A new report has revealed that just under half of gay and bisexual men said they have been affected by sexual assault, with 85% of those affected saying they would not report the incident to the police.
Survivors UK, a leading national organisation helping victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse, have released their findings after investigating the experiences of sexual violence towards gay and bisexual men.
The main findings in the report highlight the frequency of sexual violence towards gay and bisexual men, with the majority of respondents detailing that they would not speak to the police after the incident due to fear of speaking out.
The report highlighted the specifics of sexual violence and the locations that it can happen, with the highest response being in public spaces such as a bar or a club, highlighting again that sexual violence doesn’t always occur with people the victim may know.
Alex-Feis Bryce, CEO of Survivors UK and an out survivor of sexual abuse shared how his own personal experiences of sexual violence in a queer space has shaped his identity as a gay man within the community ever since.
“I’ve also always had the sense – perhaps my imagination or some projected internalised self-blame or shame – that many of the gay and bi men who I’ve told about what happened to me reacted in a way that suggests that they saw experiencing sexual violence as in some way a rite of passage or an inevitability for men who have sex with men,” he said.
Alex also explained that the research highlights how gay and bisexual men do experience higher levels of sexual violence, yet don’t receive the support or aftercare that is essential to their healing after the incident has happened.
“My experience of being raped is not the only time I’ve experienced sexual violence in a queer setting and, as this research demonstrates, gay and bi men experience higher levels of sexual violence than reported in any studies of men of all sexual orientations,” he said.
“In commissioning this research, we wanted to explore sexual violence experienced by gay and bi men to improve our knowledge about where and how it happens in the hope that we can raise awareness, improve service provision and, if required, advocate for preventative action.”
This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to exploring the ways in which LGBTQ+ people experience sexual violence. The report states that it doesn’t identify how many of the respondents are trans, yet are aware that support and supervision for trans survivors is something they are increasingly worried about.
The post 85% of gay and bi male sexual assault victims say they wouldn’t report to police appeared first on GAY TIMES.
0 Comments