Quick Take
Longtime activist and former “meat dress” wearer Ann J. Simonton wants to see attitudes about sexual violence change in her lifetime. A survivor of male sexual violence since the age of 14, she believes it’s possible. “In my lifetime, I’ve seen the unlikely turnaround of public action and opinion around the use of tobacco,” she writes, noting, “humans are obviously capable of dramatic social change.” She invites the community to a Wednesday discussion hosted by the City of Santa Cruz’s Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women.
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We are living in an extraordinary time and as an activist, it’s vital to accentuate the positive. My activism requires that I keep my optimism and humor about humanity’s capability to change. After all, I’m known locally as the woman who protested wearing meat dresses.
In my lifetime, I’ve seen the unlikely turnaround of public action and opinion around the use of tobacco. I’ve also witnessed the spread of HIV/AIDS and saw how quickly the majority of humans got tested and changed their behavior. In addition, at one time, it was common to litter the environment; it is not the case anymore.
Humans are obviously capable of dramatic social change.
We have the potential to eliminate sexual violence and rape — if everyone considers it a priority.
Could human behavior change for the better with an increased understanding of violence?
As a survivor of male sexual violence beginning at the age of 14, I find it important to ask questions. What does violence accomplish? Who performs it? Why is violence portrayed as a solution to problems? Why is this “solution” fed to toddlers via cartoons without social concern? Why is graphic violence a necessary theme in popular entertainment from Oscar awards to video games?
These are vital questions to ask of ourselves, those who govern us, and those who govern popular opinion.
Rape rates are increasing across the country and in California. The reporting of rape and a survivor’s ability to receive help are full of inequities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic violence increased both locally and around the country. Monarch Services, which offers domestic violence crisis service to Santa Cruz County, reported more than triple the number of crisis line calls in 2020, a jump from 1,661 in 2019 to 5,792. Monarch also reported a 75% increase in services during the pandemic and says “the demand continues.”
The epidemic of sexual violence illustrates the need to band together to change, just as we have in regard to other health and environmental emergencies.
The City of Santa Cruz’s Commission for the Prevention of Violence Against Women (CPVAW) is working to begin this difficult conversation with local male leaders. Male allies are the power brokers who create social norms. We are pleased to include County Superintendent of Schools Faris Sabbah and Santa Cruz Warriors President Chris Murphy, as positive male role models to spearhead our efforts locally. CPVAW understands the best avenue to prevention is to create social norms that discourage male violence.
Teaching men and boys the disturbing costs of conventional forms of masculinity, both for themselves and for those they target, is an important step toward confronting gender inequalities. The harm and health consequences of sexual violence go unrecognized for survivors.
As a feminist and mother of a son, I know that men and boys suffer.
Males — even today — are “supposed to” act tough, which leads many to become unfeeling bullies who dominate. Acting dominant is a relational state — meaning that to establish this dominance depends on having someone in the subordinate position to push around and control. This action must be repeated and maintained in relation to vulnerable others.
Boys are also (still) too often taught not to value what is viewed as feminine, including things like empathy, kindness, and anticipating needs of others, but rather to establish “power over” others, including women and girls.
Too often, males learn to speak with their fists, act aggressively and hurt others.
When males are depressed, fewer than 50% of boys and men with mental health challenges seek help, potentially due to appearing too vulnerable. Suicide rates are increasing. Approximately 29 teens die every day in the U.S. and they are predominately males, and white men account for more than 70% of suicide deaths.
Teaching men and boys the disturbing costs of conventional forms of masculinity, both for themselves and for those they target, is an important step toward confronting gender inequalities. The harm and health consequences of sexual violence go unrecognized for survivors.
In a short span of years, there has been a 15-fold increase in sexual assault cases coming into the emergency rooms throughout the U.S., and over two-thirds of all rape cases continue to go unreported. Sexual violence remains a significant public health emergency.
CPVAW is bringing these questions to Santa Cruz and asks our community to grapple together with how we can do better locally and nationally. We particularly invite teachers, students, coaches and community leaders to join us on Wednesday at 7 p.m. for this free event, held at the Resource Center for Nonviolence on Ocean Street.
If a class wants to attend, we are willing to save seats if notified in advance.
It is beyond time to take on the issue of sexual violence as a community. Let’s work together to understand the myriad ways that violence pulls us apart.
Let’s dream big.
Ann J. Simonton is founder and coordinator of Media Watch, and serves as vice chair of CPVAW. She has taught media literacy for over 40 years and has been arrested 11 times for committing nonviolent civil disobedience. Simonton wore various meat outfits in Miss California protests: one of baloney in 1982, skirt steak as Miss Behavin’ in 1985, and turkey slices in 1987. In 1987, she shaved all her bleached blond hair in front of the pageant venue in San Diego to protest “racist attitudes” in pageants.
