Male Rape Victims are a Feminist Issue

In almost every discussion about rape culture, a wild Meninist will inevitably seek to disprove it with a tokenistic mention of male rape victims; if men are victim of sexual abuse, it must mean all feminism is wrong, right? What this argument is missing is the understanding that male rape victims are very much a feminist issue, and the abuse and discrimination they suffer stems from the same social standard of hyper-masculinity and weak femininity that created a rape culture in the first place. The reality is a trend of emasculating men who have experienced sexual abuse, and instead of countering feminist claims of a rape culture, it further proves and adds weight to the importance of dismantling this toxic attitude towards sex altogether.

Boys are taught to be sexually dominant; to demand and expect sex from any body at any time. The socialisation starts pretty much immediately, with boys' baby onesies saying "lock up your daughters" or "future ladies' man". Our perception of masculinity is intrinsically tied to an uncontrollable sexual libido and the glorification of male sexual exploits, explored in more depth here and here. And when society subconsciously equates this to an understanding of the ultimate "man", it estranges male rape victims. Men are expected to want and to enjoy sex 150% of the time, and the notion that a man was forced into a submissive, powerless position challenges the very core of what we have evolved to recognise as "manly". Society's response? Emasculate male rape victims.

Because on the flipside of hypersexual masculinity is a passive and sexually powerless characterisation of femininity. Femininity has never been a desirable trait in humans; those who associate with maternity, softness, and a love of sewing which is obviously linked to oestrogen levels are systematically disadvantaged and perceived as weak and incapable. There is a tendency for the patriarchy to declare any person who challenges its standards as "feminine": gay men are feminised since they do not fit the ideal model of a cis-het masculine man, evidenced in the feminine traits of "camp" fashion and speech inflections. By the same token, male rape victims are feminised because their experiences of abuse in an area where men are "meant" to dominate goes against the patriarchy's image of masculinity. The shame of being associated with femininity effectively silences male victims, and creates a problematic social attitude towards male survivors of disbelief and scorn at their lack of enthusiasm for sex.

Ultimately, the issues that face male rape victims such as lack of shelters and support networks, silenced voices and damning social response originate from the patriarchal standard of hyper masculinity and its acceptance of "animalistic" attitudes towards sex. This same socialisation is directly responsible for creating a culture where women's bodies are reduced to objects to please the men, and consent is secondary to male sexual entitlement. 93% of offenders are male (Australian Bureau of Statistics - Recorded Crime - Offenders, 2013-14), and this statistic makes sense when we realise that the issue creating a rape culture is centred around masculine notions of strength and power, which pushes men to act upon their expectations of sexual dominance.

Women are more likely to experience rape, but the existence of men who have also experienced sexual abuse only further sheds light on the social mentality that creates a culture which allows rape to exist as an epidemic.

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Hannah