Boys are taught to hold back their tears, to keep their vulnerability quiet, to take it on the chin. So when they become victims of sexual violence, silence imposes itself as a second sentence. Shame, shock, fear of not being believed: many grow up believing a man cannot be a victim, or that he should be able to defend himself.
In L’autre visage de #MeToo, Julien Chavanes opens up a rare space: that of male voices speaking out about sexual violence. Raw accounts, long kept silent, that speak of coercive control, fractured memory, years spent grappling with the unspeakable. Alongside them, researchers, psychoanalysts, and sociologists shed light on what these life stories reveal about our society: the weight of stereotypes, the prison of masculine norms, the blind spot in public policy. Because recognizing these victims takes nothing away from other struggles. On the contrary. It forces us to rethink domination, consent, and justice differently. And to understand that feminism can also open up a space for healing for men.
This book is not a counter-argument. It is a breach. A necessary jolt to widen the field of struggle and, at last, break a stubborn silence.
