In Debate Over Military Sexual Assault, Men Are Overlooked Victims

New York Times ^ | June 23, 2013 | JAMES DAO

[Seizethecarp]

...the majority of service members who are sexually assaulted each year are men.

In its latest report on sexual assault, the Pentagon estimated that 26,000 service members experienced unwanted sexual contact in 2012, up from 19,000 in 2010. Of those cases, the Pentagon says, 53 percent involved attacks on men, mostly by other men.

In interviews, nearly a dozen current and former service members who said they were sexually assaulted in the military described fearing that they would be punished, ignored or ridiculed if they reported the attacks. Most said that before 2011, when the ban on openly gay service members was repealed, they believed they would have been discharged if they admitted having sexual contact — even unwanted contact — with other men.

“Back in 1969, you didn’t dare say a word,” said Gregory Helle,... Homophobia was big back then.”

Thomas F. Drapac says he was raped on three occasions by higher-ranking enlisted sailors in Norfolk in 1966. He said he had been drinking each time and feared that if he told prosecutors they would assume it was consensual sex.

Rick Lawson said that while he was in the Army National Guard in Washington in 2003 and 2004, he was repeatedly sexually bullied by a group of soldiers, including a sergeant who rubbed his groin into Mr. Lawson’s buttocks and jumped into his bunk and pretended to cuddle with him.

“A lot of people say this problem exists because we are allowing women into the military or because of the repeal of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell,’ ” he said, referring to the ban on openly gay service members. “But that is absurd. The people who perpetrated these crimes on me identify as heterosexual males.”

[Seizethecarp]

Yup. It's those pesky heterosexual males in the military who are committing all of those rapes and assaults on males and females. Nothing to do with "gays" in the military. Make all the males in the military "gay" and the rape/assault problem goes away!

[longtermmemmory]

Obama’s homosexual experiment.

[Seizethecarp]

Might have left out a sarc tag in comment #1...

[schm0e]

...service members experienced unwanted sexual contact...53 percent involved attacks on men, mostly by other men.

Why is the NYT admitting this?

[TADSLOS]

BOHICA. No longer a humorous military term. Now a mandate.

[relictele]

Is anyone else sick of the lefties’ obsession with all things sex in the military?

Never any mention of planes, tanks, carriers, munitions, etc...just the hanky panky.

Based on their coverage the only conclusion is that they view the military as some porn film brought to life.

[Chode]

all according to plan...

[Venturer]

It's gonna get a lot worse.

No way would I recommend a young man enter the military.

1. We have a crazed Muslim Marxist for President.
2. he is arming and Training Al Qaeda.
3. we are fighting a war under rules that do not allow us to win.
4. The President hates the Military
5. When in a Foxhole you need a man next to you, not a queer or an woman.
6. If you are injured Obama will furlough your nurse, and blame it on sequestration. 7.this list is just a start.

[centurion316]

The reason that homosexual acts were an offense punishable by death in the Royal Navy was to protect young sailors, some as young as 8 or 9 years old from sexual assault by petty officers, warrant officers, and commissioned officers. Some ships captains were notorious sexual predators.

[DJlaysitup]

BOHICA. No longer a humorous military term

Haha...well all I will say is that I am very thankful to have been a navy officer when there were no women allowed aboard combatant ships and we still had "don't ask - don't tell".

It was a hard enough job when we just had to worry about the regular shipboard stuff and guys screwing up on liberty.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"...one sergeant handcuffed him and put him in a headlock while another pretended to sodomize him, Lawson said."

The legal word --- the one on the books --- is "sodomize." In the PC world, you´re considered a hater and a bigot if you use that word or any of its cognates, like "sodomy" and "sodomite".

I expect the NYT to correct this slip and use more respectful language in the future. Expect to see more references to "the Surprise Sexual Contact Community". "Spontaneous Spouse Syndrome". And of course "Love = Love" .

[informavoracious]

Ahhhh....maybe the rapists “identified as heterosexual” because they would have been kicked out otherwise.

[wideminded]

The reason that homosexual acts were an offense punishable by death in the Royal Navy was to protect young sailors ...

I thought the Royal Navy was supposed to be all about "rum, sodomy, and the lash".

[MacNaughton]

My father served in the U.S. Army during 1951-53. He enlisted in Washington County, ME, because his Congresscritter told him he was about to be drafted by the Marine Corps (yes, the USMC did draft in the early days of the Korean War). Because the USAF slots were filled that day, he chose the Army and requested paratrooper training. He was stationed at Ft. Benning, Columbus, GA, in the 508th Airborne Regimental Combat Team. As a 20 year-old private, he was travelling on a liberty pass through Atlanta, GA, sometime during 1951. He went to see a movie at the famous Fox Theater on Peachtree Street. The Korean War was raging, so it was fairly common to see troops on leave in uniform. He, of course, was in uniform. While sitting in the theater an older white man in a business suit sat down next to him and put his hand on Dad’s knee. Dad removed his hand. The homosexual tried it again. Dad punched him out. He was reported by someone, and the MPs were on Dad very quickly. They escorted Dad 2 blocks to the bus station and put him on a bus back to Ft. Benning. The MPs forwarded a report to his company commander. Dad was very worried what would happen to him. Back at Ft. Benning he was summoned before his company commander for a hearing. The captain (who was probably between 25-27 years old) asked Dad, “Private, what happened.” Dad told him. The captain responded, “You’re dismissed, corporal.” We never thought to ask Dad whether he already had a promotion in process and the captain chose to present him with it at that time, or if the captain’s direct action represented a military culture of manhood, aggression, and morality which recognized and encouraged such traits in a young paratrooper.

We lost Dad 2 years ago to dementia. He would not believe how this nation has collapsed seemingly overnight.

[centurion316]

It was Rum, Buggery, and the Lash. But, the Buggery part was frowned upon and punished severely when discovered.