UCLA students gathered Wednesday night to discuss how men are affected by sexual assault, as part of a larger discussion about the silence of male sexual assault survivors and stereotypes surrounding the issue.
The panel event was co-hosted by 7,000 in Solidarity, an undergraduate student government campaign against sexual assault at UCLA, and the Student Wellness Commission’s Gender Health Committee. About 20 people attended the event, aimed at educating students about male sexual assault and breaking the silence of male survivors.
The event took place in the CAPS Large Conference room and included a presentation on how male sexual assault is presented in the media, facts and myths about male sexual assault, and tips on how to be an ally to male sexual assault survivors.
A list of resources for sexual assault survivors was also provided. The meeting was interactive and those present at the discussion chimed in with their thoughts on the presentation throughout the event.
One in six men will experience sexual violence over the course of their lifetime before the age of 18, an organizer said at the meeting.
Marie Price, a recent UCLA graduate, said she came to the event because she didn’t know much about male sexual assault.
As a student, she said teachers had told her that men couldn’t be sexually assaulted by women.
“The stereotypes are so strong,” Price said. “Even in professional research, assumptions about males and sexual assault persist.”
Students at the event frequently brought up the lack of men present, despite the event being about male sexual assault survivors. Five men were present at the event, and only one spoke during the discussion.
Ryan Haynes, a fourth-year geography and environmental studies student who co-facilitated the event, said he thinks men are taught that women cannot sexually assault them, and if they are sexually assaulted they are taught to man up and get over it.
Haynes said his cousin was sexually assaulted by a woman, but denies the nonconsensual activity was sexual assault.
“He laughs it off and says it can’t be possible that he was sexually assaulted,” Haynes said. “There is a deeply ingrained denial in the male community about sexual assault.”
Savannah Badalich, the Undergraduate Students Association Council Student Wellness commissioner and campaign manager of the 7,000 in Solidarity campaign, said she hopes the event will serve as a launching point for a larger conversation about sexual assault.
“When we talk about sexual violence, we talk about it like it’s a ‘women’s issue,’” Badalich said. “But it’s not, it’s a people problem.”