Washington Initiative for Boys and Men
Advocating for improved outcomes for boys, men, and communities
Posts about issues that apply to Washington state as a whole or issues that are within Washington but outside the Seattle area:
In the early 2000s, law enforcement agencies across Washington state made about 900 arrests of women annually for prostitution offenses and around 600 arrests of men. Since then arrest numbers have drastically declined. Between 2022 and 2024, police arrested an average of 11 women per year and 93 men per year.
Dee Myers is a leader in the Eastern Washington eating disorders community, with nearly 30 years of experience treating clients individually, in groups, and at all outpatient levels of care. She is the Spokane site director of The Emily Program.
Steve Warshaw, a dad of two boys in Renton, channeled his feelings into lyrics and created a song. Please give to a listen.
Michelle Flores is a nonprofit program specialist with more than a decade of experience in education and mental health. She focuses on community-based prevention, cross-sector collaboration, and trauma-informed program design, bringing both systems-level thinking and clinical insight to her work in Washington State.
The FBI’s recent podcast about international parental kidnapping was inspired by the case of Jay Sung and his son Bryan. Bryan is a U.S. citizen who at age three was brought to South Korea by his mom for a vacation, and she has wrongfully kept him there ever since.
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.