First, an abused boy loses his innocence. Then, he loses his voice. Sexual abuse thrives on the silence of secrets, and predators learn early to still the cries of their victims. To heal, a man must find his voice, must name the crimes, must know that he never, ever need squelch his soul’s song again. He needs his pain, anger, and noble courage to be witnessed both by those who know him and by people who don’t. I know. At the beginning of this decade, I was trying to find my voice. A kind and perceptive man had a venue that would allow me to be heard, and encouraged me to speak. That article is included in this site; that man was Bert Hoff. He knows the power of giving men the opportunity to speak, to be seen, to be held in sacred space; as a grateful beneficiary of that wisdom, it is my pleasure to pass on the opportunity to others. I am delighted to work with him in giving men around the world the opportunity to be witnessed, to help themselves and to help others by their example and their wisdom. Several of these pieces have been available in various places on the web for many years. I’ve been amazed at the response from men who did not know that so many millions of others shared their experience and knew their anguish. There is incredible healing power in community, in banding together to heal ourselves and the world. We of MenWeb and Men’s Voices invite all men who have been sexually abused, have known someone who has been sexually abused, or who have been touched in some way by those horrible acts, to share their experience, strength and hope. Your contribution need not be a finished article or a professional piece. We believe that the most authentic voices often are inarticulate, and we can help contributors polish their words. Process notes and journal entries often contain incredible jems of insight and understanding. We invite submissions of artwork, poetry, snippits of song lyrics, anything we can use to help those who come to recovery understand the complexity of the process, and to feel less isolated. While legal strictures and the need for clarity and coherence will force us to occasionally edit submissions, we will do so as little as possible. For we want this website to be a place where men find their voices, and celebrate the joy of breaking the silence. Together, we can build an incredible resource for hundreds of thousands of men who desperately need connection, validation, and a sense that they are no longer alone. In the process, we can heal ourselves.

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