I Am a Man

From the very start little boys are taught to be strong and to build up walls that tend to never come down. They are expected to never cry, never feel, never hurt, and any sign against that is perceived as “feminine” or “gay”. Without consciousness, we all contribute to this toxic masculinity and tend to forget that men are human too. They have real stories and real experiences that they feel would be belittled if shared. Talking about men who have been sexually assaulted or harassed is taboo in our society. We hear women share countless stories and see organizations coming together for women and their experiences with sexual assault yet neglect the other 10%. We never talk about the one in six males that will experience sexual assault. Terry Crews is one of the first males with a platform to come forward with a sexual assault story. Everyone was shocked. We thought, “How can this strong, black, man be a victim?” When the real question should be, why do we limit victims to one gender? Why can’t we as a society accept that men aren’t brick walls? Why was this the first time I thought about men being sexually assualted? You reading this, have the power to change these social norms and eliminate toxic masculinity. You have power in everything you say, tweet, post, and do. Raise your little boys and encourage the men in your life to feel what they’re feeling and express their emotions, because if not, how will they ever truely be heard? We have to ask ourselves, how can you expect someone to be vulnerable, when we never allow it?