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.

Comment below,
Hannah

Why Isn't Rape Reported?

If you were raped, would you report it? Would you see a prosecution through so that your abuser is sent to jail? For many of us, the initial response is "yes, of course."

Every statistical study of rape produces vastly differing numbers, with little asterisks everywhere reminding us that much of the information is based on estimates. What statistics have to take into account is the reality that a huge majority of rape cases are never reported, and never mentioned. Why is there so much silence, when reporting crime is fairly straightforward, and generally encouraged?

Let's consider a scenario (trigger warning: rape and sexual abuse trauma) -
A woman is raped by her partner in her home. Immediately after it happens, she knows she needs help, but right now she is traumatised and in shock. The next day she considers going to the police, but is so horrified by her experience that the thought of speaking about it aloud is unbearably triggering for her. After a few days, she finally feels confident enough to go to the police. They ask her gruelling questions about exactly what happened in graphic detail, was she drunk, had she promised him sex earlier that day, had he ever hurt her before. They keep asking her why she didn't come earlier, and mentioned their incredulity at the validity of her claim seeing as she only bothered to report it several days after. They tell her to go home and they'll contact her for further inquiries. Meanwhile, her partner finds out she reported him, and threatens to kill her if she doesn't drop the charges immediately. She can't leave him, as she is financially dependent on him, and he has emotionally manipulated her to believe she must stay in the relationship. She rings the police and tells them she lied, and she won't be pressing the case. The charges are dropped. The woman continues to be raped by her partner, and continues to be silent about it.

Scenario Two -
A girl is drunk at a party, and raped by her boyfriend's mate. Something similar happened to a girl at her school a few months ago, and she remembered how that girl was bullied and shamed for reporting her "rape" and potentially ruining the boy's life, when she was just a drunk slut who wanted to cover up that she had cheated on her boyfriend. The girl doesn't tell anyone she was raped.

Those two scenarios cover the most common circumstances where a woman might be raped, and we can see the plethora of reasons a rape charge may never come through. We need to understand that going to an often male police officer with details of a traumatic experience which you are still in shock from is simply impossible for so many people. Burying the rape and trying to forget the pain is often the easiest path, and the most beneficial to a victim's short term wellbeing, and expecting any different is unrealistic. There are so many legitimate reasons a person might not report a rape immediately, or choose not to pursue the case in court.

Often people will try to invalidate the existence of a rape culture by pointing out the constant inconsistencies in statistics. But what the unknown gap in reported rape cases tell us is that we live in a world where women do not feel comfortable or safe reporting their abuse. The fact that numbers on false rape claims fluctuate so much does not prove women's inherent victim complex, but indicate that it is impossible to know how many women are actually lying, and how many have been coerced and bullied to go back on their claim. The fact that both male and female victims of rape are so likely to be put in manipulative situations while they face the emotionally taxing process of reporting rape needs to be understood, both in statistical studies, or when we consider reforms to legislation which makes it easier to prosecute for rape.

Rape culture extends beyond the frequency of rape, and describes the environment where rape victims have to bear the onus of their abuser's actions in a society which blames them for their trauma, and doesn't listen to their claims.

Hannah