LOGAN Gifford vividly remembers the first time his depraved mother raped him at the age of 10.
He says it marked the start of a horrifying and relentless campaign of abuse that lasted nearly seven years – only stopping when his mum, Doreene, suddenly fell pregnant.
Logan GiffordLogan Gifford, left, is fighting to find out if he is the father to his younger brother, right, after he was raped by his mum[/caption]
Logan GiffordLogan was sexually assaulted for nearly seven years by his own mother[/caption]
A young Logan with his brother in his arms shortly after his birthLogan Gifford
At the time, Logan says it was widely accepted that the child was a result of Doreene’s affair with one of her co-workers.
It wasn’t until Logan was in high school that he started to unravel the disturbing potential reality of his family tree.
Now, the 27-year-old, from Las Vegas, fears he could be his brother’s dad – and he’s fighting to uncover the truth.
In 2008, when he was just 10, Logan says he remembers a pornographic film playing on the TV after he was “locked” in his mother’s bedroom.
He says: “My mother sexually assaulted me that evening for the very first time.”
The next six-and-a-half years of Logan’s life were a constant cycle of abuse at the hands of Doreene.
He adds: “It started off irregular at first, but then it would eventually escalate to be more common.
“She did things so vile that I wish they were made up.”
The abuse only stopped when 17-year-old Logan was told Doreene, allegedly a drug user at the time, was pregnant.
During a “complex” birth, the baby boy was deprived of oxygen and “came out purple” – leading to long-term complications, according to Logan.
Babies who are starved of oxygen can develop Hypoxic-Ischaemic Encephalopathy, which causes brain injuries and can lead to disabilities such as cerebral palsy, seizures and developmental issues.
But Logan has long battled with the idea that he may have been the reason for his brother’s disabilities – due to his incestuous conception.
It hurts me to even wonder if I caused those genetic disruptions. I understand it wasn’t my fault but there’s a certain guilt
Logan Gifford
He says: “I’d like to know what really caused that issue for him because he deserves to thrive.
“It hurts me to even wonder if I caused those genetic disruptions.
“And the fact that he may have to work three times as hard for the rest of his life just to keep up with everyday people because of me – I’m not proud of that.
“I understand it wasn’t my fault, but there’s a certain guilt and accountability when it comes to it.”
Logan’s brother went through years of speech and physical therapy and continues to struggle with a range of cognitive difficulties, requiring support at home and school.
It was only when he was a senior in high school that Logan began to realise there might be something wrong in the set-up of his family.
A few years after the abuse ended, Logan decided to report his mum to the police.
SuppliedDoreene Gifford was charged with sexual assault and incest[/caption]
Logan GiffordLogan’s dad Ted had looked after the boy while Doreene was in jail[/caption]
He said the decision to tear the family apart came when he realised he would be able to look after and support his brothers now he had reached 18.
Doreene was convicted in 2015 of sexual assault, incest and lewdness with a child under 14, according to court documents.
Doreene was sentenced to eight to 20 years in prison after taking a plea deal.
Despite being convicted, she has maintained her innocence and has since been released as a registered sex offender after less than a decade behind bars.
‘Is there a possibility your brother could be your son?’
At the time, Logan believed he had dealt with the biggest problem in his life by putting his mother behind bars.
But the Gifford family started to get therapy shortly after Doreene was jailed.
And it was Logan’s therapist who first suggested that he may be his brother’s father.
Logan says: “He confided in me after I sent my mother to prison, if there was any possibility that my brother could be my son.
“Now, this is someone who had worked with [my brother] from an early age and watched him grow, so I was stunned.”
She did things so vile that I wish they were made up
Logan Gifford
Children born as a result of incest face a much higher risk of genetic disorders and disabilities due to the increased likelihood of inheriting recessive genetic mutations.
Logan continued: “It was a weird feeling as I thought I actually didn’t know.
“So I sat and I thought about it, and I privately went to my father a couple of years later, and I asked him if we could do a DNA test.
“He told me to go f*** myself, and that we’re never doing it.”
Logan GiffordA family photo of Ted (far left), the son (centre) and Logan and his partner[/caption]
Logan GiffordA young Logan at the time of the assaults at the hands of his sex offender mother[/caption]
But Logan is now locked in a custody battle over his teenage brother, who had previously been living with their biological father.
Earlier this year, a court order forced his dad, Ted, to take a paternity test.
But the DNA results came back inconclusive, with both Ted and Logan sharing a 99 per cent match to the young boy.
A judge has now offered Logan the option of more advanced testing to finally end years of uncertainty.
Logan believes state officials should have made it a priority sooner to prove who the father is due to the suffering caused to so many people.
Damning female on male rape statistics
ACROSS the globe, statistics regarding female-to-male rape remain limited as most of the research focuses on male violence against women.
However, each year, thousands of men come forward with allegations of abuse they have suffered at the hands of female perpetrators.
The latest facts from the US show that around one in 33 men have experienced attempted or rape in their lifetime.
This equals around 28 million men.
And at least one in six men has been sexually abused or assaulted, either in childhood or adulthood.
Men also make up roughly nine per cent of all rape and sexual assault victims.
Logan believes being a man has made his journey tougher and says more must be done to support male victims.
He says: “I nearly fell to the floor when I was told nearly 28 million men are sexually assaulted each year in the United States.
“What I find amazing is that if 28 million people were dying of famine or starvation, the United Nations would be there with a binding resolution to clean it up.
“And yet we’re wondering why men are committing more suicide than women.
“There’s an extreme lack of resources in this department.”
And the 27-year-old is now raising funds to cover legal expenses to get answers.
He says: “It’s unfair to my brother. I think it’s a human right for everyone to know where they truly came from.
“And for my parents to have stood in the way of this for so long goes to show why the system’s broken.
“Regardless of the genetic situation, that’s a disabled child that was clearly ignored.
“And I know in my heart he already looks at me as a father figure, so genetic tests are not going to change how I feel about him.
“But even if you remove me from the situation, he deserves to know that there were two men who were potentially his father.”
How to report a sexual assault
Contact a doctor or practice nurse at your GP surgery.
Contact a voluntary organisation, such as Rape Crisis, Women’s Aid, Victim Support, The Survivors Trust or Male Survivors Partnership.
Call the 24-hour freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, on 0808 2000 247.
Speak to the rape and sexual abuse support line run by Rape Crisis England and Wales – you can call the helpline on 0808 500 2222 or use the online chat (both are free and are open 24 hours a day, every day of the year).
In July, Logan was granted temporary sole physical and legal custody of his younger brother.
Despite a harrowing childhood and still many unanswered questions, Logan is now looking forward to starting his own family and is expecting a baby girl in October with his wife.
He is currently the Executive Director of Repair The Vote PAC and has been involved in US politics since 2020.
Logan’s top achievement is spearheading a voter ID ballot initiative in 2024, which secured over 180,000 signatures and 70 per cent of voter approval.
Despite facing several cognitive issues as a baby, Logan’s younger brother is continuing to improveLogan Gifford
Logan was first abused at the age of 10Logan Gifford
Logan GiffordLogan was told to look into the possibility he could be the dad by his therapist[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
