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Summer 2016 1 FROM THE EDITOR Fear vs. Safety in North Carolina By Rob Okun No cities or states that have passed legis- sion, so their new laws would set a national lation supporting transgender rights have precedent. Why are the two countries so far witnessed increases in sexual assaults in public apart on such a fundamental issue of fairness? restrooms after the laws have gone into effect. Why is Canada leaning toward tolerance and Raising the specter of the sexual predator in acceptance and many U.S. states promoting debates around transgender rights should discrimination? It comes down to that four- be unmasked for the multiple ways it can letter word, fear. perpetuate gender inequality. Under the guise of “protecting” women, critics reproduce ideas Protection or Panic? about their weakness, depict males as assail- ants, and work to deny rights to transgender Transgender people, along with gay men people. Moreover, they suggest that there should Democrat who is running to unseat McCrory and lesbian women, have a long history of be a hierarchy of rights in which cisgender in November. Even those who support the being conflated with pedophiles and other women and children are more deserving of governor have taken note of the huge economic sexual predators. Gender panics, a term coined protections than transgender people. losses North Carolina has suffered since by researchers with the American Sociological —Edited excerpt from a statement passage of the law, from a canceled Bruce Association (ASA), gain legitimacy because by the American Sociological Association Springsteen concert to PayPal deciding not to many people believe that women and young open an office that would have employed 400 children are inherently vulnerable and in need ear is making quite a showing in a large North Carolinians. of protection from men. In dominant U.S. swath of the U.S. It’s amassed a lot of culture, the ASA researchers say, “men—or Fvotes, including a huge number of dele- Canadians Take a more specifically, people assumed to have gates to the Republican national convention Different Approach penises—are both conceived of as the potential in Cleveland. And fear seems to be outpacing protectors of vulnerable people they have rela- safety and tolerance, even as those old reli- Meanwhile, as other state legislatures tional ties to, such as wives, sisters, daughters, ables remain indefatigable. Citizens standing propose bills that discriminate against trans- and mothers, and a potential source of sexual up for safety and tolerance need to be more gender people, Canadian prime minister Justin threat to others….” Such thinking is part of outspoken. Will they be at the Democrats’ Trudeau recently proposed sweeping legislation a belief “that men constantly seek out sexual convention in Philadelphia? to protect transgender people from discrimina- interactions and will resort to violence to Where are safety and tolerance bills tion in his country. The Canadian government achieve these desires. As transgender women currently before Congress—or state legisla- is working on a nationwide ban on transgender are placed into the category of persons with tures—to counteract those sponsoring fear discrimination, as well as adding transgender penises—making them, for many opponents, and hate proliferating in more than a third of people as a protected class under the country’s “really men”—they become an imagined the states? North Carolina’s House Bill 2—the hate crimes law. “Everyone deserves to live source of threat to cisgender women and chil- bathroom bill—and related bills (see page free of stigma, persecution and discrimina- dren. And, as there are no protective men 30) seek to impose state rule over individual tion—no matter who they are or whom they present in women’s restrooms, opponents of freedom. In passing legislation requiring citi- love,” Mr. Trudeau said, adding that he wanted transgender rights imagine women (and often zens to use the bathroom that matches the to ensure “all people—regardless of sexual children, who are likely to accompany women gender recorded on their birth certificates orientation or gender identity—feel safe and to the restroom) as uniquely imperiled by these rather than the one they live every day, North secure and empowered to freely express them- non-discrimination policies.” Carolina’s Republican-controlled legislature selves.” Is that too much to ask for here in the The reality is it is the transgender commu- and Republican governor Pat McCrory have United States? nity that needs protection. The empirical data conflated sexual predators with transgender (To its credit, the Obama administration’s on transgender people in the U.S. continues to people. Ignorant? Bigoted? Politically manipu- justice and education departments issued a be collected and it all underscores that trans- lative? All three? directive to the nation’s schools in May to gender people