Men are assaulted too.
The loophole doesn't check whether you're a man.
Nearly one in four men in the U.S. has experienced some form of sexual violence. Many never report it, and many don't know what happened to them was a crime.
The numbers
From the CDC's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey:
- Nearly 1 in 4 men experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime.
- About 1 in 14 men were made to participate, through force or while too drunk, high or drugged to consent.
- About 71% of male victims were assaulted by the age of 25.
CDC: Intimate partner violence, sexual violence, and stalking among men
What the loophole means for men
In the 19 loophole states, a victim counts as unable to consent because of alcohol or drugs only if someone gave them those substances without their agreement. That rule is the same for everyone. A man who drank on his own and was too intoxicated to consent can be left without a case, just like a woman.
For a long time, the law barely saw men as victims at all. Until 2012, the FBI's national crime statistics
defined rape as carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will,
a definition dating back
to 1927. The new definition covers victims of any gender, and victims who can't consent because of
intoxication. Every state should catch up.
FBI: UCR program changes definition of rape - How the loophole works
Cases that came to light
Some of the largest sexual abuse cases at American universities involved hundreds of men, and took decades to surface.
Ohio State: Dr. Richard Strauss
A 2019 independent investigation by the law firm Perkins Coie found that team doctor Richard Strauss sexually abused at least 177 male students between 1978 and 1998. University staff knew of complaints as early as 1979 but didn't meaningfully act. Strauss died in 2005, before any of it was made public.
Ohio State News: Independent investigation finds Strauss abused students
University of Michigan: Dr. Robert Anderson
Robert Anderson was a University of Michigan doctor for 37 years, from 1966 to 2003. In January 2022, the university agreed to a $490 million settlement with 1,050 people who said he sexually assaulted them, most of them men, including many athletes. Anderson died in 2008.
ESPN: Michigan reaches $490 million settlement in Anderson case
Support for men
It isn't too late to get help.
- RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673. Free, confidential and 24/7, for people of every gender.
- 1in6: free, counselor-facilitated online support groups for men 18 and older who experienced sexual abuse or assault.
- MaleSurvivor: forums, a community of survivors, and a directory of therapists who work with men.
- Find a local sexual assault service provider. They help men too, with counseling, hospital accompaniment and legal advocacy, usually free.