dependency,
and in some cultures, by marital law.
All the situations you describe pertaining to men being raped pertain
to many rapes of women.
It's just that there is the leeway for so many MORE rape situations pertaining
to women.  And there are so many more rapes of women.
 
>> Second, the rape tends not to be a single man raping a single man, but
>> a group phenomenon, part of the ritual of establishing the pecking order
>> in the group. Hence , the rape establishes a social position amongs the
>> man's peers, ie. it is the weakest member of the group who is raped.
 
Exactly.  Same thing for women.  Between 30% and 70% (depending on the
city studied) of rapes against women are gang rapes.  As for rape
establishing a pecking order, the weakest being raped, well, what do you
think the rape of a woman by a man is?  Is it supposed to be less important
to a woman that someone else is establishing violent physical dominance
over her?
 
>> Once the rape has occurred the man is literally at the bottom of the
>> pecking order and subject to rape and dominance by all other male
>> members present.  Thus the rape leads directly to subservience on the
>> part of the person raped.
 
See above.  
 
>> Third, the rape not only threatens the male's sexuality, but his whole
>> sexual role.  He is forced to take a role that he has been taught
>> belongs to the woman.  Thus threatening his whole being.  The man
>> may become impotent, and totally incapable of enjoying sex.
 
Unless you consider being forcefully dominated against her will the
sex role taught to women, I haven't the slightest idea what contrast
you are trying to make here.  Also, the common side effects of rape:
the woman feels her sexuality is threatened; she may become frigid,
and totally incapable of enjoying sex.  Sound familiar?
 
>> Fourth, society tends to ignore the whole issue. Rape in prison is felt
>> by many people to be part of the punishment. Rape in the armed services
>> is considered to be part of the toughening. Men tend to take a harsh,
>> non sympathetic attitude towards their peers.  Usually the man raped is
>> considered to be queer.  There are no such things as support groups or
>> special counciling for the raped man.
>> 						Larry Welsch
 

We agree: male rape victims are often ignored, and should not be.
They are, in fact, in the situation women rape victims often found
themselves in this country until recently, and still find themselves
in many other countries.
Many people (men and women) still take an unsympathetic view
toward a woman who has been raped.  Often she is considered to be a slut,
to have been asking for it.  Only very recently are these attitudes changing.
 
 
Some classic references, which are much more complete and coherent (it's late)
than I:
 
Susan Brownmiller's "Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape" 1975.
(See particularly the sections on the implications of
male prison rape.)
 
Kate Millett's "Sexual Politics," 1969.
-- 
K. M. Wilber
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