Same-sex rape not a joking matter

Same-sex rape not a joking matter

Having spent a great deal of time over the past six years researching and writing a book on same-sex rape of men, I was unfortunately not surprised to come across columnist Todd Shockley’s bio line that followed his September 24 Lantern opinion piece. Shockley’s statements that he “enjoys forceable sodomy” and that he will become well-known when he “puts his plunger skills to work at the New York City Police Department” represent most men’s extreme discomfort in acknowledging their own vulnerability to sexual violence. When faced with the recognition that men can be and are raped, as evidence by the sexual assault of Haitian immigrant Abner Louima in New York City’s 70th precinct, many men respond with inappropriate humor to mask their own fears and anxieties.Numerous examples of same-sex rape humor have surfaced in recent years. In 1996, for example, local radio station WLVQ organized an advertising promotion in conjunction with the Ohio State Fair. Callers were asked to listen for the sound of a man squealing like a pig, then telephone the station to receive a gift certificate from a local restaurant. The promotion was deemed humorous because the pig sound clip was taken from the male rape scene in the movie “Deliverance.” The actor who played the rape victim in the movie, Ned Beatty, wrote a 1989 New York Times editorial in which he described how playing that fictional role has stigmatized him for almost twenty years. To this day, he continues to be ridiculed and taunted on the street by other men who publicly demean him by squealing like a pig.”Deliverance,” Beatty’s first movie and most commercially successful role, revealed to men just how easily they could be violated, and the backlash against this revelation has carried over into verbal abuse against the actor for two decades.As the Coordinator of OSU’s Rape Education and Prevention Program, I have worked with male OSU students who have been raped. I can attest to the climate of insensitivity and misunderstanding these kinds of statements create, silencing and shaming all survivors of sexual violence. In a classic equation of rape with consensual sex, jokes about male rape often become socially sanctioned because they imply homosexuality, which unfortunately remains a target for acceptable expressions of public hatred. Fortunately, feminist social movements since the 1970s have laid much of the groundwork for an understanding of rape as an act of power and violence rather than a crime motivated by lust or passion. The same holds true for men raping men. In fact, the vast majority of men who rape other men self-identify as heterosexual.In terms of statistical occurrence, an estimated five to ten percent of all adult rape survivors are male. These statistics hold true for the city of Columbus as well as the nation. At many colleges and universities, the rape of men has only recently begun to generate responses from campus communities. The higher prevalence of same-sex rape within single-sex environments holds particular relevance for campus fraternities, military organizations, athletic teams, and residence halls. In addition, the majority of male rape survivors are assaulted in their late teens and early twenties, making college-aged populations particularly at risk. Many sexual assault programs and organizations across the country are slowly beginning to implement initiatives that include and accommodate men in rape-related work. As a professional in the field of sexual violence, I have worked with male rape survivors in emergency rooms, taken crisis telephone calls, and worked with the significant others of these men. I cannot begin to articulate the devastating immediate and long term aftermath of sexual assault for both women and men. Rape survivors who are already stigmatized should not be further humiliated by becoming the punch line to the ever-popular “don’t drop the soap” jokes. When a journalist publicly proclaims that he enjoys rape, jokingly or otherwise, such statements should be condemned in every corner of our community.

Michael Scarce is the Coordinator of Rape Education and Prevention Program in Student Gender and Sexuality Services, and author of the book “Male on Male Rape: The Hidden Toll of Stigma and Shame.”