by Jackson Katz
254 Men’s Resource Center for Change: The stated mission of the Men’s Resource Center for Change (formerly the Men’s Resource Center of Western Massachusetts) is to “Support men, challenge men’s violence, and develop men’s leadership in ending oppression in ourselves, our families, and our communities. Our programs support men to overcome the damaging effects of rigid and stereotyped masculinity, and simultaneously confront men’s patterns of personal and societal violence and abuse toward women, children, and other men.” According to the organization’s website, the roots of the Men’s Resource Center for Change go back over twenty years. In 1981 the National Conference on Men and Masculinity’s seventh gathering was held at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. Several men who attended were moved by the ideas they heard about redefining male roles in healthier, non-violent directions. They returned home inspired to create an anti-sexist men’s network, and in 1982 these men founded what was originally called the Men’s Resource Connection (MRC). A grassroots organization, the MRC was committed to developing a strong local network among men, and between men and women. Soon after they began publishing a men’s newsletter which has evolved into Voice Male, a magazine with a print run of ten thousand that is distributed throughout parts of New England and New York and mailed to subscribers across North America and overseas. Over the years, the MRC has offered classes, workshops, consultations, and trainings at schools, colleges, and universities, and for agencies and organizations across the Northeast and beyond. Among its other public activities have been a statewide fathers’ conference, newspaper signature ad campaigns, the “Challenge and Change” annual awards banquet, and a four-day Men’s Walk to End Abuse, which was initiated in October 2003.
In 1988, the MRC incorporated as a non-profit organization and began offering an array of programs, projects, and services, including batterer intervention, male survivor support groups, and youth education. The Men’s Resource Connection officially changed its name to the Men’s Resource Center of Western Massachusetts in 1993. In October 2003 the MRC officially went international, with a twelveday training visit to Japan in which staff talked about the MRC’s approach to stopping domestic violence. For many years the MRC has hosted numerous visitors from many countries, including Sweden, Norway, South Africa, and the former Soviet Republic of Kyrgyzstan. In May 2005, in recognition of the fact that their work extends well beyond western Massachusetts, the MRC changed its name to the Men’s Resource Center for Change. For more information, go to: www.mensresourcecenter.org.
254 The White Ribbon Campaign: The Canada-based WRC bills itself as “the largest effort in the world of men working to end men’s violence against women.” It relies on volunteer support and financial contributions from individuals and organizations. Each year, the WRC urges men and boys to wear a ribbon for one or two weeks, starting on November 25, the International Day for the Eradication of Violence against Women. (In Canada men wear ribbons until December 6, Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women.) The WRC is an educational organization that encourages “reflection and discussion that leads to personal and collective action among men.” Throughout the year, the WRC encourages men to do educational work in schools, workplaces, and communities; to support local women’s groups; and to raise money for the international educational efforts of the WRC. They also distribute Education and Action kits to schools, speak out on public policy, and maintain a website: www.whiteribbon.ca. Information about the European version of WRC can be found at www.eurowrc.org.
255 A “Big Tent” approach: Portions of the section on a “big tent” approach first appeared in an article I wrote for an online discussion series hosted by the Family Violence Prevention Fund. For a full text of my article, go to endabuse.org/bpi/discussion1/Discussion1-long.pdf
255 A recent poll conducted for Lifetime Television: In the same poll, 75 percent of women in the same age group believe gender violence is a “serious problem.” For more information about this poll, go to www.mcgrc.com/releases/lifetime.
257 “Millions of men participate in faith-based communities”: These comments by Rev. Fortune are taken from a piece she wrote in 2003 for an online discussion series hosted by the Family Violence Prevention Fund. Go to http://endabuse.org/bpi/discussion1/V.rtf for the full text.
264 Few HIV-prevention programs actually address the underlying gender: For the full text of Miriam Zoll’s report, from which these quotes are drawn, go to www.zollgroup.com.
