There is an important distinction between focus and exclusion. To say that Black lives matter is not to say that other lives do not. But as is highlighted every 28 hours in the United States, as a black person is murdered by police, Black lives, in the eyes of the State, and white supremacist culture,… Keep reading...
The White Ribbon Campaign encourages and supports men to take action and initiative to prevent violence against women, domestic violence, and sexual abuse. Recognizing that men are the vast majority of perpetrators of violence against women–and other men, for that matter–it is essential that men be at the forefront of prevention efforts. The It Begins… Keep reading...
We often talk about the need for discussions around consent in the context of Universities and Colleges, and sometimes high school, the settings in which many high profile sexual assault cases have taken place. But what if those conversations happened much earlier, in middle schools, and even earlier in the home? Perhaps those acts of… Keep reading...
One of the difficulties faced in the discourse around consent, is that we often only use the word, or begin the discussion, when in regards to sexual encounters. Consent is fundamental to all relationships, and to respecting one another’s agency and bodily autonomy. With children, we often send mixed messages. Tickling is a prime example.… Keep reading...
The phrase “boys will be boys” used to excuse a myriad of behaviors, from the semi-benign: aggressiveness on the playground, competitiveness on the ball field; to the truly atrocious: street harassment (formerly known as cat-calling), to sexual violence and rape. What is interesting about this statement is that it associates the behavior of grown men,… Keep reading...
Parents have incredible influence on their children both through what is expressly taught, and what is implicitly conveyed through daily interactions and observations. Modeling and explaining what consent and healthy relationships look like, while helping children to understand the consequences of their actions, is a fundamental responsibility for parents. This article by parenting researchers helps… Keep reading...
Fostering empathy from the earliest age is fundamental to undoing generations of toxic male socialization and replacing our current rape culture with a culture rooted in consent in which everyone’s agency and autonomy is respected. This article provides tangible examples, steps, and tips for teaching consent and fostering empathy to children in of various and… Keep reading...
The assumption that all men and boys are sexual beings–that they crave sex, require it even, and are always at the ready to have it–not only removes an individual’s agency and right to affirm or deny consent. It also invalidates the specific emotional experience one has connected to sexual experience. Believing that the conquest associated… Keep reading...