Men in Heels - Abuse is More than a Drag
Men in high heels took to the streets of Menomonie, WI, recently to raise awareness about relationship abuse. Several groups around the country have similar events each year where men in heels stand up against men as heals.
This particular event was called “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” and was sponsored by UW-Stout’s Men in Violence Prevention (MVP) program as an attempt to reach out to new members and promote the end of violence.
Read more on the event here: http://www.twincities.com/wisconsin/ci_10741085
Stories like this are a great reminder that men can and do stand up, sometimes in pumps, to take on relationship abuse.
UW’s MVP group has also posted a list of top ten ways for men to combat relationship abuse, which all campuses should take a look at: http://www.uwstout.edu/cvpp/prevent_gender_violence.html
1. Approach gender violence as a MEN’S issue involving men of all ages, socioeconomic, racial and ethnic backgrounds. View men not only as perpetrators or possible offenders, but also as empowered bystanders who can confront abusive peers.
2. If a brother, friend, classmate or teammate is abusing his female partner is disrespectful or abusive to girls and women in general—don’t look the other way. If you feel comfortable doing so, try to talk to him about it. Urge him to seek help. Or if you don’t know what to do, consult a friend, a parent, a professor, or a counselor. DON’T REMAIN SILENT.
3. Have the courage to look inward. Question your own attitudes. Don’t be defensive when something you do or say ends up hurting someone else. Try hard to understand how your own attitudes and actions might inadvertently perpetuate sexism and violence and work toward changing them.
4. If you suspect that a woman close to you is being abused or has been sexually assaulted, gently ask if you can help.
5. If you are emotionally, psychologically, physically or sexually abusive to women, or have been in the past, seek professional help NOW.
6. Be an ally to women who are working to end all forms of gender violence. Raise money for community based rape crisis centers and battered women’s shelter. If you belong to a team or fraternity, or another student group, organize a fundraiser.
7. Recognize and speak out against homophobia and gay bashing. Discrimination and violenceagainst lesbians and gays are wrong in and ofthemselves. This abuse also has direct links to sexism (e.g. the sexual orientation of men who speak out against sexism is often questioned, a conscious or unconscious strategy intended to silence them. This is a key reason few men do so).
8. Attend programs, take courses, watch films and read articles and book about multicultural masculinities, gender inequality, and the root causes of gender violence. Educate yourself and others about how larger social forces affect the conflicts between individual men and women.
9. Don’t fund sexism. Refuse to purchase/subscribe to any magazine, rent videos, support web sites, or buy music that portrays girls or women in a sexually degrading or abusive manner. Protest sexism in the media.
10. Mentor and teach young boys about how to be men in ways that don’t involve degrading or abusing girls and women.
Every time I would confront him about his lies and unfaithfulness, he would force himself on me sexually. He always refused to wear a condom and would act offended when I suggested he use one."
