#MeToo Means Men, Too

Social movements such as #MeToo and #TimesUp have brought greater attention to the issue of sexual harassment and sexual assault. These movements are largely focused on women and girls – so what about the nearly 1 in 4 men who have experienced sexual violence? Zeke Thomas is a music producer, deejay and the son of NBA Hall of Famer Isaiah Thomas – and he’s a survivor of sexual assault and rape. In 2017, Thomas revealed in a nationally-televised interview that he was sexually assaulted at 12 years old, and then experienced date rape at the age 27, committed by a man he met on a dating app. Thomas joins this week to discuss his journey from silent victim to empowered advocate in his role as first male advocate for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. Beyond the work he’s done as for Sexual Violence awareness and LGBTQ and racial equality, Thomas is also a popular Hollywood DJ, having performed for celebrities including Lady Gaga, Snoop Dogg, and Jay-Z. Thomas also reveals what music is certain to get Barack Obama and Joe Biden out of their seats and dancing. Later in the show we’re joined by longtime friend to the show Dr. Frederick Smith, who first joined us in 2015 to discuss his novel "Play It Forward." (He’s also the author of "Right Side of the Wrong Bed," a Lambda Literary Award finalist.) Smith joins us this week with poet and creative writer Chaz Lamar, to discuss their new novel, In Case You Forgot, which tells the story of two newly-single black queer, men who are packing up and starting again—in love, career, and life—in the West Hollywood neighborhood of LA. And in Juicy Fruit: A shopper at a Texas Walmart learns the hard way that  you can have your cake but you must pay for it, too! Help make Strange Fruit possible! Click here to support out show: donate.strangefruitpod.org _