A Call to Men

Originally published on TEDTalk. 

(Trigger warning: This video discusses rape.)

Restrictive gender roles are the cause of many of the problems that plague today’s society: disproportionately few women in STEM fields, a bias toward women as parents, and more. These roles are also behind the worldwide epidemic of violence against women.

Check out this TED Talk by activist Tony Porter about how the expectations of masculinity lead to disrespect of and violence against women. He shares powerful stories from different points in his life and encourages men to act outside of the narrow box that society places them in.

Click here to read the transcription.

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Tony Porter is the visionary and co-founder behind the nonprofit A Call to Men: The National Association of Men and Women Committed to Ending Violence Against Women. Porter’s message of engagement and self-examination has connected powerfully with numerous domestic and sexual violence programs for such high-profile groups as the National Football League and the National Basketball Association, and colleges and universities around the country, including the US Military Academy at West Point and the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. Porter is also an international lecturer for the U.S. State Department, having done extensive work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.