carrierudzinski:

“I can remember speaking to a 12-year-old boy, a football player, and I asked him, ‘How would you feel if, in front of all the players, the coach told you, you were playing like a girl?’ Now I expected him to say that I’d be sad or I’d be mad or I’d be angry or something. No, the boy said to me, ‘It would destroy me.’ And, I said to myself…. if it would destroy him to be called a girl, what are we then teaching him about girls.” — Tony Porter

This quote is from an excellent TED talk by Tony Porter, an educator and activist who is internationally recognized for his efforts to end violence against women. In his talk, “A Call to Men,” Porter explores the social conditioning that he refers to as the “man box,” which can lead men to disrespect, mistreat, and abuse women and each other. 

To watch his talk, which is especially timely during October’s Domestic Violence Awareness Month, visit http://bit.ly/1s4Nqwz. Porter is also the cofounder of A CALL TO MEN: The National Association of Men and Women Committed to Ending Violence Against Women: http://www.acalltomen.org/