The title of this blog post comes from something documentary filmmaker Cassie Jaye said in 2019:
“What all of these issues facing men and boys have in common is the universal struggle to be openly discussed — let alone be met with compassion, empathy, and a willingness to make a change.”
“The universal struggle to be openly discussed…” That sure hits home right now.
This is the second year we poured ourselves into advocating for airtime in the legislature for the struggles of our sons, dads, brothers, uncles, grandfathers, boyfriends, and husbands. For the second year, we did not succeeed. The chair of the State Government & Tribal Relations Committee declined to give a public hearing to House Bill 1270, which calls for the creation of a commission focused on the well-being of boys and men. He did not give any public explanation for why, but two of his colleagues did.
We are disappointed.
We’re also a bit surprised, given that the bill had three Democratic co-sponsors and that among them was Representative Chris Stearns (D-Covington), who is the vice chair of the committee directly below Chair Bill Ramos (D-Issaquah).
Can we openly discuss males’ issues?
There is real reluctance to talk openly and publicly about equality for boys and men. But what do we mean by “equality for boys and men”? Here’s how our friends at Global Initiative for Boys and Men put it:
We envision a world where the well-being of everyone, including boys and men, is equally sought.
Dear reader: If with clear eyes you consider the statistics on poor outcomes for today’s males, and then you survey the priorities of governments, nonprofits, philanthropists, and academia in Washington state, you must acknowledge these institutions are not equally seeking the well-being of boys and men.
The fight for justice and non-discrimination continues, and we believe one day these institutions will equally seek the well-being of all people, regardless of sex or gender.
We will not give up the struggle for boys and men’s issues to be met with compassion, empathy, and a willingness to change.
Change is coming
There are signs that change is coming. There are compelling reasons to be hopeful.
We are immensely encouraged by the momentum and progress achieved during the 2023 grassroots advocacy campaign for establishing a Washington State Commission on Boys and Men. Working together, we will not allow this momentum to fizzle.
Let’s recap.
Seven legislators signed on as sponsors of a bill that would create the first funded commission at any level of government throughout the United States focused on addressing problems disproportionately affecting males. The bill’s two lead sponsors are women. Three of the sponsors are Democrats and four are Republicans. Two of the sponsors are under the age of 40. Two are above the age of 60. One is Native American. One is Black. The sponsors represent three rural districts, three suburban districts, and one urban district.
That is diverse support.
As grassroots lobbyists, we have now learned the lay of the land in Olympia. We spent two full days in January at the capitol carrying out face-to-face outreach to Democratic and Republican legislators. We were accompanied by Richard Reeves, a Brookings Institution scholar and a world-leading expert on the struggling modern male. Employing both stories and statistics, Richard pointed legislators to the dire need for institutions to pay attention to disparities impacting males and to avoid seeing gender equality as a zero-sum game.
Taking full advantage of his visit to Washington, Richard also spoke about boys and men’s issues at events in Seattle. Those included an event hosted by an influential Black pastor who leads a multi-ethnic congregation and an event hosted by professors at the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance and UW’s Center for Studies in Demography and Ecology.
Our bill, HB 1270, received media coverage from such outlets as KING-5 Seattle, KXLY Spokane, The Center Square, [un]Divided with Brandi Kruse, Kiro Newsradio, and C-SPAN. [View the full list of links to media coverage of HB 1270.]
Much of the media coverage was due to Representative Mary Dye’s willingness to speak to reporters about the bill. We acknowledge and express immense gratitude for Representative Dye’s courageous leadership on this novel legislative endeavor. She has worked extremely hard on it and has been a gracious partner since she first decided to champion this cause in mid-2021.
In addition to the accomplishments above, this year’s campaign for a Washington State Commission on Boys and Men has helped us grow the number of subscribers to our email list and resulted in many names added to our database of people willing to assist with our advocacy in practical ways.
There is hope
Quoting again from Cassie Jaye’s presentation at the Canadian National Men’s Issues Conference:
I do think that there’s hope, and I think everything that we’re talking about here at this conference is on the right side of history. I think the truth will come out, and we will be looked at as being ahead of our time.
