In the middle of the #MeToo movement there have been stories of men bravely speaking up, both to align themselves with women and to share their own survivor stories.
Those stories, when done correctly, have always been framed in ways that empower the movement, particularly when others might otherwise seize on them to harm the progress made in the #MeToo era.
Unfortunately, there are many more stories of men complaining about how standing up to sexual misconduct has created a “scary” environment for men. And that is often followed up by seemingly hollow complaints of “what about the stories of men who are victims?”
Cast in the wrong light, it can appear that some women are not sensitive to the very real challenges that men around the world face or that men themselves should somehow remain silent in the face of their own experiences with sexual assault or sexual harassment.
Of course, that’s not the case at all. Which is why this one woman’s explanation of the right, and wrong, time for men to bring attention to their own issues makes all the difference.
Bottom line: Men can and should talk about issues facing them and other men, just not when it comes as the expense of a discussion being had by and for women.
There’s room for both but we can’t have one overriding the other, especially when so much of the #MeToo movement is about women finally being heard.
