“Why don’t men have time to talk about sexual assault?”

A group of five students in the Tyler School of Art came together to create a project called “Take The Time,” which works to address the topic of sexual assault, specifically on college campuses. Ranging in both years and majors within Tyler, these artists question why some men are unwilling to discuss the topic of sexual assault.

To bring this topic into the public the artists of this project collaborated by making a sign that reads, “WHY DON’T MEN HAVE TIME TO TALK ABOUT SEXUAL ASSAULT?,” which is located directly in front of the Tyler School of Art on Temple’s main campus.

Going above and beyond, they have also printed numerous flyers with the quote on it and displayed them in various men’s bathrooms on campus.

Recently, we had the chance to ask the creators of “Take The Time” about the significance of this Community Arts project.

I heard that this is a group art project. Is that right? What made you choose this topic?

Yes, this is a group art project for our Community Arts class. We chose this project because, as women, we have each dealt with sexual assault and/or harassment in some form or another. This problem is extremely pervasive on college campuses. We’ve noticed not only a lack of conversation, but also a reluctance to talk about it in large groups of men, and figured we would make a push in order to promote the conversation and emphasize how important it is.

Why do you think it is so important to talk about, especially among college campuses?

Especially on campuses which have a huge party/drinking culture, sexual assault has been normalized. Everyone has heard the statistic that 1 out of 4 women and 1 out of 16 men (not to mention those in the LGBTQ* community who are even more at risk, depending on how they identify) will be sexually assaulted by the time they finish college; that’s why it is important to us as students. Talking about it educates people to the different forms of sexual assault that would maybe be considered “okay” otherwise, and will empower victims of any identity to feel supported and unashamed. Otherwise, victims tend to blame themselves and have little outlet to open up. 

I saw the sign in front of Tyler. Why did you choose to put it in front of the Tyler building? Also, why did you choose to put the flyers in the men’s bathrooms?

We chose to put the sign at Tyler because it is our home ground. It is in the front so that it can gain as much attention as possible, from all students. We put the flyers in men’s bathrooms in order to infiltrate men’s space that is notorious for “locker room talk” and make it unavoidable to acknowledge the question. Men’s bathrooms are an unavoidable space (everybody poops) and this is an often avoidable conversation. In a bathroom the flyers become confrontational, and the thought becomes inevitable. 

What was the process of creating the sign in front of the Tyler building like?

We used resources that were readily available for installations. The cardboard was actually used as stencils for banners (which will be displayed very soon) and we mounted those on a frame provided by our professor. 

You wrote on the Facebook page that the majority of male groups ignored your attempts at connecting with them. What do you mean by that, and why do you think so many males choose to ignore this problem?

The project evolved from a lack of response to our original inquiries about conversation surrounding sexual assault. We wanted to host a conversation night, pairing men from a male organization (such as a fraternity or sports team) and victims of sexual harassment (predominantly women) to talk about sexual assault and make it personal. The goal was to humanize it since the issue is often talked about in the abstract with statistics and not faces.

We emailed and followed up with well over 20 individuals and received only two responses. The few responses that we did get said that they didn’t have time to even meet up with us. Only one group was enthusiastic about it and we are hoping to still have this event happen, although it might not be this semester. 

As per the second part of the question, we were targeting groups with the stereotype of being perpetrators, to potentially help them defy stereotypes, while educating and starting a conversation. We anticipated some difficulty, but not as much as we faced. We don’t know why they chose to ignore our outreach, so that’s why we are asking “Why don’t men have time to talk about sexual assault?” It is rooted in our frustration and a feeling of helplessness that, as women, we aren’t being heard. So we are now calling on individuals to take it upon themselves to start these conversations and listen to victims of sexual assault or people who feel sexually unsafe, and support them. 

Where are the flyers located? Only in the men’s bathrooms at Tyler, or all the men’s bathrooms at Temple?

The flyers were posted in what we figured were fourteen of the most trafficked academic buildings around campus.

What do you hope to achieve with this project?

Well, of course, we hope to raise awareness and visibility of this issue, not only as a physicality but as something that is passed down verbally and through micro aggressions. We want to gain responses and reactions from everyone, in terms of opinions, feelings, and just simply answering our question, “Why don’t men have time to talk about sexual assault?”

The question can be perceived in different ways. First it can be understood at the surface level, strictly that men, as individuals, don’t have the time, or care, to talk about sexual assault. However, there are other levels to this question that are more loaded.

We have noticed that there are plenty of men who are survivors themselves or have experienced uncomfortable situations and feel unable to speak up for fear of being rejected or humiliated, and this is an opportunity to speak. The cultural expectation under the patriarchy is that being a “man” and being masculine connotes not being vulnerable or sensitive. There is a notion that the “man” cannot be sexually assaulted, and that the issue is not a “man’s” problem. But it is – sexual assault can be experienced by anyone of any orientation, gender, race, religion, or other identity marker. This is an issue that crosses identity borders and can affect anyone.

We hope to empower victims and to create a sense of accountability, that bystanders become active parts of helping those who are being sexually harassed or assaulted, and that conversation about sexual assault become normalized, instead of assault itself.

How can men help make a difference?

Reversing rape culture is a slow process and we think it has to start with conversation. Sticking up for your friends who are unsafe, calling out casual micro aggressions, and generally asking for others’ perspectives can all make a tremendous difference. Often, people encourage drunken hook ups without knowing whether both parties are giving informed consent, or people play off sexist jokes as being funny, or even assume that they understand a sexual assault victim’s perspective completely; but all of these things are harmful to the progress of equality. Men are undeniably in a position of power and have a power to amplify the voice of the non-hegemonic majority, and should use their power for good!

Where can people reach you for more information?

We actually have an email address! Our email is [email protected] and we respond to every email. We also have a Facebook page, Take the Time, so feel free to like us and spread the word. Message or email us and we will definitely get back to you! We are open to new perspectives or prospective improvements on our project.

How have the students’ reactions been towards this project?

For the most part, reactions have been fairly positive. We’ve received a few emails, although not as many as we would like. People have generally been speaking favorably of our signs and Facebook page. We would love to have more input but since we put the signs up in men’s bathrooms and we don’t frequent them, it’s hard to tell how many people are paying attention or responding by writing on the flyers, unless we are shown or sent pictures. 

We’ve also had some critical responses regarding how we’ve “gendered” the issue of sexual assault. We’ve taken that to heart and tried to dissect how we can address it since we realize that we’ve presented it in a heteronormative and binary way and that’s problematic. Obviously victims aren’t always women assaulted by men, and there is nothing less valid about those cases. There is, however, an issue with “men’s culture” (behavior enforced by the patriarchy) that makes the topic taboo and which perpetuates a lack of conversation and education about the subject, especially amongst men.

We want it to be clear that we mean to foster a conversation and let people come forth, regardless of indentity, and feel empowered to talk about their experiences. So many issues of sexual assault are due to lack of understanding, but if we talk about it and educate one another, we will be creating a safer environment for all.

 

To learn more about this initiative, email the creators at [email protected], or like the official “Take The Time” Facebook page here.

@michmendezmedia