Men and #MeToo

This week, SN&R presents The Women’s Issue, which asks some hard questions about what lies ahead for the Women’s March and the #MeToo movement.

Here’s another difficult question: What’s the right role for men?

Actor Idris Elba was asked if it’s difficult to be a man in Hollywood in these days of reckoning. “It’s only difficult if you’re a man with something to hide,” he replied in December.

The fact this got so much attention tells you a lot.

When GQ and Glamour did a poll last year, a stunning 41 percent of men surveyed said they had never heard of the #MeToo movement, and only 31 percent said they had discussed it with a female friend.

Obviously, too many men are still clueless and need to get informed.

Mansplaining the #MeToo movement would be the worst.

Thank goodness that my parents brought me up to be a gentleman, and that I learned well before I became a supervisor—and well before Harvey Weinstein—that office relationships are almost always a bad idea.

I’m sticking to some simple rules: Treat women—everyone, actually—with respect. Support this movement and advocate for gender equality. Otherwise, do what too many women were told for far too long: Be seen and not heard.