265 Don McPherson: For more information about Don McPherson or the Sports Leadership Institute which he runs, go to: www.adelphi.edu/communityservices/sli/mcpherson.php.
265 I would nonetheless like to spotlight a handful of exemplary anti-sexist men: Ben Atherton-Zeman is another man who uses elements of dramatic performance and comedy to educate college students and others about domestic and sexual violence. In his one-man show, Voices of Men, he plays iconic hypermasculine cinematic characters such as Rocky Balboa and James Bond, as well as Austin Powers, in the unlikely role of messengers who deliver anti-violence, profeminist messages to sometimes difficult-to-reach audiences of men and women. See www.voicesofmen.org.
Scott Berkowitz is an important leader in the movement against sexual violence. He is the founder and president of the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), which bills itself as the nation's largest anti-sexual assault organization, and has been ranked as one of America’s 100 Best Charities by Worth magazine. Among its programs, RAINN created and operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE. According to the RAINN web site www.rainn.org, this nationwide partnership of more than 1,100 local rape treatment hotlines provides victims of sexual assault with free, confidential services around the clock. The hotline helped 133,000 sexual assault victims in 2004 and has helped more than 900,000 since it began in 1994.
267 The anti-rape men’s group One in Four: One in Four was founded by Dr. John Foubert, author of “The Men’s Program.” For more information, go to: www.nomorerape.org.
267 Some men are politicized: For more information about Dads and Daughters, go to www.dadsanddaughters.org.
267 A growing number of organizations have made significant contributions in recent years: One highly innovative and effective initiative is Boys To Men based in Portland, Maine. The year-round mission of Boys To Men is to help reduce interpersonal violence by offering programs that support the healthy development of adolescent boys, provide assistance and educational resources to boys and those who raise them, and increase community awareness about the specific needs of boys. Since 2000, Boys To Men has held an annual conference that brings middle and high school-aged boys from across the state together with fathers and other adult mentors. The conference features workshops on diverse topics such as guitar-making, cooking, and hip hop musicmaking, but a key theme of the conference is encouraging nonviolent and pro-social ways of being a man. According to its web site, BTM focuses on boys because (many) boys do not hear anti-violence messages and alternatives ways of being male from the men in their lives—even though studies show that adolescent boys respond to messages they hear from adult males they most respect. See www.boystomen.info.
270 One of the major challenges for American anti-sexist men: New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof deserves special commendation for repeatedly calling attention in his columns to men’s rape and sexual exploitation of poor girls and women in Southeast Asia, South Asia, and elsewhere.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Baker, Katharine K. “Once a Rapist? Motivational Evidence and Relevancy in Rape Law.” Harvard Law Review, 110 Harv. L.R. 563, January, 1997.
Bancroft, Lundy. When Dad Hurts Mom: Helping Your Children Heal the Wounds of Witnessing Abuse. New York: G.P. Putnam and Sons, 2004.
Bancroft, Lundy. Why Does He Do That: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men. New York: G.P. Putnam and Sons, 2002.
Barry, Kathleen. The Prostitution of Sexuality. New York: New York University Press, 1995.<
br />
Beneke, Timothy. Men On Rape: What They Have To Say About Sexual Violence, New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1982.
Bergen, Raquel. Wife Rape: Understanding the Response of Survivors and Service Providers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1996.
Bevacqua, Maria. Rape on the Public Agenda: Feminism and the Politics of Sexual Assault. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 2000.
Bowker, Lee H., Michelle Arbitell, and Richard McFerron. “On the Relationship Between Wife Beating and Child Abuse,” in Kersti Yllo & Michele Bograd, eds. Feminist Perspectives on Wife Abuse. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1990.
Brownmiller, Susan. Against Our Will: Men, Women, and Rape. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1975.
Canada, Geoffrey. Reaching Up For Manhood: Transforming the Lives of Boys in America. Boston: Beacon Press, 1998.
