Follow Up: Story Leads to Action!

April 15th, 2010 marked “Story Leads To Action” a monthly series sponsored by Working Films, Chicken and Egg Pictures and special co-sponsor The Fledgling Fund. The inimitable Judith Helfand moderated the panel and gave a very touching introduction. It was a great opportunity for THE LINE Campaign to pair the film with a stellar panel and set clear goals for how THE LINE can support the great work already being done in the movement. This discussion will help shape the next phase of our outreach campaign (including posting the video). Panel included:

• Director, Nancy Schwartzman
• Michelle J. Anderson, Dean and Professor of Law at CUNY School of Law
• Neil Irvin, Executive Director, Men Can Stop Rape (MCSR)
• Don McPherson, former NFL football player; current sports announcer and activist
• Meghan O’Connor, NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault

This was our last event with *fantastic* outreach coordinator, Sheila Aminmadani. She brought her experience from the Educational Video Center and the NYC Grassroots Media Coalition to get THE LINE Campaign on everyone’s radar. She will spend the next few months at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival and we will miss her!

My goals were to ask the panel and audience specific questions:

• How to make THE LINE usable for High School students 
(what clips are appropriate, study guide)

• How to make THE LINE part of Sexual Violence Prevention Programs: Fall 2010 and Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2011 – emphasizing sex-positive education and prevention.

• How to make THE LINE part of Freshman Orientation Programs on College Campuses 
(Dept of Justice grant? strategic pairings with other programs?)

• How to make THE LINE part of Law School/Criminal Justice Education

Marilla Li took precise notes of the panelists’ unique perspective and here they are in their bullet-pointed glory. I’m going to intercut them with photographs, to keep you entertained. Panelists from left: Don McPherson, Michelle Anderson, Meghan O’ Connor, Neil Irvin & my hands.

Dean Michelle Anderson discusses the problems with rape law as it stands:

• “Consent”: assumes male initiation and female acquiescence, (this idea that women are the gatekeepers to men’s desires) it is not egalitarian

• “Proof of consent” for a penetrative act means failure to fight back physically ignores non verbal signals, cues and communication

• Doesn’t account for peritraumatic dissociation: paralysis, silence

• Heterosexual men over-interpret what is nonverbal behavior (a smile) to mean consent which is reinforced in the media

• Work on the agreement & desire

• Massive exposure from images creates idea of *automatic* agreement

• Sexual Education in school doesn’t teach negotiation, just plumbing. Think beyond boundaries of what we’re taught -> what is our language for ethical sexuality?

• In law schools, we can use THE LINE as a case study to see how the law would respond, case sets up the idea that vaginal penetration means loss of autonomy

Meghan O’Connor, NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault:

• Alliance works to care for survivors and access to justice

• How to address root causes of violence (comprehensive violence prevention education!)

• How can we use THE LINE with people who are in field – advocates, social workers, nurses, examiners so that they can address their own biases, regarding victim blaming, prostitution, etc.

• Break apart the “perfect victim” stereotype

• Address stigma and silence of sexual violence, stranger rape v. acquaintance rape

• Who are the victims/ who are the perpetrators? -> Anyone. You know them.

• Victim blaming – external, from peers and community and internal, victim’s own inner voice “did I perceive this wrong way?”

• So: first step is prevention, use film to start dialogue, pick apart judgments, untangle desire versus boundaries, investigate individual v. societal boundaries

(Male student calls out “KB” or “Kobe Bryant”)

Neil Irvin, Men Can Stop Rape:

• MCSR works to challenge “Masculinity”: Heterosexism, Classism, Racism make up the foundations of masculinity

• MCSR works primarily with men – programs include: media messaging, youth training and professional training

• Challenging the performance of masculinity in middle school, high school and college chapters

• His audiences will relate to the honesty of the film – these are themes that play out everyday and the facilitator can help give youth language to critique

• Show to parents and PTAs

• For MCSR, working with affluent white males & communities is the most challenging

• Working with men who are survivors, through stigma and victimization. A common myth “If a woman is doing it to you, you should like it” (see below)

Don McPherson, NFL Quarterback, Educator and Activist:

• Negotiating beyond a no “Baby it’s cold outside” song as example

• Challenging narrow masculinity (working in tandem with MCSR)

• Giving a voice to women, refusing to sit on male privilege and be silent

• Having the convenience to sit outside the work and not be consumed by it (versus subject in THE LINE, “my whole reality changed”)

• NFL Athlete, but critiquing Sports culture and “warrior mentality” and “army of one” -> Reinforces Power/Control

• Examining masculinity vs. race

• Insults: “you throw like a girl” and training men not to be women – but that’s it

• Living in a world that perpetuates social narrative of culture

• Madonna is empowered by doing what we want her to do (be sexual) and how “empowerment” becomes commercialized

• How do we make men understand that rape happens everyday? Not stranger in the bushes

General conversation from the panel and the audience:

• Making sure all participants/audience members respond to the study guide

• We must work at multiple levels: move beyond the one-time workshop using both top down and grassroots approaches

• Connect THE LINE to Department of Education, Policymakers, Parents-in-Action, social workers, administrators, guidance counselors, etc. (panelists can help facilitate)

• Michelle Anderson discusses Bureau of Erotic Discourse (B.E.D.), workshops for clarity and consent at Burning Man

• Don’t forget PLEASURE! Emphasizing the collective stake we have in pleasure and healthy sexual relationships

• High school students create PSA (film the dialogue and creative process, then post)

• Make sure these issues are made relevant to queer community (follow up for screenings at LGBTQ Center with the YES program and film)

• Experiment with game-based networking, using web like 11^th Hour or The Yes Men

• Don’t forget faith-based youth, where abstinence is a reality

THE LINE Campaign Ideas and Takeaway (my homework!):

• Host screening and then film audience dialogue with:

LGBTQ Center & Men Can Stop Rape constituents
Post and distribute to show facilitators how the film can be used

• Map out 2010-11 plans with Men Can Stop Rape about using THE LINE in their yearly violence prevention programming

• Work with NYC-Alliance to facilitate a “Train the Trainers” screening for advocates, social workers and policy folks city-wide

• Work with Michelle Anderson about getting THE LINE used in Law School classes as “case study” for criminal law and rape law.

• Continue to cross-promote with Don McPherson and pair up for screenings next year.
• Ensure that the Facilitator’s Study Guide, which we co-write with Media Education Foundation is inclusive, comprehensive and usable!

Tags: activis, feminism, Media, screening, sex, women