are much more likely to face Problems began not long after Charlotte, ensure that “transgender students enjoy a violence in a public bathroom than to perpe- the state’s largest city, enacted a transgender- supportive and nondiscriminatory school envi- trate it. The ASA researchers reported that friendly ordinance. The state doubled down, ronment.” Texas and 10 other states responded in none of the media accounts they analyzed determined to run roughshod over any munici- by filing a lawsuit challenging the directive. “have opponents been able to cite an actual case pality independent enough to want to promote Meanwhile, relations between North Caro- of bathroom sexual assault after the passage of fairness among its diverse citizenry. With two lina and the federal government have gotten transgender-supportive policies.” daughters, two sons-in-law, and three grandchil- testy. Threatened with the loss of significant Deep-rooted cultural fears about the vulner- dren living in Asheville and Durham, I spend a federal funds to the state if it didn’t repeal or ability of women and children may be difficult fair amount of time in North Carolina. When I amend HB2, North Carolina sued the feds, to counter, but if we are to advance transgender was there in May and June, I was encouraged who promptly countersued. Attorney General rights we have to look beyond the fear. Looking that every public bathroom I visited had signs Cooper refused to file the state’s suit, forcing to our northern neighbors will be a good place explicitly inviting people to use the one with Gov. McCrory to hire a private law firm to to start. which they felt most comfortable. prepare the state’s case.) Opposition to Gov. McCrory and the bill In Canada, eight of its 13 provinces protect is growing. Chief among the opponents is transgender people from discrimination and Rob Okun can be reached at rob@ the state’s attorney general, Roy Cooper, a five cover both gender identity and expres- voicemalemagazine.org. 2 Voice Male Summer 2016 Volume 20 No. 69 The Magazine for Changing Men www.voicemalemagazine.org 10 10 Finally…A Bill of Rights for Rape Survivors By Stacy Teicher Khadaroo 12 A Men’s Apology for Sexism in the Sixties Anti-War Movement By Tom Gardner 14 The State of Fatherhood in the U.S. 17 Breakthrough Needed to End Violence Against Women 18 Is the Ideology of the Transgender Movement Open to Debate? By Robert Jensen 14 20 Men, Masculinities and Climate Change A special Promundo-MenEngage report 23 An African Approach to Global Health By Chibuike Alagboso 24 A Poet’s Long Journey from Domestic Violence By María Luisa Arroyo 26 Men Attacking Pakistan’s New Domestic Violence Law By Aysha Khan 28 How to Respond to Sexist Remarks 20 By Alan Berkowitz Columns & Opinion 2 From the Editor 4 Letters 5 Men @ Work 8 ColorLines - Black Men as Anti-Rape Activists By Ahmad Greene-Hayes 16 Fathering - Dads Don’t Babysit; It’s Called Parenting By Emma Wilson 30 OutLines - Equal Protection for All Under the Law? By Allison Steinberg 30 31 Poem By Janet Aalfs 32 Resources 34 Notes From Survivors - Post-Traumatic Growth By Randy Ellison male positive • pro-feminist • open-minded Summer 2016 3 Staff Mail Bonding Rob A. Okun Among our projects is ABC (Ab, Editor and Publisher Baaki Charcha), a dialogue on building Lahri Bond equal participation for gender justice. Art Director Ab, Baaki Charcha translates as “Now, the Remaining Discussions.” Mittika, Amanda Pickett working with the Centre for Health and Administrator Social Justice, and the MenEngage in Christine Polaczak India, focused on a mobilization drive to Circulation Coordinator engage diverse stakeholders in dialogue Michael Burke about gender. Towards continuing and Copy Editor sustaining the discussions, we have devel- oped a manual and a film that others can Crystal Boateng use. These are available here: http://bit. Website Manager ly/1QGN7Sm and http://bit.ly/1sPcTA1. David Myrick We are also in the process of launching Social Media Posts DOR (Dialogue, Organise, Reclaim!), a program to address gender-based violence Daniel Krasner, Maggie Rosenberg Interns with diverse citizens’ groups in India, and will keep you posted on how it shapes up. Durba Ghose VOICE MALE is published quarterly New Delhi by the Alliance for Changing Men, an A Godmother’s Gift affiliate of Family Diversity Projects, In my sometimes frustrating attempt to PO Box 1246, Amherst, MA 01004. get many people to read Voice Male, there It is mailed to subscribers in the U.S., is nothing to match getting a gem like the Canada, and overseas and is distrib- note below to give one heart. My godson, uted at select locations around the Michael, just graduated high school and country and to conferences, universi- while there had been the head of the ties, colleges and secondary schools, Democratic Club—fairly significant given and among non-profit and non-gov- that he lives in Tyler, Texas.

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