Sexual assault has traditionally been used by men to disempower and frighten women, just as racism has been used to disempower and frighten people of color. The sexual assault of women of color, therefore, is often a combination of both racist and sexist attitudes. These attitudes, compounded with certain stereotypes, magnify the sexual vulnerability of various groups of women of color.
Many myths exist in our society about sexual assault that serve to justify the offense. Rape myths often involve victim-blaming statements about sexual assault such as, "She wouldn’t have gotten raped if she hadn’t been walking alone at night,” or "What did she expect would happen if she went upstairs with him?" These myths help place the blame on the wrong person (the victim or survivor) instead of where it belongs (on the perpetrator).
The purpose of this section is to provide information about perpetrators. This section will address societal myths, contributing factors to why a person commits rape, the role of alcohol, and studies focusing on college male rapists. It is designed to inform panelists about the reality of this offense so that they are as informed as possible when hearing sexual-violence related cases.
People who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, and also as survivors of sexual assault face not only the barriers to seeking help that all survivors face, but also a range of obstacles that are unique to the LGBT community.
It is only a myth in our society that men are not sexually assaulted, or that they are only sexually assaulted in prisons. In fact, 9% of all rape victims outside of criminal institutions are male (U.S. Department of Justice, 1994). Men face unique challenges in dealing with sexual assault. Read more about male survivors here.
Several myths exist about sexual assault. These myths often shift responsibility and blame from the assailant to the victim. Understanding the myths surrounding sexual assault may help you in your recovery. What happened to you was a crime. You are not to blame for the assailant’s behavior.
![Subscribe to [site-name] - Myth](http://sapac.umich.edu/misc/feed.png){kind=small}
