Comment of the Day: ‘males tend to be forgotten and disbelieved that they can even be a victim’

Men and boys are also victims of rape and often forgotten.

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This comment was by Archy in reference to the post – When I Was Raped It Was a Crime

It’s sad that we have such a divide between the genders. I think there would be more sympathy for women from men if there was also more sympathy + attention from everyone to male victims in cases of rape. It reminds me of discussions of victim blaming as if women receive the worst of it, yet so many fail to realize that male victims are by default assumed to not be victims which is worse than victim blaming, it’s victim erasure.

It’s good to see yourself and this site acknowledge male victims. I do speak out with friends, etc. against rape and vote accordingly to try to strengthen laws but it does sting to see the major disproportionate focus in society on females as victims, while males tend to be forgotten and disbelieved that they can even be a victim. It becomes hard to be an ally or whatever for women and girls when there is so little support for men and boys like we are expected to be selfless well above what is expected of women. I care about all people and want them safe, but I do see a lot of people now seemingly becoming apathetic and I think that is heavily affecting sympathy to all victims of violence.

Just tonight I have heard of yet another person close to me who is a survivor of sexual violence, and it boils my blood. When we have judges letting people go lightly for such horrors, it really makes me feel a major lack of trust in the justice system. It’s utterly disturbing to see the father try to write off the crime his son committed, for if my child ever did that to a person they would get the world of ass whooping if they did not confess the truth of the crime and have adequate time in jail. But any child of mine will be told always to ask for consent and look for enthusiastic consent as I do with anyone I am with.

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