Voice Male: The Untold Story of the Pro-Feminist Men's Movement

Here are some 140 essays, memoirs, and poems from three decades of writings in the magazine of the same name, edited by Okun (former executive director, Men's Resource Center for Change), who edits the publication. Most of the selections are brief (one or two pages long), making it easy to read several at a sitting and to get a good idea of the wide-ranging interests and concerns of profeminist men. Both men and boys have a great deal to gain from adopting profeminist views, the writings indicate. Men, for instance, don't have to live by society's conventional masculine stereotypes; they don't always have to compete with other men, be in charge, and suppress their feelings or affections. And boys don't have to bully weaker boys (or girls) or be bullied themselves; they needn't resolve disputes with fistfights. They can cry when they're injured or when their feelings are hurt. Moreover, profeminist men and boys don't resort to physical or verbal abuse against women. In general, the pieces here argue that profeminist thinking is better for society as a whole.