Every two minutes, someone in America is raped. In Texas, one in every five women and one in every 33 men are victims of sexual assault.
It is true that most rape victims are women, but rape also affects every person who loves someone who is raped — their families, their friends, their coworkers, their entire communities. And yet, too often people tend to try and turn a blind eye. We don’t want to see that pain in others. We don’t want others to see that pain in us.
But we have to face the pain if we want to stop it. And that means ALL of us. That’s where Walk A Mile in Her Shoes Dallas 2016 comes in.
The main idea of this event — in which men literally walk a mile in high heels — is to raise awareness of all the issues surrounding rape, and specifically to engage men in being part of the solution to ending sexual violence. It is sponsored by the Dallas County Sexual Assault Coalition, which brings together law enforcement, the District Attorney’s Office, social service agencies, medical and mental health professionals, and concerned community members to work towards creating a more coordinated community effort to address sexual assault and victim services.
Talk about an event custom-made for the drag community! You guys know you could show ’em how its done!
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes will be held Saturday, April 9, from 9 a.m. to noon. The walk begins and ends at the Continental Pedestrian Bridge, 109 Continental Ave., in Dallas. Registration is $30 for men who need to rent high heels (limited numbers of shoes are available for rent), and $25 for the guys who can bring their own. Teams of four men can register for $100. Women and children under 13 can participate, too, registering as “supporters” for $20. (Registration prices go up for those to wait to register at the event.) Register online here.
The guys walking in the event are also eligible to compete in the Shoe Decorating Contest, with cash prices for first, second and third place finishers. So get out the rhinestones and the hot glue gun and get busy glittering up those stilettos!
(Be sure to “like” the Walk A Mile Facebook page to keep up with the news.)
