#MeToo. Men Share Their Stories of Persevering Through Sexual Assault

TRIGGER WARNING: This page and the slides following contain material that might be triggering to victims of sexual assault.

We hear about sexual assault everyday. With the allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and actor Bill Cosby, other brave individuals have stepped forward to share their stories in light of the #MeToo movement.

Most survivors of sexual assault are women, but this doesn’t mean that sexual assault doesn’t happen to men as well. Men can also be victims of sexual assault, and it’s an issue that is rarely talked about. Here are just some of their stories.

"I remember her on top of me and feeling used, worthless and weak for not enjoying it more."

Jared* was 14 years old when he went to his best friend’s party, who just came home from camp. Him and his friends were all drinking boxed wine, and he soon decided to go to bed. He said, “I was so f***ed up I was having a hard time moving.”

He was helped into his room by his friend, and someone else came into the room. It was the same girl that he was arguing with before he went to bed about music. He was flipped over and felt the girl pull his pants down. He felt used and worthless. Not only because he was taking advantage of, but also because he wasn’t enjoying it.

The next day he explained to his friend’s older brother about what happened, telling him how he felt about it. At this time, he didn’t think it was rape, and was upset over the fact that he didn’t enjoy it. His friend’s older brother then took the time to explain to him that it was rape. They talked a few hours about it, and he was comforted in the best way possible.

But the memory still bothered him years later. He experienced flashbacks of the rape, which affected him even more once he became more sexually active.

*Names were changed for the purpose of this article.