Focusing on Rape Awareness for Men

For a year and a half, a handful of men who compose the Men’s Caucus of the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women have been learning about rape through reading, meetings and discussion of what it means to women and men. Now they are ready to go public and expand. The “Another Man Against Violence Against Women” project has scheduled a training program beginning Nov. 4 for men who are interested in prevention of sexual assault.

The project began with former commission director Judy Ravitz’s concern that work on rape prevention be broadened, and that targeting presentations to men would be a valuable approach, Men’s Caucus director Jay BloomBecker said.

Ready for the Next Phase

Formerly with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office, BloomBecker has prosecuted rape cases. His wife, Linda, is writing her doctoral thesis at USC on the effects of rape on couples. The dozen men who formed the caucus included men who had been victims and survivors themselves of sexual abuse or incest and “significant others”--men whose wives or women friends had been raped. And some were “just feminists,” he said. In months of learning together, “We were trying to fit the well-developed feminist rationale women have to a male perspective. Now we’re ready to move into the next phase.”

Of the findings of the caucus self-education process, BloomBecker said, “The No. 1 thought--embarrassing as it is--was that there is a place for men in dealing with rape. It’s not a women’s issue. In addition, it became clear to all of us that violence against women affects all in society. . . . If you take the term loosely enough, we are all significant others.”

One of the things the group did was to walk around in shopping centers and ask people, mostly men, what they thought about rape, admittedly a crude method of research, BloomBecker said. “The typical stereotype--macho men who think women ask for it--didn’t come up. There seemed to be a general awareness on the part of people that this is something that should be stopped and that it reflects social conditions. The only solution that people came up with any frequency was tougher laws and more prosecution. As a former prosecutor, I’m amazed at how much faith people have in the law. As one who has prosecuted rape cases, I don’t see any major problems with the laws. The problem is just how accepting and even nurturing our society is of rape.”

In learning more about rape with the group, BloomBecker said, “One of the things that astonished me is date rape. I’d thought rape is for animals. Certainly the ones I prosecuted were. My wife was on TV with them (some men who talked about raping dates or girlfriends). They were ordinary, nice-looking people. I don’t understand where the demons inside these people come from, the lack of control. It’s important to know that there are men who oppose violence against women, (who don’t have) the mentality that anything you do is OK if you don’t hold a gun to her head.”

‘Big Change Needs to Take Place’

Asked if he thinks men in general have to change, BloomBecker said yes. “First, our society condones and reinforces attitudes that lead to rape. A real big change needs to take place. Second, men could be a lot more sophisticated in their understanding of how violence affects women.”

The effects of rape or battering or sexual abuse in the past are long term. Among the men in the group who were “significant others” to women who had been raped, BloomBecker said, “The difficult problem is realizing there is a chronic, long-lasting change in the person. During the emergency, it’s easy to be supportive, but then it’s hard to sustain. You want to get back to work and can’t understand why she doesn’t. Statistically, a large number of couples break up after a rape.” However, it is not known how many couples would have broken up anyway, he added. “My wife’s research is encouraging. In the couples she’s interviewed, most of the men were very supportive.” In addition, he said, the group found that many of the men felt the urge to retaliate violently--a response he described as not productive. One tried to run over the rapist with his car.

BloomBecker’s interest in dealing with crime by changing social attitudes is reflected in his current business. As director of the National Center for Computer Crime Data in Los Angeles, he said, he is interested in developing and promulgating ethics for the use of computers rather than just dealing with policing or the laws regarding electronic theft and computer hackers.

The caucus is seeking men volunteers--writers, speakers, organizers, graphic artists and others--to assist in activities to educate men about rape such as developing audiovisual and written training materials and planning programs. Among the topics to be covered in training sessions meeting on Monday evenings and two Saturdays will be traditional areas such as the feminist perspective on violence against women, BloomBecker said, and male issues--men as victims, men as significant others, men as victims of the social conditioning that condones rape and options for action, what men can do to make a difference. Interested men may contact the caucus by calling (213) 655-4235 between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.