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Sexual assault of boys by females... is grossly underreported. In his book Abused Boys: The Neglected Victims of Sexual Abuse, psychologist and therapist Mic Hunter stated that "women account for 20% of the [sexual] abuse of boys." Boys are harmed by having sexual contact with an adult of either gender. It causes psychological trauma and pain, as does any other form of assault. Loss of self-esteem, shame, guilt and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are but a few of the consequences, according to Hunter, who deals with many male victims of childhood sexual abuse.

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Differentiating Abusive From Nonabusive Sexual Acts
Three factors are useful in clinically differentiating abusive from nonabusive acts – power differential; knowledge differential; and gratification differential....

• Power differential...persons in authority positions, such as a teacher, minister, or Boy Scout leader, are in roles that connote power. Thus, sexual activities between these individuals and their charges are abusive. Power can also derive from the larger size or more advanced capability of the offender...[or] out of the offender's superior capability to psychologically manipulate the victim..

  • Knowledge differential ...when one party (the offender) has a more sophisticated understanding of the significance and implications of the sexual encounter. ...the offender [is] at least 5 years older than the victim for the act to be deemed predatory. ...Generally, the younger the child, the less able she/he is to appreciate the meaning and potential consequences of a sexual relationship, especially one with an adult. ...some researchers have used an age cutoff of 13 for boy victims... However, clinicians report situations in which boys victimized after age 13 experience significant trauma from these sexual contacts.

• Gratification differential....the primary purpose of the sexual activity is to obtain gratification for the perpetrator....

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The myth that men can’t be victimized... by women is firmly entrenched... Many men who dare acknowledge that they were sexually abused by women are cruelly laughed at and humiliated.... Many men who were sexually abused by women feel deeply ashamed of themselves, their sexuality, and their gender.... they believe that there must be something profoundly wrong with them that they were abused in this way. Some men defend against feeling this way by being in a constant state of anger or rage - one of the few emotions that are socially acceptable for men. Many male survivors cope... by drinking, using drugs, living recklessly, avoiding intimate relationships, numbing their feelings, dissociating, and becoming depressed, anxious or angry....