Prohibited Sexual Behavior and Sexual Violence

Sexual Violence: Rape: Male Victims: Helping the Victims 2

Since the rape of a male by another male involves persons of the same sex, the issue of homosexuality always hovers in the background. For this reason, many victims are reluctant to report the crime: They do not want to be labeled “homosexual”. However, as we have repeatedly emphasized, rape is a crime of violence, and sexual orientation is an entirely different issue. Indeed, in many cases, both the rapist and the victim have a heterosexual orientation. Even if one of them (or both) should be “gay”, this does not alter the basic fact that an assault has been committed. This assault and its often devastating consequences for the victim are the only relevant issues here.
Even victims have sometimes trouble understanding this. Like many females, male victims may blame themselves for having provoked the rape, or for not having resisted enough. Unlike female victims, however, some males blame themselves for having enjoyed it. This is because, in spite of the circumstances, males may experience some sexual response or may even ejaculate. Indeed, some rapists deliberately try to get their victim to ejaculate, because this makes his humiliation complete. However, a victim’s sexual response during a rape does not mean that he consents to it or enjoys it. He merely shows some involuntary physiological reactions. Even so, the experience may be very disturbing and confusing to the victim and thus increase his emotional stress.