Yesterday, a dear friend who also happens to be a child sexual abuse victim advocate (because she is a child sex abuse survivor) shared this on her public Facebook page:
“I watched the video of this kiss and found it really upsetting. This was not okay on so many levels!”
American Idol contestant says Katy Perry’s kiss ‘made him uncomfortable’
If you read the article, you’ll find details like (emphases mine), “The singer beckoned him over for a kiss on the cheek, but then kissed his lips. . . . Glaze [the contestant] . . . looked visibly shocked by the incident and fell to the ground, while 33-year-old Perry high-fived Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan saying: ‘Yeah, I got him.'”
And, “Glaze later told The New York Times he had wanted to save his first kiss for his first relationship. ‘I was raised in a conservative family and I was uncomfortable immediately,’ he said. ‘I wanted my first kiss to be special.'”
And, “But writing on Facebook on Wednesday, Glaze said he was ‘not complaining about the kiss from Katy Perry at all’. . . . I should have been able to perform under pressure. . . . I do not think I was sexually harassed by Katy Perry.”
And, “Glaze added that he did not think his views had been ‘appropriately communicated through the media’.”
Now, let me tell you what I see in all this:
- A double standard. Plenty of people will spot it right away, and plenty of others have sounded off on it before me, but it bears endless repeating: THIS IS A DOUBLE STANDARD. If K.P. had been a man kissing a contestant on nationwide television, there would have been MASSIVE public outcry. And let me point out that would not change if the contestant in question was male or female!
2. A sexually harassed young man. Benjamin Glaze says he wasn’t, and people, you need to realize that. means. nothing. Victims cover for perpetrators all the time, refusing to see, report, or acknowledge the harm done to them. (The reasons for this are numerous and deeply complicated, and if you want more details, I highly recommend reading Natalie’s blog account of three years of sexual abuse in her own home.) Granted, this is not a severe example. But it does in fact illustrate the textbook definition of sexual harassment. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded or in denial–including poor Benjamin.
3. A shamed young man. Why would Benjamin readily report his strongly negative reaction, then hasten to cover for K.P. AND assume all the blame for his botched music performance?? I can tell you why SO MANY survivors of sex abuse would do such a thing: they’re ashamed of looking like a victim. They’re ashamed of being called a whiner, a complainer, a wuss. They’re ashamed of people mocking them for having such a strong reaction to “such a little thing! No big deal!” They’re sick of being told they’re “just looking for attention.” And, in the case of men, they are shamed by this response: “It’s not harassment–you’re a man!”
As an isolated incident, it’s arguably not worth crying over this glass of spilled milk. But, ladies and gentlemen, this isn’t an isolated incident. It is one of many, many symptoms of a diseased culture in which a person’s body is worth less than the entertainment or pleasure or gain that others derive from assaulting its sovereignty. And in particular, this incident stands for countless other far worse abuses that take place in the shadows–abuses that target boys just as well as girls and women.
Another friend shared this story on Facebook many weeks ago, and I’ve been waiting to post it until the right moment presented itself: Attempted molestation of a 10-year-old boy at a Tulsa, OK public library. This is a photograph of the note passed to the boy right under his mother’s nose:
My friend lives in Tulsa and actually knows a friend of the aunt of the boy who received this piece of paper. It really happened. It really happens.
I need to take a moment to point out here that IN MOST DOCUMENTED CASES, harassment and molestation is not committed by strangers. Most typically, a perpetrator is a known and trusted friend or family member who grooms a victim for months before abuse begins and is enabled, wittingly or unwittingly, by family members and/or establishments. The most well-known example of this right now is Larry Nassar, which I trust you’ve heard of.
But I’ve chosen these two examples–Benjamin Graze and the boy in Tulsa–to put a spotlight on a particular part of this problem: the part that abuses boys and men.
This part doesn’t receive enough press. It doesn’t receive enough understanding. It *certainly* doesn’t receive enough support, respect, and defense.
As someone who personally knows two men whose lives were affected by sexual harassment or abuse, and who knows the wife of a third, and ESPECIALLY as a mother of two darling boys, I’m telling you: this has to change.
How can you help?
Look for opportunities to ask the men and boys around you if they’ve ever endured situations that made them physically uncomfortable. Let them know you’re a safe, believing, supportive ear. If they share something, and you learn they are in immediate danger, contact the authorities and do not leave them alone until help arrives (this is most important for children).
Let men know there is absolutely no shame in telling their stories of abuse–in fact, let them know you’re be incredibly proud of them for speaking up. Tell them doing so is a show of incredible strength, integrity, and fortitude. Affirm their agency and ability to push back against harmful treatment and unwanted interactions. Remind them that EVERYONE’S body is equal: equally human, equally worthy of respect, and equally sovereign.
And remember to keep just as close an eye on your boys as you do your daughters. Build a relationship with them where they can trust you enough to tell you about EVERY awkward or unnerving incident. Teach them bodily autonomy at the same time you teach them to respect others’ boundaries. Give them every reason to believe you love them first and will hear them first, before any respected coach, beloved family member, or trusted friend.
