'Voices of Men' gives unique insight on sexual assault

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Amaani Lyle
  • Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  Nobody would expect a guy dressed like Austin Powers to educate people about sexual assault awareness. 

But as part of the nationwide observance this month to raise awareness about one of the country's most under-reported crimes, Defense Department officials here developed fresh initiatives and unconventional teaching methods to prevent sexual assault. 

Enter Ben Atherton-Zeman, the author behind "Voices of Men," an innovative one-man play that artfully blends multimedia, humor and celebrity voice impressions to educate military and civilian members about sexual assault and other forms of violence. 

From Rocky Balboa to James Bond and Austin Powers, Mr. Atherton-Zeman's deadpan delivery and library of impressions lowered defensiveness and raised understanding about a crime that occurs every two minutes in the United States. 

"The humor serves to help people get past their discomfort -- especially males," Mr. Atherton-Zeman said. "Often many men come to these briefings feeling a little defensive, so I use humor to get them to relax and eventually listen to accurate information about what sexual assault is and what it's not." 

Mr. Atherton-Zeman said the unusual training method gets men and women to realize that they have an important part to play as a bystander and ally to victims of sexual assault. 

The play thoughtfully analyzes the culture of abusive masculinity in movies, television, music and video games. The play's title derives from the fact that most men do not rape or abuse nor do they think it's acceptable. 

"So where are the voices of these men?" Mr. Atherton-Zeman asked. 

The 42-year old Maynard, Mass., native is the unlikely image of a feminist and activist, who said he made his start 15 years ago in community-based raped crisis centers and domestic violence programs as a community educator. 

While in college, he said several women shared accounts of their sexual assaults or abuse with him, spurring him to get involved and make a memorable difference.
He wrote "Voices of Men" seven years ago and has since presented it in 43 states, Canada, China and the Czech Republic. 

Mr. Atherton-Zeman cited persistent myths about sexual assault. 

"People think sexual assault is a stranger jumping out from behind a bush with a knife," he said. "Yes that sometimes happens, but most of the time people know their rapist and blame themselves." 

Mr. Atherton-Zeman added, "Our culture will forgive a rape victim who is raped by a stranger at knife-point, but if it's someone who's been attracted to their rapist, who danced with their rapist and then said 'no' to sex, we tend to blame the victim." 

Capt. Heather Ovalle, the 70th Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Wing Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program coordinator at Fort Meade, Md., said she hopes "Voices of Men" helps dispel another plaguing myth about sexual assault. 

"One of the biggest myths is that women lie about sexual assault. They're said to 'cry rape' when things don't go their way, and that's simply not true," Captain Ovalle said. "According to FBI statistics, only about 2 percent of sexual assault cases are false. These numbers are no higher than people who lie about burglary, homicide or terrorism." 

According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network Web site and the U.S. Department of Justice, in 2007 there were 248,300 reported and unreported sexual assaults committed in the U.S. That same year, there were 2,688 total reports of sexual assault in the military. 

Captain Ovalle said silence about sexual assault has detrimental consequences. 

"How effective can our military be when women and men are emotionally dying because they've experienced something as traumatic as rape or sexual assault and simply can't function?" Captain Ovalle asked. "This program is so incredibly important because we need to take care of each other." 

The house lights came up as Mr. Atherton-Zeman ended with a sobering message. 

"You might not agree with the definitions of abuse or sexual assault that you saw," Mr. Atherton-Zeman said. "But you'll still be arrested and face the Uniform Code of Military Justice if you assault or abuse anyone." 

For more information about sexual assault prevention, go to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center at www.nsvrc.org/saam or to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network at www.rainn.org. 

Visit the new Web site http://www.sapr.mil/ for victim assistance, schedules of events and activities throughout the year as well as training tools and materials. This year's DoD Sexual Assault Awareness theme is "Our strength is for defending."

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