Society doesn’t raise boys to be men; it raises them to not be women, says former NFL and CFL quarterback Don McPherson, who is also a feminist and a social justice educator. He will be the keynote speaker at this year’s You Had Me At Consent event.
You Had Me At Consent will take place Tuesday, Sept. 3 at the Rexall Centre for Excellence, Keele campus, presented by York’s Centre for Human Rights (CHR). The doors open at 5:15pm and the show starts at 6pm. Everyone is welcome to 
attend and admission is free. Following the event, there will be a community fair and barbecue at 7pm.
A member of the College Football Hall of Fame, McPherson uses sports as a platform to address complex social issues and is a notable leader of the men against violence against women movement in the United States.
“We must challenge how we raise boys regarding masculinity, as it is often at the expense of women.[…]The lives of men are inextricably interwoven with the lives of women. Women’s issues of safety and equality directly affect our lives as men. Beyond that, women are humans, with the same rights to safety and freedom as men,” says McPherson.
In his presentations, he addresses violence against women and responses to it through the exploration of masculinity while examining issues such as gender roles, date culture and consent. By using his own life story, McPherson delivers powerful and compelling talks that are relevant to the everyday life of university students.
“We expect that Mr. McPherson’s presentation will bring a new and fresh awareness to participants about the importance of respect and consent in dating and relationships generally,” says Noël Badiou, director of the CHR.
McPherson has conducted workshops and lectures for more than 200 university campuses, community organizations and national sports and violence prevention organizations. His programs and lectures have reached more than one million people.
For more information, visit the Centre for Human Rights website.