Street beat: What could men do to better support women?
Delan: “I definitely think there’s a lot of emotional and physical ways men could help women. One is normalizing their behaviors, just in terms of not ostracizing them, or thinking down upon them or calling them out for things that are natural.” Being able to address womens' vulnerability in order to make them feel as comfortable as possible in social situations was something that came to his mind. “If a girl is walking by herself at night, obviously it would be a bad thing to stand or walk right behind her because that would put pressure on her.”
Nanor Bedrosian: “ One of the most important things I think men can do is become more sensitive and open-minded when it comes to [women's] issues. I think it’s very important when, for example, it comes to women's reproductive rights and taking into consideration women’s voices and listening to their issues and what they have to say. The first step to actually sympathizing with women is to go ahead and listen to what they have to say. If anyone knows about the issues plaguing women, it would be women themselves. I think they have to be open-minded and try to deviate from their misogynistic mindset that has been unfortunately engrained into society ever since society was established, so I think that is the most important thing.”
Chris Rodriguez: “ I think men, specifically fathers, can teach their sons to be more respectful toward women. Men grow up thinking they can do whatever they want and that’s why there are problems with consent. The problems have to do with them not knowing how to deal with their emotions, so I think men should be encouraged to go to therapy. There’s a lot of problems with them not knowing how to talk about that. People tell them, Oh if you show your emotions, then you’re weak.”
Bobbi King: “ I think men can be more respectful to women and show more courtesy in the way they talk about women and use their words.” King also added that men can show support by the way they handle women physically and emotionally. “Men should also just be taught these things when they are younger.”
Aubrey Adams: “Be respectful and listen to what we have to say and our viewpoints on things. If they listen to our viewpoints they will be able to see a different perspective on what they might initially think is fine, and they can understand we might see things differently than they might.”
Christian Ortega: “Men can better support women by moving the stigma around feminism. Being a feminist for a man is equality for women and not viewing it as women wanting to take over. It’s like, we are equals, and respect that.”