AFTER DARK
SEXUAL VIOLENCE
THRIVES IN SILENCE Story by Allison Clowers | Design & Illustration by Katie Jo Stewart
Imagine spending 20 years of your life keeping a huge secret from everyone you love in fear of being judged or doubted. Imagine spending those 20 years aching inside because you are ashamed of what happened to you. This is a reality for many men who have been sexually victimized and have not felt comfortable enough to report their experience. Feeling lost and alone because they have been violated. In many discussions, it may seem like women are the most common victim in sexual assualt or sexual harassment, and men are often times the perpetrators. While those are the situations that you may hear about more often, there are many other instances of sexual violence that we do not hear about.
ANYONE CAN BE A VICTIM When we think of sexual assault or sexual harassment we tend to think of women being the only victims, and we think of men as only the perpetrators. While those are the situations we hear about most often, there are many more instances of sexual violence that we do not hear about, specifically amongst males. But what qualifies as sexual violence? The Rape, Assault & Incest National Network (RAINN) defines sexual violence as an all-encompassing term that refers to crimes such as sexual assault, rape and sexual abuse. An advocate at Aspen Advocacy Services in Ellensburg, Melissa Osorio, explains, sexual violence can be: “harassment, inappropriate touching [or] inappropriate conversations.” Many people think of rape as the only form of sexual violence, but “it goes much deeper than just the rape aspect,” Osorio adds. 70
SPRING 2021
“Sexual violence is a crime that can happen to anyone, no matter their age, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic status, it’s pervasive throughout our society and it affects both men and women, and people who identify across the gender spectrum,” says Heather Drevna, vice president of communications at RAINN. Anyone can be a victim, the unfortunate truth is, “sexual assault is equal opportunity,” says Jim Struve, executive director of Men Healing, an organization that provides help for male survivors of sexual violence. “Sexual assault is really, in many ways, perceived as a woman’s issue which makes it very difficult for men to come forward about their experiences of harassment and abuse,” says Laura Palumbo, communications director at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.