Rape Isn't Always Men Raping Women

Richard Morgan tells the story of his own assault
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 2, 2014 12:40 PM CDT
Rape Isn't Always Men Raping Women
   (Shutterstock)

Richard Morgan never intended to write about his rape. But then he realized that, despite ample statistics to prove that men are frequently rape victims—one in 33 has been the victim of at least attempted rape, and 12.9% have been sexually assaulted—he'd "never heard a story told from my perspective." And so now in the Washington Post Morgan has written a devastating and detailed account of how a man—young, handsome, and with "great taste in X-Men"—drugged him and then raped him repeatedly for days.

So often rape is discussed in narrow terms, usually as men assaulting women, or perhaps men assaulting boys. Morgan wrote about his trauma—he discusses specifically the struggle of being an adult, gay, male victim—to show how much broader the problem is. "Every time we discuss rape as if it’s only men dragging women into alleys, we make the act of reporting it all the more uncomfortable, burdensome, and alienating" for victims who don't fit the mold, Morgan writes. "The more stories that are told, the less they can all be the same." You can read his full story here. (More rape stories.)

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