Sexual Violence Advisory Committee, Winona State University

The truth is ALL of the previous statements are MYTHS.

The following are the FACTS.

1. Only women can be raped. Men can be and are sexually assaulted every day. The national average is estimated at 7%.

2. The primary motive for rape is sexual. The motive for rape is aggression and power, not sex. Rapists have a desire to dominate, humiliate and degrade their victims. In fact, most offenders have access to a sexual relationship with a wife or lover.

3. Men who rape other men are gay. Rape is an act of power and control. A survey of convicted rapists found that at least half of these men did not care about the sex of their victims, they raped both men and women.

4. Women are sexually assaulted because they “ask for it” in some way. This is an example of shifting blame. Blaming a woman for her rape because of how she acts or what she wars is like blaming a bank for being robbed because it “tempted” the thief with all that money.

5. Rape is something that doesn’t happen to “real men.” Rape is something that can and does happen to an entire spectrum of men, regardless of physical strength or fighting prowess. Being raped does not mean that the survivor is weak or a “wimp.” Anyone can be overpowered or taken by surprise.

6. A man or woman can nearly always prevent an assault by resisting his or her attacker. Although resistance could deter an attack, it could conceivably increase one’s chances of injury or death. Even if he or she must submit, this does not imply consent, and in fact, may keep him or her alive.

7. Women don’t rape men. Women can and do commit rape of men and is just as serious as any other type of violation of any other victim.

8. Many women falsely report rape as a means of revenge or to get attention. FBI crime statistics indicate that the false report rate for assaults to be only 2%; similar to false report rates of other major crimes.

9. Being raped reflects upon the survivor’s manhood. It is important to remember that a victim of rape, male or female, was not at fault or responsible. Recovering from rape demands that we realize and combat rape myths about both male and female survivors.

10. Sex is “owed” under some circumstances. Human beings should have the freedom to make sexual choices regardless of the circumstances. Paying for a date (or providing an escort home from a party, the bar, etc.) does not give someone the right to demand sex for repayment, nor should someone feel obligated to have sex because of these circumstances.