Men March In Heels For Anti-Rape Message

In an effort to raise awareness for sexual assault against women, men in Alaska walked in heels for the fourth annual “Walk A Mile In Her Shoes” event at the University of Alaska Anchorage.

The group of men walked a mile-long route in order to raise money for local non-profit Standing Together Against Rape, with all proceeds going toward “banishing sexual assaults and other acts of violence against women”.

Vashon Hilliard, whose work involves helping the disabled, stuffed his feet into a colleague’s black patent leather pumps. The shoes were a snug fit, but Hilliard didn’t let that stop him.
“I just decided it’s for a great cause, and why not?” he said.

“Men want to make a public statement that they detest sexual violence,” said Kelley Olson, STAR’s program manager. “A lot of them have told me that they walk for their sisters, they walk for their mothers, they walk for their daughters. They walk because they care about women.”

Despite the “amusement factor” of watching men walking around in “old lady shoes” (as you all know, men wearing something women wear=HILARIOUS lol), everyone involved said they were taking part in the fundraiser because “the issues of sexual assault need to be highlighted”.

Walt Monegan, a former head of the state troopers, said:

“Sexual assault for some folks is still kind of a sensitive, dark issue,” he said. “By bringing this in a humorous light, it eases the acceptance and discussion of it. So, any way we can bring it to the surface is a good thing.”

While this fundraiser could potentially send a mixed message —that sexual assault happens, but it doesn’t happen to men— any increase in the attention paid to such issues is good news for everyone.