WHO ARE MALE SURVIVORS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ASSAULT?

Survivors of sexual harassment and assault are not just one singular group. 
Men who survive sexual violence come from many different backgrounds and 
communities. People who commit acts of sexual harassment and assault may target 
people they believe to have less power in society, such as people of color, 
LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities — including men with these identities. 
There is limited research on sexual victimization of men, especially on survivors 
of color and survivors who are transgender men. 

RACE AND ETHNICITY1

Lifetime prevalence of sexual violence other than rape includes: made to penetrate, 
sexual coercion, unwanted sexual contact, and non-contact sexual violence 
(unwanted sexual experiences that do not involve touching such as flashing, 
or other harassing behavior).1

15.6% Asian or Pacific Islander men
20.1% American Indian and Alaska Native men
26.2% Hispanic men 
22.6% Black (non-Hispanic) men
21.5% White men
31.6% Multiracial men

sEXUAL ORIENTATION2 

42% of gay and bisexual men reported facing physically aggressive sexual harassment 
compared with 25% of straight men, and 19% of gay and bisexual men reported experiencing 
sexual assault compared with 6% of straight men.

sexual harassment
42% Gay & Bisexual
25% Straight

sexual assault
19% Gay & Bisexual
6% Straight

Over half of gay men (55%) reported experiencing sexual harassment in public spaces as 
compared to 19% of men overall.

GENDER IDENTITY3

51% of transgender men have experienced sexual assault in their lifetime.

Lifetime sexual assault among transgender men by race/ethnicity:
71% American Indian
67% Middle Eastern
58% Multiracial
52% White
51% Black
48% Latino
42% Asian

DISABILITIES

For men with disabilities who had experienced sexual violence, the most common perpetrator 
was a friend (34.2%) or acquaintance (22.8%).4

Men with disabilities are more likely than men without disabilities to report experiencing 
sexual assault and physically aggressive sexual harassment.2

Sexual Assault 18% vs. 4%

Sexual Harassment 39% vs. 23%

REFERENCES

1Black, M. C., Basile, K. C., Breiding, M. J., Smith, S. G., Walters, M. L., Merrick, M. T., 
Chen, J., & Stevens, M. R. (2011). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 
2010 summary report. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/NISVS_Report2010-a.pdf 

2Stop Street Harassment. (2018). The facts behind the #metoo movement: A national study on 
sexual harassment and assault. Stop Street Harassment. http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/
wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Full-Report-2018-National-Study-on-Sexual-Harassment-and-Assault.pdf

3James, S. E., Herman, J. L., Rankin, J. L., Keisling, M., Mottet, L., & Anafi, M. (2016). 
The report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. National Center for Transgender Equality. 
https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS-Full-Report-Dec17.pdf 

4Mitra, M., Mouradian, V. E., Fox, M. H., & Pratt, C. (2016). Prevalence and characteristics 
of sexual violence against men with disabilities. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 
50(3), 311-317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2015.07.030 

This project was supported by Grant No. 2016-TA-AX-K035 awarded by the Office on Violence 
Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations 
expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily 
reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. 

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