A panel-style discussion centered on building a culture of healthier masculinity in the Cleveland community will be held in the auditorium on Thursday, April 25. Given the name “The Boys Are Not Alright,” the event is an opportunity for Cleveland students and the community to learn more about the lasting effects of misogyny and how to fix attitudes surrounding masculinity within the Cleveland student body and beyond.
The panel will be hosted by the Women’s Foundation of Oregon, with help from Cleveland’s Building Consent Culture class. The discussion panel will take place from 5:30-8 p.m., and feature multiple guest speakers, including Orlando Williams, a Trail Blazers game analyst; Nick Guerrero, a youth and family advocate at Raphael House; Yshai Boussi from Portland Family Counseling, and Camden Goldberg, a Cleveland alumnus and former co-advisor of the Healthy Masculinity club.
During the past few months, students have been in an uproar about misogyny within the Cleveland community. The girls basketball team called out students for their lack of support for women’s sports on social media and received sexist and misogynistic comments as backlash.
In response to the hurtful comments, the Building Consent Culture class and Healthy Masculinity club have been making efforts to educate the community on the issues surrounding misogyny and sexism that have become so prevalent recently, and they partnered with screen printing teacher Ezra Ereckson to print shirts for students and staff that said, “Everyone Watches Women’s Sports.”
Chemistry teacher Brian Fain, who is leading the panel discussion project, said staff members have shared that not only is the behavior of “some of our young men inappropriate and appalling, but in some severe cases involved sexual harrasment and threats of rape.” This culture ruptures the trust and unity at school and impacts the female and LGBTQ communities at school, who don’t feel safe, Fain said.
“I am by no means implying that the majority of our young men at Cleveland are disrespectful. Far from it. But, all of them face severe social pressures and influences that have a staggering level of impact,” said Fain, one of the advisors of Healthy Masculinity club.
While misogyny has the most direct effect on female and LGBTQ students, men also bear the brunt of the impacts. The various forms of misogyny that male students take part in, although seemingly harmless, continue the cycle of toxic masculinity, which has lasting impacts on men’s mental health and relationships with others.
Calling this event a “long time in coming,” Fain said the goal is to present positive and successful men who have their own unique and valuable input on the issue, and they will share practical ways parents, teachers, coaches, mentors and caring adults can help build a culture of healthy masculinity.
If you are interested in learning more about building a culture of healthy masculinity and how to combat the hidden impacts of misogyny, join Building Consent Culture and Healthy Masculinity in Cleveland’s auditorium on April 25, from 5:30-8 p.m. to hear people’s stories. You can reserve tickets on the Women’s Foundation of Oregon website or you can use the link provided on the Clarion’s website. Tickets are free, however, donations are optional and 100% of proceeds will go towards funding Building Consent Culture and Healthy Masculinity club!