六九色堂

Nov. 2, 2017

Jackson Katz shifts perspectives on men's role in preventing gender-based violence

Free tickets available for internationally renowned speaker Nov. 16 at University Theatre
Jackson Katz is an educator, author, filmmaker and cultural theorist internationally renowned for his pioneering scholarship and activism on issues of gender, race and violence.

Jackson Katz is an educator, author, filmmaker and cultural theorist.

Jackson Katz

Jackson Katz, PhD, has long been a major figure and thought leader of men working to promote gender equity. Recent online campaigns such as #metoo and #Ibelieveyou have pushed his works to viral status.

In the wake of recent digital and institutional action on sexual violence, Jackson Katz鈥檚 arrival to the 六九色堂 later this month is a timely way to kick off the final year of the听Ask First: Creating a Culture of Consent Project.听Katz is well known for his TED Talk entitled Violence Against Women听鈥斕齀t鈥檚 a Men鈥檚 Issue,with more than two million views. His most poignant observation is the exclusion of men in conversation about gender-based violence.

鈥淚鈥檓 going to share with you a paradigm-shifting perspective on the issues of gender violence,鈥 he noted in his now renowned TED Talk. 鈥淸It has] been seen as a women鈥檚 issue that some good men help out with 鈥斕齜ut I have a problem with that frame and I don鈥檛 accept it. I鈥檓 going to argue that these are men鈥檚 issues, first and foremost.

鈥淓ven the term 鈥榲iolence against women鈥 is problematic,鈥 Katz added. 鈥淭here is no active agent in the sentence. It鈥檚 a bad thing that happens to women, but when you look at the term 'violence against women' no one is doing it to them; [men are excluded entirely].鈥

Jackson Katz presents The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help,听unpacks toxic masculinity, the power of passive language and the impact of absolving men of responsibility 鈥斕齱hile calling on each of us to be leaders of change.

Ask First collaboration presents consent in engaging way

The Women鈥檚 Resource Centre (WRC), in partnership with the Consent and Sexual Education Club (CASE), launched Ask First in fall 2015 to attract students who hadn鈥檛 thought about consent before by presenting it in an important and engaging way.

鈥淚 think that the Ask First project has been immensely impactful on campus and vital to the wider conversation that is happening about consent and what that means,鈥 notes CASE president Shelby Montgomery. 鈥淏ut the conversation doesn鈥檛 end there.

鈥淲hen Jackson Katz speaks on issues of masculinity听 he manages to bring to the table the ways in which an inequitable society and gender contribute to sexual violence, while providing the opportunity for anyone to engage in undoing these issues. Historically women have been doing this work. I think the big break we are making now is bringing men into the conversation 鈥斕齛nd Jackson Katz is leading that change.鈥

Free tickets available for Jackson Katz presentation

Jackson Katz presents The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help,will beheld on Thursday, Nov. 16 at 5:30 p.m. in the University Theatre.听Tickets听are free to the public, but pre-registration is required as only a limited number will be available at the door.

Ask First is a three-year collaborative project between the Women鈥檚 Resource Centre and the Consent Awareness and Sexual Education Club. This event is part of the AskFirst: Creating a Culture of Consent project funded by SU Quality Money.