A lot of people ask me why I’m so passionate about advocating for boys and men. First, because I believe it’s the right thing to do. Boys and men are mistreated in society today, and their challenges are ignored. I see this as an injustice filled with hypocrisy.

As a child, I had a fascination with Martin Luther King, Jr. (I even won a public speaking competition with a speech I wrote about him!) I believe everyone in society should be treated with love and care. Truly loving, supporting and valuing everyone equally—and speaking up when I see injustice—is in my blood.

The Men I’ve Loved and Lost

But I also have boys and men in my life (including my nephew, pictured with me here) whom I love dearly, and I want to make the world a better place for them. I’ve had partners struggling with addiction and depression. One who suffered from domestic abuse, and no one believed them.

I’ve had friends die by suicide and overdose (all men). I have a friend whose life was taken from him, and his wife now sits in prison. My father (who passed away a few years ago) struggled and suffered from an illness his entire life. The list goes on and on… but if you stop and think about the boys and men in your own life, you’d realise how important it is to support boys and men, too!

We’re on the Same Team

Ladies reading this: It might be difficult to escape the mindset drilled into us that boys and men are privileged oppressors. But stop to think about the boys and men in your life. Your partner, your son, your father, your brother, your nephews, your friends. Don’t you want to see them supported, loved and valued by society? Don’t you want to see their challenges addressed? Don’t you want to see them succeed?

It’s far past time for more women to wake up and support our boys and men. Men and women aren’t meant to be rivals… We are on the same team.