History 1988 – 1994
In October of 1988 the first professional Conference on Male Sexual Victimization was held in Minneapolis. This ground-breaking conference, organized by a few dedicated mental health providers, brought together professionals who wanted to better understand and treat adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. At that time, only limited information could be offered to those who participated. But those present had great enthusiasm and the clear recognition that the conference was a necessary and valuable resource, where professionals could share practical information and ask questions. And it was a safe place for some to acknowledge their own sexual victimization.
From these early efforts came the formation of what would become MaleSurvivor, the nation’s leading advocacy and support organization for male survivors of sexual abuse. Since it’s official founding in 1995, has been a leader in the fight to improve the resources and support available to male survivors of all forms of sexual abuse in the US and around the globe. We are a community built upon a unique foundation of respect and mutual partnership between survivors, their loved ones, and the professionals who work with them. MaleSurvivor is a federally recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Since 1994 MaleSurvivor has been a national leader in the effort to address the toxic harm of male sexual victimization. According to the Centers for Disease Control, over 27 million males in the US will experience some form of sexual victimization in their lifetime, more than will be diagnosed with diabetes and heart disease combined. Survivors face increased risk for depression, anxiety, substance abuse, interpersonal dysfunction, and suicide. MaleSurvivor’s unique partnership between survivors and professionals helps boys and men who have been abused move beyond surviving to thriving, contribute effectively and compassionately to society, and reach their full potential.
MaleSurvivor: Expanded History
In October of 1988 the first professional Conference on Male Sexual Victimization was held in Minneapolis. This ground -breaking conference, organized by a few dedicated mental health providers, brought together professionals who wanted to better understand and treat adult male survivors of childhood sexual abuse. At that time, only limited information could be offered to those who participated. But those present had great enthusiasm and the clear recognition that the conference was a necessary and valuable resource, where professionals could share practical information and ask questions. And it was a safe place for some to acknowledge their own sexual victimization. The energy generated by the first conference helped fuel the production of the second conference a year later in Atlanta. This conference was a great success in many ways. It brought together over 400 professionals – many pioneer writers, researchers and practitioners in the area of male sexual victimization. A conversation was initiated too, about who we were as a dedicated group, and what we wanted to accomplish. We knew that we wanted to build on the conference theme and continue holding meetings after each conference in order to evaluate our efforts and envision our future. In November of 1994 a core group of individuals, who had either attended or organized many of the previous conferences, decided to incorporate as a nonprofit organization. These same individuals spearheaded the initial organizing efforts, formed an interim board designated to write bylaws, and became the first Board of Directors of The National Organization on Male Sexual Victimization. At the 1995 conference in Columbus, Ohio, the bylaws were voted on, as was a slate of candidates for the remaining board vacancies. Those who voted gave overwhelming approval for the organization to incorporate and this occurred in November of 1995, in the state of Minnesota. Since then NOMSV (now MaleSurvivor) has been moving forward on several fronts, from organizing National Conferences to creating this World Wide Web site. Since becoming MaleSurvivor, the organization has continued to improve the resources and support available to male survivors of sexual abuse an d their allies in healing. MaleSurvivor operates a website with free resource directories and is home to the world’s most lively and supportive community for male sexual abuse survivors through our online discussion board and chat room. Since 2002 over 1000 survivors and their partners have attended at least one Weekend of Recovery (and many have attended more than one). And our conference has grown to become international in scope.
MaleSurvivor Today
MaleSurvivor.org sees hundreds of thousands of visitors from over 200 countries on an annual basis. We have expanded our social media presence on Facebook and Twitter to expand our outreach to more and more people and is rapidly growing into one of the most prominent advocacy and support organizations for survivors of sexual violence in the world today.
MaleSurvivor is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. EIN: 41-1831829. All contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Visit guidestar.org to confirm MaleSurvivor’s nonprofit status
