Men stand up against sexual violence

If beauty is pain, the men at Saturday’s Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event were gorgeous, as they gingerly learned to walk in heels in a demonstration against rape, sexual assault and gender violence.

Approximately 200 participants, the majority men, showed up to wear high heels and walk the mile circuit around Mission Plaza. The event is the 10th annual for San Luis Obispo’s Sexual Assault Recovery and Prevention (SARP) Center, which organizes the walk.

The event helps show how sexual assault affects all members of a community and that it takes both men and women to end it, SARP Center Executive Director Kristy McCray said.

“This isn’t just a women’s issue; this affects the whole community,” McCray said.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes also makes the issue more public, which helps people stop victim blaming and be more supportive of victims of sexual assault, McCray said.

“There’s so much stigma around sexual assault and still so much victim blaming,” McCray said.

Though women are often told how to protect themselves against sexual assault, the only person who can prevent an assault completely is the perpetrator, McCray said. Because the perpetrators of assaults are often men, having other men stand up against rape and sexual violence helps to raise awareness for the issue, McCray said.

The men decked out in red pumps last Saturday agreed.

Having men literally walk in women’s shoes helped show the gender’s solidarity with women who are attacked, said bioresource agricultural engineering sophomore Gannon Depetris, who wore a pair of beige heels to the walk.

“I think it’s important, because a lot of times, men are the perpetrators,” Depetris said.

The walk was not only a message to women, but a lesson for men, Depetris said. Not only were the men learning how to wear a new type of footwear, but they were beginning to understand the possibility of sexual assault women face on a day-to-day basis.

“We have to realize that metaphor of walking in their shoes and act on that,” Depetris said.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes received support from local fraternity chapters, with several greek members showing up to walk, and the Interfraternity Council sponsoring a portion of the walk.

The walk was an opportunity for fraternity brothers to show their support for women, and their stance against sexual violence, Delta Chi member and wine and viticulture junior Drew Nenow said.

“It’s a great cause to show that guys in fraternities care about this stuff too,” Nenow said.

The event was not without pain, though, as men walked the mile in lofty footwear.

Nenow’s own shoes didn’t quite fit, and he had trouble adjusting, he said.

“They’re a little big, and I don’t know how girls do it,” Nenow said.

San Luis Obispo County Supervisor Jim Patterson also showed up in a pair that didn’t quite fit, though his red heels were too small for comfort, he said.

“They’re a little tight, and I don’t understand exactly why women torture themselves like this,” Patterson said.

Despite the discomfort, Patterson felt the cause was one that was worthy of support. Awareness needs to be raised about sexual violence, and the community can start taking bigger steps than walking a mile in heels, Patterson said.

“We need to do more, but this is a great beginning,” Patterson said.

In addition to the walk, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes had live music, as well as a testimonial written by a survivor. The event featured Family Fun Fair with local vendors and sponsors, and a “My Strength” pledge booth hosted by cadets from Grizzly Youth Academy too.

The several hundred people that turned out to support the cause were encouraging, McCray said.

“Everyone’s out there as a supporter,” McCray said. “They think that this is an important thing to do on a Saturday afternoon.”