And every time you hear one of these stories, spread the word. Reach out to the survivors. Let them know you respect and affirm the skin-crawling reaction and gut-twisting shame they are suffering. Let them know they are heard and that you stand between them and the world that would tear them down or shove them back into the dark.
Cast a light–spread the warmth of hearth fire–leave no one out in the cold.
With love,
–GM
This type of thing is so scary! Especially since I live in the Tulsa area and have kids! Unfortunately, one of my step-kids was also a victim of sexual assault so it is a topic very close to our family. Great post!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, and gosh, I’m so sorry to hear this strikes so close to home AND family for you. 😦 This is kind of unrelated, but I lived in Tulsa for about 10 months when I was in my 20s, and I remember thinking it was one of the *safest* places I had ever lived… and then some folks I knew got robbed two or three times in the space of that same year! Crazy how we don’t realize the danger that’s perpetually on our doorsteps until it does in fact cross that threshold. Vigilance and effective awareness is *so* important. My prayers go out to you as you parent your child with extra care in light of this hardship. ❤
LikeLike
Yeah I technically live in Broken Arrow, which is supposed to be even safer and I am constantly hearing about houses and cars being broken into lately. I guess you really aren’t safe anywhere anymore.
LikeLiked by 1 person
yeah 😦
LikeLike
Love this! I am absolutely disgusted by some of the things that I have read in regards to the recent American Idol mishap. Whether he “would have” consented or not, he wasn’t given that option.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Precisely!!!
LikeLike
What Katy Perry did was an unwanted, unwarranted, unexpected sexual battery, straight-up. It came from the same “celebrity” attitude of entitlement that Donald Trump exhibited and bragged about to Billy Bush. Thank you for pointing out that the sex of the perpetrator or the victim in no way offers an excuse for such behavior.
LikeLiked by 1 person
YES. Could. Not. Agree. More!!!
LikeLike
good post raising awareness, this is such a scary reality we moms have to deal with everyday. As scary as it may sound but it cN happen to anyone anywhere that’s why it’s important to be extra vigilant .
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely! Better to know the scary things and face them head-on than be caught off guard and suffer for it.
LikeLike
This is such a shame and disgrace. Why can’t this world be a better place for the kids to live in. God knows what lays ahed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
*ahead
LikeLike
Yes. 😦
LikeLike
Oh my gosh this is so scaryyyy!! I have all boys and this make me feel more alert!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It is!! So important to be alert and aware of what can harm our children–not just so we can freak out and worry endlessly, but so we can think about appropriate safeguards and strategies to influence our culture in a healthier, more respectful direction. ❤
LikeLike
Such a hard topic but unfortunately it is the sad horrible world we live in.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, it is. Better to know it for what it is, I think, then bury our heads in the sand… but that doesn’t make it at all easy! Thanks so much for dropping by and commenting. ❤
LikeLike
These types of situations are so scary and it happens to boys and men more than some people are aware of. Great post, very informative. Thanks for speaking on this sensitive topic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, and thank you for dropping by and weighing in! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, to double standards being an issue here! How incredibly frustrating, and as your article points out, how potentiality dangerous they can be. We need to illuminate and eradicate double standards wherever we see them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! Thank you for contributing! ❤
LikeLike
It is a terrible double standard we have and I hope it changes soon. We need to collectively change the narrative as mothers and members of society. Thanks for sharing this I am sure it opened a lot of people’s eyes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Amen!! Moms have POWER, and not just at home: we can use it for good in the civil realm, too! Thanks so much for dropping by and weighing in. If you think it would help, please share on social media–every bit of exposure people get to these ideas can help change the narrative. ❤
LikeLike
This is so important because as a boy mom, it aches my heart to even think about somebody kissing my son against his own will, or leaving him a nasty and disturbing note. Sexual abuse is always focused on Girls being the victims but #boystoo
Thank you for sharing this! I hope more people read this!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Mine, too!! If you think it would help, please share and spread the word. ❤
LikeLike
My heart sunk when I read that note! How horrifying! I have three boys, and I would love to learn new ways to teach them about boundaries and how to avoid/handle situations like this.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes! Ah man, I know I’ve come across really good stuff for that in the last couple years, but now I can’t remember where… aha, wait, here’s a great one I read! I hope this helps you: http://www.checklistmommy.com/2012/02/09/tricky-people-are-the-new-strangers/#sthash.gNCfKHwx.dpbs
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
“Benjamin Glaze says he wasn’t, and people, you need to realize that. means. nothing.” Yes yes yes, this right here.
All of this really, but that statement just really resonated with me. I wrote a post similar a while back with a terrible backlash that followed on the tail end of it. Way to be brave and speak out for a gender that somehow lost their voice when it comes to this matter.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, friend!! This means so much to me. And I’m really, really sorry you experienced such a backlash. 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person