Gordon Bock is a fatherhood expert and a leader within the Washington State Interagency Fatherhood Council. The Seattle Times recently published Gordon’s letter explaining why he supports the creation of a Washington State Boys and Men’s Commission (see letter below).
We are proud of the accomplishment of getting the Men’s Commission bill written and introduced in the 2022 legislative session. The bill’s prime sponsor, Representative Mary Dye, has been and continues to be a fantastic champion of this effort. The coalition of supporters is growing, diversifying, and working behind the scenes to give the bill a better shot of passing in 2023. (Of course, the outcome of the election on November 8, 2022 will be consequential for our odds of passing the bill next year.)
A fun fact about Gordon is that he studied nuclear engineering at the Naval Nuclear Power School.
We are encouraged that not only did the Seattle Times publish Gordon’s letter to the editor, but they also recently ran a front page Sunday edition article highlighting concern over the plummeting college enrollment among men in Washington.
Gordon Bock: Support establishment of a men’s commission
Here is the complete text of Gordon’s letter to the editor published in the April 18, 2022 issue of The Seattle Times:
Men are more likely than women to commit crime, find themselves homeless or engage in risky behavior. The common denominator for all these issues, as well as a multitude of others, is fatherlessness. Children are four times more likely to be poor if the father is not around, according to “Failure is Not an Option” author Alan Blankenstein.
The growth of fatherlessness, as well as its negative impacts, is unsurprisingly getting worse as those of us in King County know quite well. Now is the time to support House Bill 1917, which establishes and funds a “men’s commission” that identifies challenges boys and men face and recommends policies/programs to increase fathers’ engagement across Washington.
Our society needs men, just like it needs women, to operate effectively. Let’s understand and include all Washingtonians to make a better Washington.
-Gordon Bock, Federal Way