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Students, officials react to sexual assault on Saturday

October 7, 2014

Colin Wiebrecht, a representative of the Alliance of Queer and Ally Students for ASMSU, said one of the most disturbing things about Saturday's reported sexual assault near Beaumont Tower was the response he saw on social media.

While browsing Twitter, Wiebrecht said he came across two Twitter users joking about the assault, which police say occurred between two males around 2 a.m. on Saturday. 

This "joking," Wiebrecht said, contributes to a larger stigma surrounding male sexual violence victims — a stigma that prevents survivors from coming forward, and a stigma Wiebrecht said needs to end.

"Some people do not believe that it's even possible to be sexually assaulted if you're a male," Wiebrecht said. "And it's troubling because it stigmatizes victims of sexual violence that are male, it puts the idea in their head that they can't come forward, that they're going to be ridiculed and joked about because of the whole idea about masculinity."

A fear of having their masculinity questioned isn't the only thing male victims might face in coming forward.

"Something that's troubling is that when men are sexually assaulted...by someone of the same sex, victims might be more hesitant to report it, because when you do come out, people will assume you're LGBT."

MSU Title IX Coordinator Paulette Granberry Russell said MSU's educational campaigns regarding sexual assault place less importance on the gender of the victims, but rather on educating all people about sexual assault and focusing on getting help to the victims.

The MSU Counseling Center Sexual Assault Program has specific support groups set aside for male victims of violence, and Program Coordinator Shari Murgittroyd said the center does all it can to help victims of all genders.

"It’s very difficult for any victim of sexual assault to come forward in our culture because of the associated stigma and rampant victim-blaming that occurs after a disclosure," she said in an email. "This is especially true for men considering social norms related to definitions of masculinity and gender roles expectations."

Murgittroyd said that while 1 in 6 men will experience some form of unwanted sexual contact in their lifetime, 98 percent of all sexual assault perpetrators are men committing crimes against women and other men. 

Murgittroyd added that only 6 percent of men commit sexual violence, however, "they premeditate and are serial in nature, therefore leaving multiple victims in their wake."

Battling the misinformation surrounding male sexual assault is another daunting task Murgittroyd faces in the counseling center.

"A prevalent myth preventing men from coming forward is that men can’t be raped because they are strong enough to fight off an attacker," she said. "This myth lends itself to the pervasive misinformation our culture holds about true dynamics of sexual assault." 

Murgittroyd said in addition to several myths, people tend to assume the sexuality of the individuals involved.

"The majority of men who commit sexual assault identify as heterosexual," Murgittroyd said.

While Murgittroyd and other campus resources aim to deal with the aftermath of assaults, many students don't see sexual assaults perpetrated against men as a common issue.

"I feel like (sexual assault) is still more prevalent with women, but (Saturday's incident) was just surprising," chemical engineering sophomore Jacob Young said. 

"I don't think male students think its something they need to worry about, I don't think it should be, but I'm not sure why they don't. You just don't really expect it."

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