Male rape: survivors, support and the law in late twentieth-century England and Wales

Until 1994, men were not recognized legally as victims of rape in England and Wales. This article explores the history of male survivors of rape there, establishing the uneven patchwork of support services available to them prior to 1994. It argues that a growing psychiatric literature which studied male survivors of sexual violence was a major factor in convincing lawmakers to include men as potential victims of rape in updated sexual offence legislation. Other medical professionals played key roles in bringing male survivors to police attention, but psychiatric research was most influential in changing the policy agenda in this arena.