We are reading a lot these days about sexual assault. Women, in particular, are revealing the scope of a problem many of us were unaware of. So it wasn't a complete shock to come across an article detailing the problem of sexual assault upon those who are drugged. Apparently there is more of a downside to drug use than previously known, as gay men under the influence of drugs are sexually assaulted more than had been previously known. It's likely that those who do get assaulted while on drugs are less likely to report it, so what is known may be only the tip of the iceberg.

Attached is an article from FS Magazine about assaults in Great Britain. Whether it is at sex parties or smaller situations, no doesn't always mean no, and sometimes no is not even said. To understand that, read on:

https://www.gmfa.org.uk/fs162-consent-the-unspoken-problem-on-the-chemsex-scene

 

In that article, the author says " We often go to spaces which are explicitly sex-focused to take drugs, have sex with multiple partners, and often meet an assortment of men as they come and go. 5% of our survey respondents said that consent does not apply in such an environment: once you’re in the door, you’re fair game. " I am not sure who he means by "we."  It isn't me! Often or not!

There's been quite a lot of coverage of this issue in the UK press. The links between taking crystal meth (and other illegal drugs) and using Grindr (and other websites) to invite strangers home for group sex and resulting non-consensual activity have been well publicised. If you're interested, there's a recently published account by one of the first openly gay soldiers in the UK Army of how he got into the whole chemsex scene and was raped (on two different occasions).

The UK police authorities have been fairly supportive to male victims, but there's very little the Police can do. Victims rarely speak out and they are generally unable to identify (in some cases, even describe) their assailants.

Do you have a point?

Chemsex participants do it out of their own volition.

There are certainly questions of their mental health, and what, if any, public health response may be warranted. Given finite means.

To conflate this serious issue with that of power-driven sexual assault on unwilling, unequal victims is astoundingly wrongheaded.

Here's the thing. You can go to a chemsex party (lord knows I have) and want to have sex with five of the guys there, but not one of the guys there.

You totally have the right to tell that one guy "no."

Odds are that guy will then find some guy to say "yes."

If he can't then he shouldn't be at chemsex parties.