14.4: Sexual Violence

“Sexual violence disproportionally affects the most vulnerable in society: children, women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning individuals” (Waechter, 2021).

Sexual violence (SV) is defined as, “any sexual contact or behavior occurring without the explicit consent of the victim” (Sexual Assault, n.d.). In other words, any unwanted sexual contact is sexual violence.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), which is founded by the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape, offers many resources about SV .“Social norms that condone violence, use power over others, traditional constructs of masculinity, the subjugation of women, and silence about violence and abuse contribute to the occurrence of sexual violence” (About Sexual Assault, n.d.).  It is widely recognized that SV can occur in every community and affect anyone of any age, and SV has a deep cultural and social context surrounding it.

The NSVRC also offers an extensive list of types of SV that can occur, such as:

• Rape or sexual assault
• Child sexual assault and incest
• Sexual assault by a person’s spouse or partner
• Unwanted sexual contact/touching
• Sexual harassment
• Sexual exploitation and trafficking
• Exposing one’s genitals or naked body to others without consent
• Masturbating in public
• Watching someone engage in private acts without their knowledge or permission
• Nonconsensual image sharing (About Sexual Assault, n.d.).

When we consider interpersonal violence of all kinds—homicide, assault, robbery, rape, and sexual assault—men are more likely than women to be victims of violence. While true, this fact obscures another fact: women are far more likely than men to be raped and sexually assaulted. They are also much more likely to be portrayed as victims of pornographic violence across mediums, including on the Internet, in videos, magazines, and other outlets. Finally, women are more likely than men to be victims of domestic violence, or violence between spouses and others with intimate relationships. The gendered nature of these acts against women distinguish them from the violence men suffer. Violence is directed against men not because they are men per se, but because of anger, jealousy, and the sociological reasons [stemming from] deviance and crime. But rape and sexual assault, domestic violence, and pornographic portrayals of violence are more frequently directed against women precisely because they are women. These acts are thus an extreme extension of the gender inequality that women face in other areas of life.

Domestic Violence (DV)

The effects of intimate partner abuse know no boundaries of race, class, orientation etc. It affects a wide array of people, regardless of socioeconomic backgrounds, gender, race, religion, profession, and education levels; however, DV is the leading source of injury amongst women (What is Domestic Violence, 2017). DV is a crime. The Center for Domestic Peace, an organization in Northern California that mobilizes individuals and communities to transform our world, so that domestic violence no longer exists, creating greater safety, justice and equality, has a  Checklist to understand the signs of an abusive relationship

Sidebar 14.3: Stories of Harassment from a Cisgender Male

From employers to landlords, I’ve experienced a fair amount people who have attempted to use power to coerce me into sexual acts or situations. To my surprise, sexual coercion is a common occurrence in my life, even while existing as a cisgender male. I work in the field of politics, more specifically, I manage progressive and democratic campaigns where workplace protection from human resource departments is not always an option.

In 2020, I rented a house in Michigan, where my landlord made constant attempts to have sex with me, taking advantage of the fact that I lived next door, and that he recognized me from Grindr. More recently, I worked with a manager from a voter contact program, who consistently and unapologetically discussed sex acts, commented on my physical appearance, as well as the appearances of other staff members. One memorable morning, I received an apology from the manager for his sexually exploitative comments, which was short-lived, as the apology was immediately followed by a comment that expressed his sexual admiration for one of the consultants who worked with the campaign.

Admittedly, I’ve experienced sexual harassment far less than many of the women and gender non-conforming people in my life, and the persistent level of sexual persuasion and intimidation experienced by all genders is sickening and tiring.

Maybe it is my chronic idealism and male privilege that allows me to hope for a future without sexual exploitation, but I believe that newer generations will be far more inclusive and socially responsible than the typically older generations who incorporate sexual harassment in their daily activities.