Washington Initiative for Boys and Men
Advocating for improved outcomes for boys, men, and communities
Two organizations in Washington have hosted screenings of the timely and important documentary Gone Guys. Aiming to build on this momentum, Washington Initiative for Boys and Men is reaching out to civic leaders and community based organizations to help get more screenings planned.
Jeff Michaelis and his wife MaryAnn testified for a bill intended to require porn websites to verify that individuals accessing their site are 18 or older. Supporters and opponents of the proposal gave compelling testimonies. HB 2112 ultimately did not pass.
Washington-based counselor and author Ann Silvers says the mainstream belief that vastly more women than men are killed by an intimate partner — often cited as five or six times more — is based on a misinterpretation of a study from 2013.
When Quixote Village opened in Olympia in 2013, it was the first tiny house village in Washington to provide permanent supportive housing to those overcoming homelessness. Since then, New Horizon Communities has opened two more villages in Orting and Shelton, creating housing capacity for a total of 95 people so far, two-thirds of whom are military veterans.
In Washington female politicians have been by far the strongest champions for creating a state commission focused on uplifting boys and men in ways they need uplifting. Increasingly male politicians are stepping forward to advocate for boys and men.