“Guys cannot get raped by women,” declared Alex confidently to his friends at the bar. They had all been drinking for a few hours and the conversation took a dark turn when one of the guys brought up an article he had read about male rape survivors. “That’s ridiculous,” Alex continued, “Men are always supposed to be strong and in control. How could a woman possibly overpower a man and force him to have sex?” His friends uncomfortably shifted in their seats, not wanting to challenge his opinion.
The group parted ways later that night and Alex stumbled home, feeling invincible. As he made his way through a deserted alley, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his head and everything went black. When he came to, he was tied up and a woman was standing over him. She was laughing as she unzipped his pants and began assaulting him. Alex tried to fight back, but she was too strong.
Days later, after being released by his attacker, Alex tried to tell his friends what had happened to him. But their response was always the same; “Guys cannot get raped by women.” With no one to turn to, Alex fell into a deep depression. He stopped going to work and spent most of his days indoors, trying to make sense of what had happened to him.
Eventually, Alex took his own life. It was too painful to live in a world where his experience was dismissed and denied by those around him. His friends mourned his passing, but still refused to acknowledge the painful truth he had lived through. The end.
