Mens Nonviolence Project

Recently, Hanes made the decision to drop television advertisements featuring Charlie Sheen in response to a domestic violence incident he was involved in on Christmas Day.

To read full article click here.

Spokesman for Hanesbrand Matt Hall stated:
“It’s a pretty standard, straightforward call when somebody who’s in your commercials is arrested on suspicion of something of this magnitude.”

As violence prevention advocates we are urged to ask ourselves, why Hanes would make this decision with seemingly no public pressure? What social values or marketing strategies do they abide by which would make this an obvious decision for them, given that it is not an obvious decision for others? Further, how can their decision to hold Sheen accountable for the violence he perpetrates be used to prompt others, such as producers for his show, to also hold him accountable? What is the role of the communities we have access to and our role in all of this? How can we support Hanes’ decision to do this?

“Mack Brown, head coach of the University of Texas football team, will be the keynote speaker at this year’s Legacy of Men breakfast. The breakfast, scheduled for February 15, is intended to involve men in the fight against domestic violence.”

For more information visit Safe Haven’s Website

In San Antonio, several men took the pledge to end violence against women. Events took place at South Memorial Christian Church and in front of City Hall where San Antonio mayor, Julián Castro helped to launch the campaign.

Event organizer and participant Daniel Pineda states: “Somehow we need to step up as men to really be a real man with a true purpose/course in leaving a legacy of a strong family foundation.” Pineda urges people everywhere to begin their own campaign and recruit others in such efforts.

To read news coverage of the WRC campaign in San Antonio click here.

The incident between Tiger Woods and his wife Elin Nordegren has been all over the news and even prompted a Saturday Night Live Skit.

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As you can see, or you certainly have heard, the skit suggests that Tiger is being abused by Elin. While such speculations have not been validated either by Tiger or the police, the skit portrays a terrified Tiger who reiterates popular excuses people make to hide their partner’s abuse. An additional layer to this is that Rihanna was the musical guest for that evening’s SNL show.

This is not the first time and certainly not the last that corporate media minimizes domestic violence through the use of humor. In this specific instance, we must ask ourselves if this is humorous because the potential victim is male and consider the ramifications of that.

How have people been using this video or other such examples to talk about the prevention of domestic violence? Has there been any resistance? What kind of actions are your audiences taking in response to this skit? Did people have reactions to this skit being aired on the night that Rihanna was the musical guest?

Often doing anti-violence work we can get cynical. Seeing all the violence present in the world around us and hearing the intimate details of those experiences can prompt us to be confined to that world. Indeed, that perspective is apparent in the prevention work we do as we talk about statistics, relate stories of violence and display multi-media representations of violence for public de-construction.

Our challenge this month is to think of those positive experiences that co- exist within a world rife with violence, the protective factors, if you will, that foster healthy non-violent communities.

This article speaks to the love and respect between a father and a son.

To see full article click here.

It makes me wonder: As we do prevention work out there in the world, how can we work with fatherhood campaigns to promote anti-violence messages? What is also brought to mind is, as prevention advocates, how can we proliferate those positive experiences and meaningful moments that can be transformative for both fathers and sons? What are some non-traditional strategies we can use?

Here is some exciting Prevention News that we got from the Panhandle Crisis Center in Perryton, TX! Please keep us updated with your efforts to engage your community in violence prevention by sending us an email to hgutierrez@tcfv.org.

To read full article click here.

Lee Daniels new film “Precious” is about a teenage girl named Precious who is pregnant, for the second time, by her father. It tells a story of the physical, emotional and sexual violence that Precious experiences at the hands of her parents.

For Executive Producer, Tyler Perry, this film is personal. As a survivor of domestic and sexual violence, Tyler sees his experiences reflected in Precious’s. Recently, he openly spoken about his experiences and the role that forgiveness played in his healing.

To read full article click here.

As antiviolence advocates we know that men experience domestic and sexual violence, primarily in their younger years, yet there are so few men who are willing to talk about it. We also know that making the issue personal to people can secure their most active involvement. Our challenge this month is to consider how people’s personal accounts feed into larger prevention strategies? What changes when we make things personal, when we move from the “them” to the “me?” Further, how do we honor everyone’s story of violence and use it towards transformation?

Perry states on his website:
“…PRECIOUS is a powerful film. After seeing it, I had to be involved. I didn’t write it or direct it, nor am I making any money from it. Oprah and I both are giving any proceeds we would make to charity. I just wanted to get as many people to see it as I can. It gave me so much hope after watching it. For everyone who has been a Precious, male or female, this movie will make you so glad you made it through.”

Caster Semeyna has created quite an uproar in the sports world. Caster’s gender identity was questioned when it was discovered that she had three times the testosterone level of the average female. In response the International Association of Athletics Federations conducted a gender identity test on Caster without her previous knowledge. See full article here.

The gender identity test includes a physical medical evaluation, and reports from a gynecologist, endocrinologist, psychologist, an internal medicine specialist and an expert on gender.

Recently South Africa’s You Magazine featured Caster on the cover. The athlete was “made up,” in acceptable female clothing her hair, usually in corn rows, was straightened for the occasion, wearing a dress and stiletto heals. See full article here.

The executive director of Gender Links advocacy organization, Colleen Low Morna states: “It is amazing how, in order to accept her, we have to turn her into our stereotypical image of what a woman should be. She’s made it clear she does not like dresses, high heels or glamour. Celebrating diversity means accepting women and men in all their shapes, sizes and forms, not moulding them into some typecast image of who we want them to be. Let Caster be Caster!”

As anti-violence advocates we understand that prescribing to a binary understanding of gender is a contributing factor to the perpetuation of gender based violence. What are some ways that you encourage others to move away from gender binaries? How can Caster’s struggle be utilized to mobilize individuals to question binary understandings of gender?

Date: November 6-7, 2009
Location: Collegeville, MN

This conference will be the first chance for male students from across the country to
explore how to find positive ways to reach campus men with messages against dating
and other forms of men’s violence, and for gender equality. It will provide
opportunities to discuss how to deal with backlash and hostility, and how to work in
partnership with women’s groups. St. John’s University will host the conference. For
more details, email gkellom@csbsju.edu.

*Up to 30 project participants will receive travel funding. Applications must be received
by September 14, 2009. Participants must be male college students ages 18-24 who
have been involved in efforts related to gender equality and violence against women
for at least one semester. There is no penalty for withdrawing from the study at any
time.