We must stick with the fight. We must play the long game.
The work ahead
It is February 2023, and we’re looking ahead to the next legislative session that begins January 2024. We are in a better position than ever to carry out effective advocacy for the well-being of Washington’s boys and men, including by establishing a state-level commission that will develop policy recommendations to address the ways males are struggling.
For some perspective, it was December 2022 before we knew who the chair of the State Government & Tribal Relations Committee would be for 2023. For the 2024 legislative session, however, we are ten months out and we already know who the committee chair will likely be — the same person it is now: Representative Bill Ramos (D-Issaquah). It’s also fairly likely that the other six committee members will remain the same in 2024.
Anticipated 2024 membership, House State Government & Tribal Relations Committee
| Democrats | Republicans |
| Bill Ramos (D-Issaquah), 5th District | Peter Abbarno (R-Centralia), 20th District |
| Chris Stearns (D-Covington), 47th District | Leonard Christian (R-Spokane Valley), 4th District |
| Mia Gregerson (D-SeaTac), 33rd District | Sam Low (R-Lake Stevens), 39th District |
| Sharlett Mena (D-Tacoma), 29th District |
We also already know that the same people who currently occupy the formal leadership positions among the majority party in the House — positions like Speaker, Majority Leader, Majority Caucus Chair, Majority Whip, etc. — will likely occupy those positions again in 2024.
We must outreach to Democratic legislators
- We need to secure meetings with Democratic legislators (ideally in cooperation with constituents from their districts) where we can make our pitch to them.
- We need to learn from them what needs to happen for a Commission on Boys and Men to become a more politically viable idea for Democrats. For example, would making any particular changes to the text of the bill enable more Democrats to support it?
- We need to attract more formal endorsements for a Commission on Boys and Men from unions and organizations, particularly those that serve predominantly male populations, such as the Washington State Council of Firefighters and the Boys Scouts of America.
- We need to bring aboard more allies who are donors to Representative Bill Ramos and other key Democrats. This includes both organizations and individuals who donate to Democrats.
We must grow the number of people joining in our outreach
We must bring more allies into this grassroots campaign who:
- vote for Democrats, share the values of the Democratic Party platform, and know how to ‘speak the language’ of Democrats
- are Black, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American, and/or who have experience working or advocating for the wellness of those populations
- are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, and/or who have experience working or advocating for the wellness of those populations
- are in their teens and twenties
- have expertise and/or lived experience related to any of the five areas that HB 1270 calls for the Commission on Boys and Men to focus on: 1) Education, 2) Fatherhood, Family, & Relationships, 3) Careers, Jobs, & Financial Health, 4) Mental & Physical Health, 5) the Experiences of Males in Court Systems
Additionally, we want to maintain our seven sponsors of the bill and potentially add new sponsors. Recent outreach to a prominent female Democrat in the House has resulted in a commitment from her to help improve HB 1270’s chances in 2024. This bodes well!
We have a compelling story
Two female lawmakers, one Republican and one Democrat, are the lead sponsors of a bill that would bring needed attention to the areas where boys and men are struggling. The creation of a Commission on Boys and Men would bring about a measure of parity and equity for males, given that a Washington Women’s Commission has been operating for years. The prime sponsor of the bill that would establish a Commission on Boys and Men, Mary Dye, has been an active advisor to the Women’s Commission since its founding. The bill has diverse sponsorship from three Democrats and four Republicans; three men and four women.
And yet…
The male legislator who holds the position of power over the Commission on Boys and Men bill has so far refused to give it a public hearing.
Why?
Let’s invite more and more people to join us in asking that question. Why?
Representative Joe Fitzgibbon’s response, which alluded to “the segment of our society that’s been historically most advantaged,” just does not cut it when considering present-day realities.
If you are not already on our email list, please sign up. Email us at info@equalityforboysandmen.org if you might be willing to help advocate. Everyone has something to offer.