Abstract
Incidents of nonconsensual sexual activity among 930 homosexually active men living in England and Wales are analyzed. Of these men, 27.6% said they had been sexually assaulted or had sex against their will at some point in their lives; one third had been forced into sexual activity (usually anal intercourse) by men with whom they had previously had, or were currently having, consensual sexual activity. The contention that male rape is usually committed by heterosexually identified men, primarily as an expression of power and control, is not supported. Recognition that gay men rape other gay men is needed, both by the gay community and support services for victims.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Anderson, C. L. (1982). Males as sexual assault victims: multiple levels of trauma.J. Homosex. 7: 145–175.
Awad, G. A. (1976). Father-son incest: A case report.J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 162: 135–139.
Buffman, P. C. (1972).Homosexuality in Prisons. U.S. Department of Justice, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.
Burgess, A. W., and Holstrom, L. L. (1979).Rape: Crisis and Recovery Brady, Bowie, MD.
Coxon, A. P. M., Davies, P. M. D., Hunt, A. J., McManus, T. J., Rees, C. M., and Weatherburn, P. (1992). Illiciting sensitive sexual information: The case of gay men.Soc. Rev. 41: 537–555.
Davies, A. J. (1968). Sexual assaults in the Philadelphia prison system and sheriff's vans.Transaction 6: 8–16.
Davies, P. M., Hickson, F. C. I., Weatherburn, P., and Hunt, A. J. (1993).Sex, Gay Men and AIDS Falmer Press, London.
Fisher, J. F. (1934).Sex in Prisons National Library Press, New York.
Gibbens, T. C. N. (1963).Psychiatric Studies of Borstal Lads Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Goyer, P. F., and Eddleman, H. C. (1984). Same-sex rape of nonincarcerated men.Am. J. Psychiat. 141: 576–579.
Groth, N., and Burgess, W. (1980). Male rape: Offenders and victims.Am. J. Psychiat. 137: 806–810.
Hickson, F., Weatherburn, P., Davies, P. M., Hunt, A., Coxon, A. P. M., and McManus, T. J. (1992). Why gay men engage in anal intercourse. Paper presented at VIII International Conference on AIDS. Amsterdam, July.
Kaufman, A., DiVasto, P., Jackson, R., Voorhees, D., and Christy, J. (1980). Male rape: Noninstitutionalized assault.Am. J. Psychiat. 137: 221–223.
Kaszniak, A. W., Nussbaum, P. D., Berren, M. R., and Santiao, J. (1988). Amnesia as a consequence of male rape: A case report.J. Abn. Psychol 97 100–104.
Lacey, H. B., and Roberts, R. (1991). Sexual assault on men.Int. J. STD. AIDS 2: 258–260.
Langsley, D. G., Schwartz, M. N., and Fairbairn, R. H. (1968). Father-son incest.Comprehen. Psychiat. 9: 218–226.
Lockwood, D. (1980).Prison Sexual Violence Elvsevier, New York.
McMullen, R. (1990).Male Rape: Breaking the Silence on the Last Taboo Gay Men's Press, London.
Mezey G., and King, M. (1989). The effects of sexual assault on men: A survey of 22 victims.Psychol. Med. 19: 205–209.
Moss, C. S., Hosford, R. E., and Anderson, W. R. (1979). Sexual assault in prison.Psychol. Rep. 44: 823–828.
Palmer, C. T. (1988). Twelve reasons why rape is not sexually motivated: A sceptical examination.J. Sex Res. 25: 512–530.
Russell, D. E. H. (1982).Rape in Marriage Macmillan, New York.
Sagarin, E. (1976). Prison homosexuality and its effects on post-prison sexual behavior.Psychiatry 39: 245–257.
Scacco, A. M., Jr. (1975).Rape in Prisons Charles C. Thomas, Chicago.
Wooden, W. S., and Parker, J. (1982).Men Behind Bars: Sexual Exploitation in Prisons Da Capo, New York.
Waterman, C. K., Dawson, L. J., and Bologna, M. J. (1989). Sexual coercion in gay male and lesbian relationships: Predictors and implications for support services.J. Sex Res. 26: 118–124.
West, D. J. (1985).Sexual Victimisation Gower, London.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
The work of Project SIGMA is funded by the Medical Research Council and the Department of Health. The views and opinions expressed herein are, however, those of the authors only.
Who died from an AIDS-related illness during the period following submission.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hickson, F.C.I., Davies, P.M., Hunt, A.J. et al. Gay men as victims of nonconsensual sex. Arch Sex Behav 23, 281–294 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541564
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541564