S Time To End The Stigma Around Male Sexual Assault Victims By Avery Eldon

Addie Gralund Composition II Professor Kloser 16 April 2024 Rhetorical Analysis A common misconception and argument arising in society is whether males or females experience sexual assault more than others. An article titled It’s Time To End The Stigma Around Male Sexual Assault Victims by Avery Eldon was released on February 2, 2022. This article discusses the myth that males are not exposed to or victims of sexual assault, along with the reasoning behind this misconception. Eldon illustrates a claim “Although it is less common, those who identify as male are victims of sexual assault and rape, encounter challenges that female victims face, along with an added stigma in comparison to those who identify as female” (Eldon, 1). Eldon fully illustrates

Eldon states, “Male survivors are also more likely to face challenges with substance abuse following an assault” yet no correlation is provided to females and whether they struggle with the same coping mechanism (Eldon, 1). Opinions are important to shy away from when arguing a topic with an audience and although Eldon does a great job keeping things fact-based, he forgets to show equality between male and female cases to further prove that men experience sexual assault just as much as females do. Eldon’s article had a leg up on Matthew Martinez's article titled Underreporting among males likely due to gender-based stigma. Martinez does a great job emphasizing Toulmin and some Arestolein methods, but falls short of emphasizing them to prove his claim. His claim is not evident to his audience. It may be depicted as biased when stating, “The largely forgotten conversation about male survivors of sexual assault contributes to a lack of reporting instances and a lack of understanding” (Martinez, 1). When providing opinions in an oral argument, it can become easier for the audience to sway away from the way the author wants the audience to agree