Real men to stand up at rally

The Real Men Rally aims to bring together men from across the City of Moreton Bay to take a stand against domestic and family violence on June 16.

The event is being organised by the Peninsula’s Sean Gordon, who is best known for mobilising community support after natural disasters or to help people in need.

His efforts to do something about domestic violence are being supported by Moreton Bay City Council Mayor Peter Flannery and the rally will be held at Redcliffe’s Kayo Stadium thanks to the Dolphins.

Sean says the rally, from 9-11am, will be a chance for men to “stand up for the women in our lives in a visible way and to join them in saying we (too) have had enough of DV in Australia”.

“The sad reality is that around 95 per cent of all victims of violence, whether women or men, experience violence from a male perpetrator. The number of incidents that go unreported is another matter. The issue is a national crisis and cannot be tolerated.”

Sean wants to ‘activate men’ and educate them.

“Someone said to me yesterday, ‘it’s hard to be a real man if you’ve never seen one’. People will follow their dads. Education is the cure to just about everything that’s wrong in this country,” he says.

The rally, which is open to everyone, will offer education about what domestic violence is, while providing information about how men and the broader community can prevent it.

Sean says it is important to spread the message that it’s not weak to seek help if you’re at risk of becoming a domestic violence perpetrator.

The event also aims to ‘change the narrative’ that all men are bad and encourage the majority - good men - to take a stand. Participants will be invited to make a pledge against domestic violence.

Mayor Peter Flannery says too many women are dying.

“When you see, usually, a female partner dying every four days in Australia, that’s horrific,” Mayor Flannery says.

“We have to give men the tools they need if they find themselves in a situation, to check themselves and say: ‘hang on this isn’t right, what can I do about it?’. If they see one of their mates doing it, what can they say to their mate without ending up in a fight or a brawl,” Mayor Flannery says.

He says being more proactive about prevention will better protect those at risk of becoming victims and make the community stronger.

“It’s probably a bit of a wake-up call for men. This is a way of stepping forward and taking some action and a commitment through a pledge that you’re going to start being accountable for what you do but also what you see other men doing,” Mayor Flannery says.

Admission to the Real Men Rally is free.

To find out more and the register, visit realmenrally.org