If there is no erection, how can it be sex? If there is an erection, how can it be abuse?

2001:

SPECIAL ISSUES FACED BY SEXUAL ABUSE VICTIMS WHEN THE OFFENDER IS A FEMALE: AN OVERVIEW OF THE RESEARCH

Women exist who are sexually abusing children. Appalling, unfathomable, and incongruent with societal notions of femininity, this statement is nonetheless true. When children are sexually molested by women, they are at risk for a number of mental health concerns and disorders. Difficulty coming forward to receive help and protection is first among them. A number of researchers have noted the extreme reticence of victims of female sex offenders in telling others about their abuse (Mitchell and Morse, 1998; Myers, 1992; Rosencrans, 1997).

Several researchers and therapists have commented that when males are sexually abused they often experience a great deal of confusion, in that they have been socialized to welcome sexual activities (Hislop, 2001). One author noted that in the course of conducting a study, a family service agency sought to locate participants by running an advertisement for men who had been “sexually abused” in childhood. They received few replies until they changed the wording to request information from men who had “sexual experiences” in childhood. Over one hundred men responded, and most reported experiences that they had had with women (Crewdson, 1988).

Males may respond with physiological arousal under traumatic circumstances, which may create confusion for them concerning the issue of consent when they have been sexually abused. Sarrel and Masters (1982) were among the first to note cases of males who had responded physiologically when sexually abused by women. Despite panic, fright, and confusion, the men and boys had erections and several ejaculated. In one of the cases the victim responded physiologically in spite of having been bound, blindfolded, gagged, and assaulted by four women who held a knife to his scrotum and threatened castration.

Rentoul and Appleboom (1997) reviewed two small studies and concluded that it is common for men to ejaculate when they are being raped. McMullen (1990) similarly made this point, based upon case observations.

Paradoxically, while some believe that if a male has an erection, sexual abuse cannot have taken place, others believe that if a male does not have an erection that sexual abuse cannot have taken place. For many, “sex” denotes a penis in a vagina, and “sexual abuse” denotes a penis forced into a vagina. Because female sex offenders do not “rape” in the strictest sense of the word, their activities may not fit the paradigms of sexual abuse for their victims or for those in a position to protect. Several authors have commented that laws do not always recognize that males may be the victims of sexual crimes (Hislop, 2001). ..For the rest of this paper: by Julia Hislop, Ph.D.