Resisting Emasculation: Male Feminities and Intersectional Complexities in Queer Men's Perceptions of Sexual Assault

• In Event: 2442 - Men and Masculinities in the #MeToo Era

Abstract

This article focuses on how 60 queer men perceived emasculation in relation to their experiences of rape or sexual assault, drawing particular attention to male femininities and to intersectional differences regarding interracial violence. Based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews, results demonstrate that most participants resisted the framework of emasculation to characterize their emotional response, typically because they felt a greater affinity to femininity than masculinity. Further, with regard to interracial violence, findings indicate that queer men of color diverted attention away from emasculation and drew attention to racialized concerns, including fear over being perceived as a “troublemaker” for reporting a white assailant. In stark contrast, the few white and Latino participants with interracial or interethnic experiences of assault described feeling emasculated, in large part due to masculinizing stereotypes of Black men. The implications of this research suggest that work focusing on sexual violence against men should account for male femininities as well as for intersectional complexities, as participants’ narratives revealed the limitations of monolithic understandings of queer men who have been sexually assaulted.

Author

• Doug Meyer, The University of Virginia