Considerations of Identity
Gender
Sexual violence affects us all. Yet, clearly there are disparities related to gender. Even a quick glance at the statistics will show that the majority of victims/survivors are women; further, although there are male victims of sexual assault, the majority of perpetrators – regardless of the gender of the victim, are male.
The sheer rate of perpetration raises questions – not about the inherent biology of being male, but of the socialization of males – and females – within a culture which perpetuates misogyny, dictates rigid gender roles, and mistakenly allows rape behavior and language to appear as normal, acceptable behavior.
Rigidly defined boundaries of “male” and “female” belie the variety of gender expression. Not only are people who challenge these definitions often targeted for violence because of how they express their gender identity – or how that expression is interpreted by perpetrators – but they can also face additional barriers to accessing services.
In these pages, we intend to provide resources an information related to the variety of gender identity expressed in our community:
– Female
– Male
This is a work in progress, and we welcome feedback and input and suggested resources.
See also resources listed on our Considerations of Identity: Sexual Orientation page pertaining to the LGBTQ members of the community…
Research
Strengths and Silences: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Students in Rural and Small Town Schools (report by GLSEN; link to press release on their site; study can be downloaded as PDF from linked page)
Articles
- The Daily Cardinal: Sex and the Single Student: Do Men and Women Play by the Same Rules?
- Redditors Get A Lesson In Tolerance of the Day – The Daily What Tumbler blog
