He Didn’t Want Any of That: Considerations in the Study and Theorization of Black Boys’ Sexual Victimization in the United States

Abstract

Datasets in the United States establish that Black male victims of sexual violence, including rape, are erased from theoretical considerations and policymaking. Despite their presence in current government and organizational datasets, Black men and boys are not recognized as vulnerable in the current literature concerning child sexual abuse (CSA) or made to penetrate violence. This chapter aims to understand the public health implications of sexual violence committed against racialized males, specifically the role trauma plays in their lives. Such a perspective requires a marriage between epidemiology and theory, such that scholars interested in Black men and boys can better articulate more general theories of Black maleness that recognize the sexual vulnerability of this group.