Male Violence
Resources and News
Issue Summary: Male Violence
“At the age of 14 I was raped by my boyfriend at the time. Although I can healthily cope with the trauma now, I still consistently have my guard up while out in public and around men I don't know if I’m by myself. In general, I would say that I’m highly afraid of men I’m unfamiliar with.” - Letters From the Front Contributor
What is male violence?
WoLF seeks to abolish all forms of male violence. Male violence refers to sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and child abuse committed by males against females and children.
Focus Area Overlaps
There are many overlaps between our four focus areas:
In our fight against gender ideology, we know that when women speak out against trans-identified males encroachment into female-only spaces, those women are targeted by trans-identified males with threats or violence. We are also aware of the growing numbers of lesbians who are psychologically coerced and manipulated into “consenting” to sex by trans-identified males. Sexual coercion is a form of sexual violence, and the increasing reports of “rape by coercion” committed by trans-identified males against lesbians are deeply troubling. Additionally, there is a deeply disturbing trend of some trans-identified males sexualizing children and promoting the idea that women and children enjoy sexual abuse and humiliation.
Commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) is a specific form of sexual violence. CSE is a broad term referring to various activities related to the exchange of sexual activities, frequently referred to as “sex,” for money, drugs, safe housing, transportation, or other items of value or social benefit to the person whose body is being used. CSE refers to prostitution, pornography, escort services, stripping, “camming,” and any other activities in which someone is psychologically, financially, or physically coerced into exchanging “sex” or sexual activities for something of value. The “sex” that occurs in CSE is not mutually consensual; the person whose body is being used is only consenting to the “sex” because she needs something in return. Because CSE is such a complex issue, WoLF decided to categorize it as a focus area that is separate from male violence.
Male violence is also connected to women’s reproductive freedom. Abusive men often rape their female partners, and some of these women are forced by their partners to either terminate their pregnancies or give birth to unwanted children. Female survivors of rape are often extremely concerned about unwanted pregnancies, regardless of whether they experienced rape committed by a partner, family member, friend, or stranger. WoLF believes that women should have full control over their bodies; this includes the right to have enjoyable, consensual sex, the right to say “no” to sex for any reason, and the right to either have children or to terminate pregnancies.
WoLF NEWS ON MALE VIOLENCE
Our Work
Through our public education work, we organize visible resistance to rape and pedophile culture. We fight against the normalization of violent or degrading sexual practices, the eroticization of women’s pain, coercive relationships, and toxic relationships. We recognize that pornography promotes and normalizes sexual violence and other forms of abuse, and we encourage the public to critically think about how the pornification of our society contributes to male violence against women and children.
Our policy advocacy focuses on supporting policies that will result in legal justice for female survivors of sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and stalking perpetrated by males. We support legislation that takes a broad view of self-defense, which includes the impact of physical, sexual, and/or psychological abuse of women and girls who harm and/or kill their abusers, traffickers, etc. We oppose the “rough sex” defense for men who have harmed or murdered women.
Note: We recognize that many men and boys are survivors of male violence. There are also male survivors of domestic violence and stalking. Because we are a female-focused organization, we do not engage in public education, policy advocacy, or legal argument related to male survivors. However, we believe that all survivors, regardless of their sex, deserve justice, support, and compassion.
“The story of Lily Phillips is a grim parallel to Gisèle Pelicot: the endless number of men—100 vs. 83 is an accounting error in the business of patriarchy—fucking the barely conscious woman.”