Why do you think male rape is taboo?

I would assume that homophobia is the culprit. All that I can say is that I hope it is a dynamic that changes, because it certainly isn’t right. I haven’t read the article, yet, so if that was discussed in the article feel free to mod me out.

I imagine also the notion that men are supposed to be able to defend themselves plays into it.

There are several interconnected factors at play (listed in no particular order). For starters, there is the idea that men literally cannot be raped in a physical sense, thus any man who claims he was is a liar and a whiner. Then there is the idea that men are insatiably lustful, and are indiscriminate in their partners, so even if it wasn’t his idea, he had a good time. Third, there is the idea that even if a man could be physically raped, a “real” man would be able to defend himself, so if he was really raped, he is not a real man, and thus worthy only of our scorn and ridicule instead of our support and understanding. Forth, there is a societal pattern of victim-blaming which we can see in rape with women as well as in other aspects of life – that this is a just world, so any misfortune to befall someone is actually their own fault, be it a home invasion, cancer, or rape. Homophobia is, as @ANef_is_Enuf mentioned, another factor, although I think it’s more of a subsect of the larger issue of machismo and masculinity; the notion that a man must constantly and repeatedly be earning the privilege to be called a “man”, and that very little is worse than not being a man.

Btw, if any history buffs happen to know when the notion that men are insatiably lustful came about, please PM me – I’m dying to know.

@Aethelflaed I agree. I think it is an issue of machismo and masculinity, which I think also encompasses what @FutureMemory mentioned about men being able to defend themselves. I think you put into words what I was thinking, just far more articulately.

@ANef_is_Enuf Thank you, my lovely.

@ANef_is_Enuf and @Aethelflaed I thank you both. The latter, for a great – full answer listing the top issues. I’m curious about the underlying mechanisms still however.

@phoebusg What do you mean by underlying mechanisms?

Women are so frail and men are so big. It just doesn’t make sense.

@sophiesword and what about instances where men that are raped by other men?

Well lets not forget drugs like ruffie.

The above attached article provides many of the answers to the question and I was prepared to be annoyed with the comments of those who clearly didn’t read the article. In retrospect, I can only think the OP included the article to be illustrative to those who are unfamiliar with the concept of male rape and then wanted a discussion on the specific taboo inherent in male rape (and the associated impact on victims speaking out).

Those who have worked with female rape survivors have long said, “Rape is not a sexual crime, it is a crime of power,” wherein one physically demonstrates that one has greater power over another. Nowhere is the truth of this more clear than with men raping other men.

Because of cultural mores and various taboos about homosexuality (and confusion around rape as a sexual crime), the impact of rape carries an additional psychological element . While a man could be beaten to within an inch of his life, a single rape carries more psychological baggage. In the article, telling men to “assume the Muslim position [of prayer]” adds another psychological element.

The rape of men is not always a war crime, although in war time (like prison settings) those who prey on others seem to take advantage of the situations in which they find themselves. Men are raped in peacetime and, similarly, rarely report it for many of the same taboo reasons.

The article struck me most for the physical damage created. I understand why the men don’t seek help and can’t afford to eat a soft diet for the balance of their lives, but I would hope there could be improvements to the medical care provided for those brave enough to share what happened to them. The stigma would likely not go away, but the constant physical reminder of the incident(s) could certainly be reduced.

@Kayak8 exactly – it’s a matter of power abuse specifically. Thank you for a well balanced response.