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Gay men as victims of nonconsensual sex

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Abstract

Incidents of nonconsensual sexual activity among 930 homosexually active men living in England and Wales are analyzed. Of these men, 27.6% said they had been sexually assaulted or had sex against their will at some point in their lives; one third had been forced into sexual activity (usually anal intercourse) by men with whom they had previously had, or were currently having, consensual sexual activity. The contention that male rape is usually committed by heterosexually identified men, primarily as an expression of power and control, is not supported. Recognition that gay men rape other gay men is needed, both by the gay community and support services for victims.

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The work of Project SIGMA is funded by the Medical Research Council and the Department of Health. The views and opinions expressed herein are, however, those of the authors only.

Who died from an AIDS-related illness during the period following submission.

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Hickson, F.C.I., Davies, P.M., Hunt, A.J. et al. Gay men as victims of nonconsensual sex. Arch Sex Behav 23, 281–294 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01541564

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