Barriers to Recognizing ‘Forced to Penetrate’ Cases as Rape in the United Kingdom

‘The issue of men’s sexual victimization in the context of female perpetrator and male victim, specifically in the cases where male victims are ‘forced to penetrate’ by a penis, either vaginally, anally, or orally a female perpetrator does not fall within the existing legal definition of rape in the United Kingdom. This paper explores the issue of ‘forced to penetrate’ cases and makes an argument for legally recognizing and labelling ‘forced to penetrate’ cases as rape. The paper draws upon the lived experiences of male victims and highlights that there are significant similarities between the experiences of victims who are ‘forced to penetrate’ and those who are non-consensually penetrated. The paper suggests that the recognition of ‘forced to penetrate’ cases will improve the understanding about men’s sexual victimization, as well as challenge stereotypes of gender and sex.