She’s drunk. He’s trying to have sex with her. It’s just another college party.
Jackson Katz, an educator, author, filmmaker and lecturer on sexist and domestic violence issues, spoke to about 350 students, mostly student athletes, at the Touchdown Terrace in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Tuesday evening.
Katz said friends should start acting like friends and intervene before something goes wrong.
Speaking to the male athletes in the room, Katz said team image problems can be avoided if teammates stop one another from committing sexually violent acts.
“When people hear that a football player beat up his girlfriend, they say, ‘What a bunch of thugs that football team is,’” he said. “It’s not just the one person who is hurt.”
Throughout his speech and a series of video clips, Katz encouraged the athletes to set good examples for kids because children look up to athletes more than almost any other group.
His presentation focused on the idea that everyone, both men and women, should be actively engaged in stopping violence against women.
“Historically, sexual assault and violence were seen as women’s issues that some good men helped out with,” he said. “I see them as men’s issues. We as men are in a position to do something about it.”
Katz’s speech also featured a discussion about sexism in hip-hop culture.
Calvin Smith, a sociology senior, said Katz’s speech was enlightening.
“I’d never thought of rap and hip-hop music videos being a problem before,” he said.
