Equimundo’s President and CEO Gary Barker appeared on Chicago’s WGN-TV news program on February 21 to talk about the #MeToo movement and the need to redefine masculinity to end sexual harassment. The program featured “What’s Up With Manhood?” – a curriculum by Options for Youth based on Equimundo’s gender-transformative methodologies that has become a city-funded mentoring program for youth in Chicago.
The viral #MeToo movement has sparked much-needed conversations around toxic masculinity and what men can do to end sexual assault and harassment. The “What’s Up With Manhood?” program is turning those conversations into gender-equitable attitudes and action for first-year high school students at the World Language Academy in Chicago, where they are reflecting on and confronting the rigid gender norms that contribute to sexual harassment, gun violence, bullying, and domestic abuse.
“I think it’s important in this #MeToo moment that men don’t perceive this as man-bashing. Any shift to overcome racism, to overcome sexism, to overcome homophobia – all of these issues require some moment of discomfort where we’ve got to look inside and acknowledge: we’ve caused harm,” Gary said.
Watch the full WGN TV video here.
See additional research analysis by Equimundo on the drivers of men’s use of sexual harassment here.