“Now that I am Slowly Rebuilding Myself, I am Really Scared to see who I Really am”: Negotiating Respectable Sexualities by men who Have Experienced Sexual Violence as Children

Abstract

In this article, we explore how men who have experienced sexual violence as children negotiate respectable sexualities by navigating the norms of hegemonic masculinity in Finland. We used the membership categorisation method to analyse the data, which consisted of five interviews and one written story. We argue that men process the experienced sexual trauma while also re-building their sexualities. Our findings show that male survivors negotiate their sexual respectability through non-disclosure and by emphasising their heterosexuality. Simultaneously, male survivors may question their sexual orientation through cycles of shame and trauma repetition. More research on the sexualities and vulnerabilities of male survivors of childhood sexual violence is needed. We recommend developing gender-specific outreach programs and raising awareness on men’s perspectives.