Males Are More Likely To Suffer Sexual Assault Than To Be Falsely Accused Of It
In the aftermath of Rolling Stone’s flawed story about an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia, there has been a rush of concern in certain quarters over the supposed male victims. People have been claiming that Jackie, the UVa student at the center of the story, is part of a trend in false rape reports.

The idea that women are deceptively “crying rape” is not something new. But besides misrepresenting what we know about Jackie’s case — no one with knowledge of the alleged incident has stated that an assault did not happen and the Charlottesville, Virginia, police told HuffPost that they’re still investigating — it misses two key truths.

False rape reports are rare. And the men and boys who are victims in sexual assault cases are far more likely to have been the targets of abuse themselves than to have been falsely accused of sexual violence.

According to a 2010 paper from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 40 percent of gay men, 47 percent of bisexual men and 21 percent of heterosexual men in the U.S. “have experienced sexual violence other than rape at some point in their lives.”

A compilation of research at 1in6.org, an advocacy group for male survivors, suggests that at least 1 in 6 boys experience sexual abuse before age 18. The key caveat: The numbers are likely higher in reality because male victims are less likely to disclose their abuse than female victims.

False accusations that men committed rape look to be far less common.

David Lisak, a leading sexual assault researcher and consultant to colleges and the military, has found false rape reports to be about 8 percent of the total. An analysis of research on false rape claims by Lisak, San Diego police Sgt. Joanne Archambault and Kimberly Lonesway at the National Center for the Prosecution of Violence Against Women put the figure somewhere between 2 and 8 percent. Yet another study from the Crown Prosecution Service in the United Kingdom concluded that false reports constituted about 6 percent of rape allegations. Twenty-year-old data from the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics put the number of unfounded rape reports at 8 percent, thought not all unfounded reports are necessarily false.

How that percentage might change if women felt more comfortable reporting sexual assault is unclear. But many never report what happened to them. A Department of Justice study from 2000 found that fewer than 5 percent of completed and attempted rapes of collegiate women are reported to police, and that figure drops for other forms of sexual violence.

“This is where we need to be careful that we don’t just let the squeaky wheel get the grease,” said Lisa Maatz, vice president of government relations at the American Association of University Women.

The fact that sexual assault against males is more common than false accusations of males committing sexual assault is “ironic,” Maatz said, but she noted this is why Title IX, the federal law that requires colleges to deal with sexual violence and harassment, is gender-neutral.

“Title IX is supposed to improve the climate and ensure anyone who goes to college has the same opportunity at an education,” Maatz said. “That to me is what colleges are all about. I wish colleges could understand this is a tool that they should be embracing.”

www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/08/false-rape-accusations_n_6290380.html?utm_hp_ref=gay-voices&ir=Gay+Voices

Kansas Marriage Lawsuit Just Got Even Messier

A judge in Kansas already told the state that they need to start letting gay and lesbian couples get married. So why are only a few county officials complying?

The marriage case in Kansas has been one of the messiest in the country, and it just got even worse. For starters, that initial ruling wasn’t a decision on the merits of the case — it was just a preliminary ruling before the judge actually decides whose side he’ll take. But apparently he was already leaning so heavily in favor of the gay and lesbian couples that he basically said they should go ahead and get married now.

Kansas, of course, is being a bunch of dicks about the whole thing, even they have no chance of winning. They’re appealing that preliminary ruling to the 10the Circuit, but things haven’t gone their way. Last week, the 10th Circuit shot down the state’s request for a mega-panel, which was Kansas’ last best chance of getting the ruling they wanted.

Now the 10th Circuit will get to decide whether gay couples should get married while the lawsuit makes its long way through the court. Our prediction is that the 10th Circuit will give gay couples the thumbs-up, since that court already overturned marriage bans in neighboring states. From there, the state would be able to petition the Supreme Court for a hearing, which they have absolutely zero chance of winning.

All this, and we haven’t even seen an actual ruling on the merits of the case yet. Great job wasting taxpayers’ money and time, Kansas.

matt baume

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/I4RiTQOhnhg/kansas-marriage-lawsuit-just-got-even-messier-20141208

Trans New Yorkers Can Now Update Birth Certificates More Easily

The New York City Council approved legislation that removes an old requirement that transgender people undergo gender-confirming surgery before they can amend their birth certificates.

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Sunnivie Brydum

www.advocate.com/politics/transgender/2014/12/08/trans-new-yorkers-can-now-update-birth-certificates-more-easily

LGBT Protections Included in New Federal Profiling Guidance

Today, the federal government introduced a revised profiling policy that now prohibits sexual orientation and gender identity as a form of profiling.
HRC.org

www.hrc.org/blog/entry/lgbt-protections-included-in-new-federal-profiling-guidance?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

YouTuber Connor Franta Comes Out To His 3.8 Million Subscribers

“[This] is truly the year that I have accepted who I am and become happy with that person,” YouTube star Connor Franta says in his aptly titled “Coming Out” video. “So today I want to talk to you guys about that and be open and honest, and tell you that I’m gay.”

Even if you (like us) have never heard of Connor, his story is one we can most certainly relate to. And you can’t argue with those 3.8 million subscribers.

Dan Tracer

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/ABzKLA-SBS0/youtuber-connor-franta-comes-out-to-his-3-8-million-subscribers-20141208

What To Watch This Week on TV: Eichner On 'New Girl,' Charli XCX On 'SNL'

Bobby Hankinson

www.towleroad.com/2014/12/what-to-watch-this-week-on-tv-eichner-on-new-girl-charli-xcx-on-snl.html

Out Country Singer Ty Herndon Makes First Public Appearance With Boyfriend

‘This is monumental for both of us,’ Herndon said at the Trevor Live L.A. benefit on Sunday.

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Jase Peeples

www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/music/2014/12/08/out-country-singer-ty-herndon-makes-first-public-appearance-boyf