that approximately 61% of retaliation reports involved a man or multiple men as alleged retaliators, while nearly 27% of reports included multiple men and women as retaliators. the majority (73%) of retaliators were not the alleged perpetrator of the associated sexual assault or sexual harassment. more than half (58%) of the alleged retaliators were in the chain of command of the reporter, followed by peers, co-workers, friends, or family members of the reporter, or a superior not in the reporters chain of command. infrequently (7%), the alleged sexual perpetrator was also the alleged retaliator. of the members of the military, 85% are active duty and male. although more men than women in the military experience sexual assault, a larger proportion of female victims report their assault to military authorities. in 2004, of service members who said they reported their experiences, 33% of women and 28% of men were satisfied with the complaint outcome, meaning approximately two thirds of women and men were dissatisfied. service members who felt satisfied with the outcome of their report indicated that the situation was corrected, the outcome of the report was explained to them, and some action was taken against the offender. service members who were dissatisfied with the outcome reported that nothing was done about their complaint. since changes in reporting standards were implemented in 2012, military sexual assault reporting has increased significantly. since this change, most service members report instances of mst to their direct supervisor, another person in their chain of command, or the offender's supervisor, rather than to a military special office or civilian authority. individuals who make a report and deny mental health evaluations could be given a dishonorable discharge for making false allegations. therefore, victims are sent the message to "keep quiet and deal with it" rather than reporting the assault and possibly losing their career and military benefits. in fact, 23% of women and 15% of men reported that action was taken against them because of their complaint. additionally, according to an investigation by the human rights watch in 2016, many survivors reported they received more disciplinary notices, were seen as "troublemakers", assigned undesirable shift assignments, were intimidated by drill sergeants, were threatened by peers with comments such as "you got what you deserved", and were socially isolated and further assaulted due to fear of more retaliation after an initial report. psychological/physiological difficulties general service members who experiences mst may experience increased emotional and physical distress as well as feelings of shame, hopelessness, and betrayal. some of the psychological experiences of both male and female survivors include: depression, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd), mood disorders, dissociative reactions, isolation from others, and self-harm. medical symptoms survivors have experienced include sexual difficulties, chronic pain, weight gain, gastrointestinal problems and eating disorders. in 2017, a study found that mst increases the chances a female survivor will become a victim of intimate partner violence (ipv). sexual minorities according to research, reports of mst have been shown to be higher among veteran populations compared to current active duty personnel and dod estimates. specifically within the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (lgb) veteran community, who are significantly more likely to have experienced military sexual assault (msa) (32.7% of combined female and male veterans) than non-lgb veterans (16.4%). individuals identifying as a sexual minority are at a greater risk for msa, than their heterosexual counterparts (32% vs. 16.4%). suffering from msa causes psychological effects on veterans, often identified as ptsd, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. the disparity between heterosexual and non-heterosexual individuals’ exposure to msa creates a divide in likelihood of psychological effects. lgb veterans reported more likely to have ptsd after leaving the military (41.2% vs. non-lgb 29.8%). veterans identifying with a sexual minority have reported to suffer from depression at a higher percentage than their heterosexual counterparts (49.7% vs. 36.0%). after enduring msa, many victims experience feelings of shame and disgrace, causing individuals of sexual minorities who suffered msa to project hatred inwards because of the norms placed upon them by the heterosexual society. the military has released lgb people from the branches of service based on their sexual orientation. the military has prohibited, openly lgb individuals from enlisting in the military through the use of,“don’t ask, don’t tell”. according to “american psychologist”, the creation of a negative sexual stigma regarding homosexuality in the military has caused aggression against sexual minorities. the increased risk of sexual assault that lgb service members are exposed to causes victims to be more likely exposed to the physical post-msa side effects, which includes weight gain, weight loss, and hiv. interpersonal difficulties mst is a significant predictor of interpersonal difficulties post-deployment. holland and colleagues (2015) found that survivors who perceived greater logistical barriers to obtaining mental health care reported more symptoms of depression and ptsd. particularly for women veterans, ptsd and suicide are major concerns. males experiencing mst are associated with greater ptsd symptom severity, greater depression symptom severity, higher suicidality, and higher outpatient mental health treatment. in general, male veterans who report experiencing mst are younger, less likely to be currently married, more likely to be diagnosed with a mood disorder, and more likely to have experienced non-mst sexual abuse either as children or adults than military members who have not been victimized. however, the strongest predictor of any of these negative mental health outcomes, for either gender, includes anticipating public stigma (i.e., worrying about being blamed for the assault). treatment services in 2004 the department of defense (dod) launched a task force that identified that service members who had faced sexual assault and harassment while deployed were in need of specialized medical treatments. as a result of these findings, the dod created the sexual assault prevention response (us military) and ignited efforts to prevent, educate, provide adequate medical care for survivors and accountability for perpetrators. the veterans health administration (vha) provides medical and mental health services free of charge to enrolled veterans who report mst and has implemented universal screening for mst among all veterans receiving va health care. the military sexual trauma movement (mstm) advocates for legislative and social reforms that would offer greater protections and resources to veterans who have experience mst, such as extending state veterans benefits to veterans who received "bad paper" discharges as a consequence of reporting mst. the mstm also allows servicemembers to report sexual harassment and abuse online. disability benefits