Caputi, Jane. The Age of Sex Crime. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green University Popular Press, 1987.
Cassidy, L. Hurrell RM. “The Influence of Victim’s Attire on Adolescents’ Judgments of Date Rape.” Adolescence Vol 30, 1995, 319–323.
Chu, Jeff, “Was the Killer Next Door? Dennis Rader Was a Husband, Father, Church Leader—And Is Now the Man Accused of Terrorizing Wichita.” Time Magazine, March 14, 2005.
Cohn, Carol. “Wars, Wimps, and Women: Talking Gender and Thinking War,” in Gendering War Talk, Cooke, Miriam, and Woollacott, Angela, eds. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993.
Coulter, Ann. Slander: Liberal Lies about the American Right. New York: Crown, 2002.
DeBecker, Gavin. The Gift of Fear: Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence. Boston: Little Brown: 1997.
Dines, Gail and Robert Jensen. “Pornography Is a Left Issue.” ZNET, www.zmag.org.
Dines, Gail, Robert Jensen, and Ann Russo. Pornography: The Production and Consumption of Inequality. New York: Routledge, 1998.
Dowd, Maureen. “The Boomers’ Crooner.” New York Times, November 24, 2002.
Dowling, Colette. The Cinderella Complex: Women’s Hidden Fear of Independence. New York: Summit Books, 1981.
Dworkin, Andrea. Right-Wing Women, New York: Perigee Books, 1983.
Edelson, Jeff. “Children’s Witnessing of Adult Domestic Violence,” Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Vol. 14(No. 8), 1999. p. 839–870.
Fabiano, P., W. Perkins, A. Berkowitz, J. Linkenbach, and C. Stark. “Engaging Men As Social Justice Allies in Ending Violence Against Women: Evidence for a Social Norms Approach.” Journal of American College Health. Vol. 52,(No.3), Nov./Dec.2003.
Faludi, Susan. Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women, New York: Crown, 1991.
Farley, Melissa. Prostitution, Trafficking, and Traumatic Stress. Binghamton, New York: Haworth Press, 2004.
Fergusen, D. and P. Mullen. “Childhood Sexual Abuse: An Evidence-based Perspective.” Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1999.
Finkelhor, David., G. Hotaling, I.A. Lewis, and C. Smith. “Sexual Abuse in a National Survey of Adult Men and Women: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Risk Factors.” Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 14, 1990. pp. 19–28.
Fisher, B. S., F. T. Cullen, M. G. Turner. “The Sexual Victimization of College Women.” Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, Washington, D.C., 2000.
Frankenberg, Ruth. White Women, Race Matters. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1993.
Frey, Amber. Witness: For the Prosecution of Scott Peterson. New York: Regan Books, 2005.
Funk, Rus Ervin. Stopping Rape: A Challenge for Men. Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1993.
Gazmararian, J. A., R. Petersen, A. M. Spitz, M. M. Goodwin, L. E. Saltzman, J. S. Marks. “Violence and reproductive health; current knowledge and future research directions.” Maternal and Child Health Journal, Vol. 4(No. 2), 2000. pp.79–84.
Gilligan, Carol. In A Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1982.
Gilligan, James. Violence: Our Deadly Epidemic and Its Causes. New York: Putnam, 1996.
Goldstein, Richard. “The Eminem Shtick: What Makes a Bigot a Genius? Presiding Over Guilty Pleasures.” The Village Voice, June 12–18, 2002.
Goldstein, Richard. “The Eminem Consensus: Why We Voted for Slim Shady.” The Village Voice, November 13–19, 2002.
Hammer, Rhonda. Antifeminism and Family Terrorism: A Critical Feminist Perspective. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2002.
Hanson, Katherine. “Gendered Violence: Examining Education’s Role.” Working Paper Series #4, Education Development Center, Center for Equity and Cultural Diversity, Newton, MA, 1995.
Heise, L., M. Ellsberg, and M. Gottemoeller. “Ending Violence against Women” Johns Hopkins University, Population Reports, Series L, (11), 1999.
