My friend and fellow author A.C. Hessenauer posted recently that men don’t do enough to speak out against sexual violence against woman.
And she’s absolutely right.
American men generally give the issue about as much attention as they would a Kosovo Third Division soccer match. We don’t speak up about it the way we should, because we’re comfortable knowing it doesn’t really affect us. Our assumption is that if anyone ever does try to sexually assault someone we care about, we’ll give them the Bruce Lee or Clint Eastwood treatment and they’ll disappear, chastened, while we’re hailed as a hero.
If only that was how it would work out…
So instead of being comfortable, I’ve decided to respond to A.C.’s challenge. And since money talks louder than I can, I’ll use that as my megaphone.
From October 6 until October 18, all proceeds from the sale of all three Aggie books (Including the newly-released Cannibal Canyon) on the Undertaker Books website, in both formats, will go to End the Backlog, a project of Mariska Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation dedicated to ending the backlog of rape kit testing in the United States and ensuring it doesn’t happen again.
I’ll also personally match any funds raised, up to $100.