Graham Platner Debacle as Teachable Moment

First things first. Maine Democrats need to come up with a candidate that can beat Susan Collins in November. Winning back the Senate is job #1 for anyone who understands the urgent need to fight back against the theocrats, tech bros, and other oligarchs in the struggle to preserve and defend our teetering democracy.

For those of us who work in the movements against sexual assault, domestic violence, and the sexual exploitation of women and children, the Trump administration and MAGAfied Republican control of Congress have been an unmitigated disaster.

That said, the Graham Platner debacle is yet another powerful teachable moment on multiple levels. For now, I’m focused on one of the many issues raised by this sorry episode.

I and others have written and spoken about it for years: the need for liberal, progressive, and left-wing men to become much more actively committed to feminist values and practices in their personal and political lives.

There is a long, sad, and sometimes disgraceful history of men on the left who claim to be committed to progressive values of respect, fairness, dignity, and justice for all, but who fail to practice what they preach when it comes to their behavior toward women. Cesar Chavez comes to mind immediately, but there are many others.

There is also a long history of men on the left who fail to hold their fellow men even minimally accountable for their transgressions. (To be sure, there are exceptions.)

For now, and for the sake of brevity, here’s something I wrote in my latest book, about the critical role of men in the movement to end gender-based violence. It’s one of “21 Action Steps for Men” included in the final chapter:

#16. Raise the Issue in Other Movements
“Sexual harassment and assault are problems even within movements dedicated to equity and justice. If you are a man in these movements, support women who are trying to raise the issue internally, and do what you can to organize other men. Also, it’s important that people involved in work on the housing crisis, anti-racism, gun violence, gang violence, climate change, etc. are aware of the many ways in which gender inequality and gender-based violence intersect and overlap with those issues. If you’re part of those movements, or know people who are, urge people to educate themselves and others on the connections and incorporate gender violence prevention into activist efforts.”

From Every Man: Why Violence Against Women is a Men’s Issue, by Jackson Katz. (p. 142)

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