Where are the male survivors of sexual assault?

by Hannah Sandler ‘10

This semester, I have become increasingly aware of the problem of sexual assault on Colgate’s campus, on other campuses, in the U.S., in the world. It is a huge problem, but many people at Colgate are coming together to work on addressing it in our community.

In order to understand the problem and to feel how powerful and urgent it is, it has been important to hear the stories of victims/survivors. We have read them in the Sexual Assault Expose section of this website and on bathroom stalls and have heard others at the Speak Out. However, all of the stories that I have been hearing are from women. Male survivors need to be part of the conversation.

According to the Campus Climate Survey, 7% of men have been sexually assaulted since coming to Colgate. Sexual assault is defined as non-consensual oral, vaginal, or anal sex. Of the 686 men who took the survey, 48 had been sexually assaulted since coming to Colgate. 48 is not an insignificant number. The rates of sexual abuse and attempted sexual assault are even higher. These numbers are probably underestimates as it is likely that males under-report even more than females.

I would like to put a call out for men to share their stories of being sexually assaulted or abused while at Colgate (anonymously if desired).

In what contexts has this been happening? What can be done to prevent it? What was the gender of the perpetrator? What was the aftermath like for you?

As with female victims of sexual assault, it was not your fault and you definitely deserve a voice.