Hilburn, Robert. “Minus the Chain Saw, Eminem Seems a Bit More Mature.” Los Angeles Times, August 9, 2002.
Hilburn, Robert. “With Encore, Eminem Melts: The Album Shows the Rapper to Have a Tender, Even Apologetic, Side.” Los Angeles Times, November 8, 2004, p. E1.
Holsopple, K. “Stripclubs According to Strippers: Exposing Workplace Sexual Violence.” Making the Harm Visible: Global Exploitation of Women and Girls. Speaking Out and Providing Services. Kingston, RI: Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, 1998, pp. 253–276.
hooks, bell. Feminism Is for Everybody. Boston: South End Press, 2000.
hooks, bell. Misogyny, Gangsta Rap, and the Piano. Z Magazine, February, 1994.
hooks, bell. We Real Cool: Black Men and Masculinity. New York: Routledge, 2000.
Jensen, Robert. “Cruel To Be Hard: Men and Pornography.” Sexual Assault Report, Spring 2004, pp. 54–58.
Kalven, Jamie. Working with Available Light: A Family’s World after Violence. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 1999.
Keathley, Elizabeth. “A Context for Eminem’s Murder Ballads.” Echo: A Music-Centered Journal, Vol. 4, (No.2), Fall 2002.
Kelley, Robin D. G. “Kickin’ Reality, Kickin’ Ballistics: Gangsta Rap and Postindustrial Los Angeles.” Droppin’ Science: Critical Essays on Rap Music and Hip-Hop Culture. W. E. Perkins, ed. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1996.
Kilmartin, Christopher. Sexual Assault in Context: Teaching College Men about Gender. Holmes Beach, FL: Learning Publications, 2001.
Kellner, Douglas. Media Culture: Cultural Studies, Identity, and Politics between the Modern and Post-Modern. London: Routledge, 1995.
Kimmel, Michael and Michael Messner, eds. Men’s Lives. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2001.
Kimmel, Michael and Tom Mosmiller, eds. Against the Tide: Pro-Feminist Men in the United States, 1776–1990. Boston: Beacon Press, 1992.
Kimmel, Michael. “Gender Symmetry in Domestic Violence: A Substantive and Methodological Research Review,” Violence Against Women, Vol. 8, (No. 11), 2002, 1332–1363.
Kimmel, Michael. Manhood in America: A Cultural History. New York: Random House, 2005.
Kimmel, Michael. Men Confront Pornography. New York: Crown, 1990.
Kimmel, Michael. “Searching for a New Boyhood: The Testosterone Vs. Feminism Debate.” Voice Male: The Magazine of the Men’s Resource Center of Western Massachusetts. Winter, 2000, pp. 8–10.
Kindlon, Dan and Michael Thompson. Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys. New York: Ballantine Books, 1999.
Kivel, Paul. Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice. Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1996.
Klein, Alan. Little Big Men: Bodybuilding Subculture and Gender Construction. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1993.
Lakoff, Robin Tolmach. The Language War. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000.
Landesman, Peter. “The Girls Next Door.” The New York Times Magazine, January 25, 2004.
Lawrence, J. M. “Pretty Girl Dead.” Boston Magazine, November, 1996.
Lefkowitz, Bernard. Our Guys: The Glen Ridge Rape Case and the Life of the Perfect Suburb. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.
<
br /> Levy, Ariel. Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture. New York: Random House, 2005.
Limbaugh, Rush. The Way Things Ought to Be, New York: Pocket Books, 1993.
Lisak, David and Paul Miller. “Repeat Rape and Multiple Offending Among Undetected Rapists.” Violence and Victims, Vol. 17, (No. 1), 2002.
Loffreda, Beth. Losing Matt Shepard. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000.
MacKinnon, Catherine. Sexual Harassment of Working Women: A Case of Sex Discrimination. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1979.