Male nurses and SANE

Just a quick update for those interested.

Since I started considering working with male rape victims, I have started working on some issues myself. I was gang raped 15 years ago while in the military. This was ongoing for about 11 months. This said, I have joined a group to help male sexual assault victims.

I know this is a sensitive issue for many, but I simply cannot ignore this part of my past. If I cannot turn my suffering into healing for somone else, then THEY won. I can only follow my heart.

As I have been doing this, I have been doing more research and discovering whatever I can find. One thing I do know is this. In the last year in my service area, 78 people were turned away from rape crisis center due to not having a single volunteer on staff. The 3 area local hospitals have no nursing staff trained in doing rape kits, followup, etc at all. The local police handle all of this. The rape kits are being done by nurses who are given direction by police officers. While I agree that male nurses taking care of female victims would be traumatizing, I was heartbroken to learn this information. I truly feel that a nurse, male or female, trained in forensics and SANE could provide a better healing environment than having the police have to discuss and direct nurses in front of the victim.

I still am not sure, as I am facing opposition on many fronts, nurses, educators, advocates. I just wish that society would redirect this energy into education others about the needs of male victims too.

May I ask what military branch you served? I find [not calling you a liar, btw] this hard to believe to have gone on for 18 months in the military! Sounds more like prison, to me.