By Erin Rattazzi
I wish to keep my response to Glenn Sacks’ article
(“Domestic violence is harsh reality for men also,”
Viewpoint, May 12) brief since I suspect that a response to his
ridiculous rhetoric is exactly what he desires. For two years now,
I have sat back and read Sacks’ articles with a mixture of
disgust and anger. He has consistently displayed a disturbing
hostility toward the Women’s Resource Center and the
Clothesline Project.
His inflammatory discourse masks itself in statistics and quotes
from various public and academic figures. Yet, it appears to me
that Sacks misses the point completely. Statistics and quotations
ring hollow compared to the human beings who lie behind such
impersonal statements. Women, men and children are abused and
violated every day in this country. Take away the numbers and
you’re left with the experiences of your mother, brother,
partner, sister, neighbor or friend.
Sacks wrote that “the (Clothesline) Project will only tell
half the story.” The event hadn’t even begun yet, but
Sacks attacked it along the same lines of ignorance and
misinformation that such projects so desperately wish to
eradicate.
Nearly half the people involved with the planning of the
Clothesline Project are males. There will be a portion of Take Back
the Night that features a discussion about domestic violence toward
the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. A great deal
of time and consideration have been put into the planning so that
men feel comfortable and safe in sharing their experiences and
lending their support to victims.
I appreciate Sacks’ attention to the fact that, while it
is women who are primarily discussed in issues of domestic
violence, men can also be victims. I think violence against gay and
straight men should be addressed in more public forums. But this
does not negate in any way the work that must be done with female
survivors.
I do not believe that making people aware of violence against
men needs to include such animosity against the Clothesline
Project, the Women’s Resource Center or any other
organization. The Clothesline Project is not geared specifically
toward women, but toward survivors, whether they are male, female,
gay or straight.
There’s work to be done for men and women, but it cannot
be successful unless we support those who strive to solve the
problems of domestic violence, which include the Women’s
Resource Center, Clothesline Project, Take Back the Night and
various other organizations that seek to increase education and
awareness.
I hope that Sacks will attend Take Back the Night and listen to
the heartbreaking stories of survivors of sexual assault, domestic
violence and other crimes that have been traditionally masked in
silence and shame. Listening to such expressions of raw emotion and
pain cuts through pointless arguments about impersonal
statistics.
I invite Sacks and the UCLA community to attend the Clothesline
Project and Take Back the Night. It is only through uniting men and
women that sexual and domestic violence can be stopped.