Florida Agenda

By Rory Barbarossa

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Justice Department has, after more than 80 years, changed its definition of what constitutes rape: “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim,” the new definition states.

Since 1927, rape has been federally defined as “the carnal knowledge of a woman, forcibly and against her will.” That included penetration of a woman’s vagina, but excluded oral or anal penetration and the rape of men. Now “rape” will not be defined by the gender of the victim nor of the perpetrator. The new definition will include assaults in which a victim cannot give consent because the individual has been incapacitated by drugs or alcohol, is under the age of consent, or is mentally or physically incapable of consent, the Justice Department said.

Sam Knew, MSW

For many men society has dictated their roles in life.

We take out the garbage, kill the big bugs and are handy with a hammer. As gay men, we have the additional responsibility of looking fabulous while doing so. Now, I know what some of you are thinking, “What’s a hammer?” Nonetheless, based on gender, we (and the world), see men in a certain stereotypical light. This limited view of males in our society has had its benefits historically; however, it has also created a perpetual state of denial, shame and injustice for some.

It is estimated that one in six men are victims of sexual assault (rape). White heterosexual males commit the majority of cases; however, perpetrators can include women, friends and social acquaintances. In some cases victims are drugged or taken advantage of while under the influence of alcohol. An estimated 12% of case victims are in the age range of 25 and older. And similar to other cases of sexual assault, “sexual desire nor sexual deprivation is the primary motivating force behind sexual assault. It is not about sexual gratification, but rather a sexual aggressor using somebody else as a means of expressing their own power and control,” according to the National Center for Victims of Crimes (NCVC).

Unfortunately, male victims are less likely to report cases of sexual assault. One major factor with male victims, especially heterosexual victims, is the fear of how they will be portrayed publically. One study found that people place more blame and have less sympathy for male victims. Those reactions magnify when the victim is a gay man. In addition, there is the misguided notion that men should be able to fend off any form of sexual assault, which leads to the perception that male victims secretly desire the attack. There is also the negative stigma that gay men are more sexually promiscuous and fantasize about sexual assault – which makes them willing participants.

More so, men (straight or gay) who are sexually assaulted may not consider themselves victims if they become sexually aroused during the attack. The NCVC reports that, “Since ejaculation is not always within conscious control, but rather an involuntary physiological reaction, rapists frequently succeed at getting their male victims to ejaculate.” For this reason, many victims blame themselves, which prevents them from reporting the crime – and seeking help. This misdirected blame may also be compounded with feelings of depression, sexual confusion and dysfunction, anger, guilt and suicide.

Survivors, more than anything, need support and justice. Communities and laws are rapidly gaining awareness and shedding light on this disturbing crime. More information and preventative measures are available through local police departments and/or community centers. Community centers, like our own The Pride Center at equality Park, will be holding an informational session in collaboration with the Wilton Manors Police Department on March 17th at 6pm. It is the goal of this meeting to provide the information necessary to help potential victims and help current victims become survivors.

Sam Knew, MSW is an educator and
local councelor. He can be reached
at SamKnewMSW@gmail.com

Community Alert

Kevin Burns was attacked and raped Nov. 12 in Fort Lauderdale.

By DMITRY RASHNITSOV

Wilton Manors Police are investigating a series of attempted rapes and muggings that have caused grave concern in and around the small predominantly gay and lesbian community. At about 10 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 12, 23-year-old Kevin Burns was attacked and forcefully sodomized in the 1800 block of N. Dixie Highway in Fort Lauderdale, less than a block outside of Wilton Manors, according to a Wilton Manors Police Report.

According to Burns, he was walking down Dixie Highway when a 5-foot- 9-inch white male with a swimmer’s build, who appeared to be in his 40’s with dark hair and dark circles under his eyes, asked him for a cigarette.

“After I handed him a cigarette he smashed me over my head with a big rock,” Burns recalls. “He went and grabbed my shirt and ripped my shirt and used it to strangle me. As he was strangling me he stabbed me seven times with a hypodermic needle. I don’t know what was in the needle. I don’t know what it was for. I went to go scream and he took the shirt and he held it even tighter and said ‘shut the fuck up.’”

Burns said that he was terrified and could not believe what was happening to him, but that was just the beginning of the ordeal. Burns ended up falling to the ground.

“He starts pushing me over the wires, takes a knife out and cuts my belt,” Burns said. “Then he takes my pants and rips them completely off. With his bare hands he reached in and grabbed my underwear and just tore it off of me. He then put the knife back on my throat, made little slices on my neck, telling me to ‘shut up, shut up, be quiet, shut up.’”

Burns said the unidentified male continued hitting him in the head with a rock and pushing his face into the dirt.

“He tried to penetrate me once and it wasn’t working,” Burns said. “Then there was something slimy, spit or lube or something, he did get in, and with one searing, burning, unimaginable pain he was in. He just kept slamming my body and slamming and slamming and slamming, and he just kept pushing my face in the dirt telling me to ‘shut up’ and ‘not to cry’ and then it was over. He hit me one more time on the back of the head and told me not to move or he would kill me.”

Before the attack started, Burns was on the phone with his ex-boyfriend, who according to the police report, heard the entire attack take place. Burns remembers calling the police department, and initially Wilton Manors police arrived but could not touch Burns until Fort Lauderdale Police arrived because he was in their jurisdiction.

According to the Fort Lauderdale Police report, “the victim had dirt on his person consistent with a struggle occurring on the ground.

The victim had a bruise on the left side of his head. The victim had scrape marks on various areas such as stomach and back area. The victim had knife blade marks on the left side of his neck consistent with a knife being held against the surface of his neck and moving slightly during the incident.” Burns said he is taking anti-retroviral medication because doctors are worried he may have been infected with HIV infected blood from the hypodermic needle. Burns said officers told him they are investigating several attacks of a similar nature in the area.

“He took a piece of my heart, he took a piece of my soul, he took a piece of me,” Burns said. “He took a piece of who I am with him when he walked away from me that night and left me in the dirt. I’m not going to be one of those people who curls up in a ball and cries; I’m not going to let this ruin me. I will get my dignity back, I will get my heart and soul back, and the only way to do that is to make sure he pays.”

Mugging on the other side of town

On Nov. 5, in a completely unrelated incident on the other side of Wilton Manors, 23-year-old Ryan Dixon thwarted an attempted mugging by two black men who appeared to be in their late teens or early 20’s.

According to a Wilton Manors Police report, Dixon was walking south at the 2400 Block of NE Sixth Avenue near 26th Street when two black males approached him, and one of them punched him in the face. Dixon described the male who punched him as 5-feet-8-inches to 5-feet- 10-inches tall, 180-200 lbs, wearing a white tank top, black shorts with a white stripe down the sides and a green-colored hat. The second male was 5-feet-8-inches to 5- feet-10-inches tall, 200-210 lbs, wearing a white polo shirt that had horizontal yellow and blue stripes, and black shorts past his knees.

“When he punched me he knocked my glasses off and I yelled what are you doing,” Dixon recalls. “One of them told me to give them whatever I had in my pockets. I turned to walk away and one of them grabbed my backpack. I turned and punched them and they both backed off. They then walked away from me – not ran, but just casually walked away.” Dixon was able to reach police, but by the time they arrived, the two suspects were nowhere to be seen.

This is not the first incident of its kind on the same road, with at least three similar incidents reported to Wilton Manors Police within the last six months.

If you have any information about either the reported rape on Nov. 12 or the attempted mugging on Nov. 5, please contact the Wilton Manors Police at (954) 390- 2150