MASKulinity Podcast

It’s Mental Health Month! Samantha and Remoy stress how, in order to de-stigmatize mental health, it’s on us to make it as important yet banal as physical health in our day-to-day lives. Not dealing with mental illness has led to shocking stats, revealing its monumental impact on our society. Resident therapist Justin Lioi shares what men come to him for, defines depression and anxiety and how the...

This week, Samantha and Remoy revisit to men's mental health. They are joined by Justin Lioi, men’s therapist supporting them at differing points in their lives: new dads, unassertive guys and angry dudes. They talk about everything from modeling behaviors for children to men appearing aloof in moments when they’re feeling pain and don’t want to burden their partner. Justin advises on how to seek...

In honor of Street Harassment week, MASKulinity podcast is pleased to present an encore of our conversation with the brilliant Anthonine Pierre, Deputy Director at Brooklyn Movement! Today is the last day of Street Harassment Week, and last night Brooklyn Movement Center was awarded the 2018 Frederick Douglass award at the North Star Fund Community Gala for their excellent work, so we say congratu...

Samantha and Remoy peel back the layers on what they actually mean when they discuss “dominant standard” and “hegemony”. They then award their bronze, silver and gold to hegemonic pop culture tropes that perfectly reflect these concepts. Without giving too much away, “being like Mike”, transformers, a strong dislike of Tyler Perry movies come up in the conversation! Then, Remoy sits down with his...

What happens when we look at men performing something other than masculinity on purpose and for fun? Samantha and Remoy are joined this week by the illustrious Ben Strothmann, also known by his drag name of Honey LaBronx! Ben puts the hosts on game about what drag actually is, how the performance of masculinity is alive and well in the MSM community, and his own definition of “toxic masculinity”....

This is week on MASKulinity, Remoy and Samantha are joined by Anthonine Pierre, Deputy Director at Brooklyn Movement Center. Anthonine shares about fighting street harassment through the collective No Disrespect, underlining how important it has been to have men involved in this effort. Samantha shares her own recent instances of street harassment and Remoy and Anthonine ponder what it looks like...

This week, Samantha and Remoy talk masculinity as a non-binary. What does it mean to redefine masculinity as a transgender man and gender-nonconforming person? Ryann Holmes of bklyn boihood helps us navigates the tough waters of non-conformity, and what it looks like to provide support and space for boihood while dealing with one's own notions and performance of masculinity, individually and colle...

Not Samantha and Remoy! Ha! This week, they explore one of the incentives behind keeping traditional gender roles alive: profit. They start by reflecting on the Parkland shooting, veering into the gun safety and addressing men’s and women’s uses of guns, eventually understanding how the performance of masculinity is a central component to 42% of American households owning at least one gun. They ad...

Samantha and Remoy continue this season with more illustrious guests! This week, Hudson Taylor paints a picture of accountability in the world of sports, at all levels. He founded Athlete Ally, an organization that keeps coaches and school at high school, college and professional levels accountable for ensuring that LGBTQ athletes are treated and equally. He shares how athletes are discouraged fro...

“HELPING YOUTH IS A KEY TO BUILDING A MORE CONSCIENTIOUS, RESPONSIBLE, AND PRODUCTIVE SOCIETY” is the Boy Scouts of America tagline. But conscientious and responsible doesn’t mean inclusive. At least it didn’t for a long time. Samantha and Remoy are joined by Eric Busse, Training & Volunteer Engagement Director at Scouts for Equality, who breaks down what it looks like to hold such an established...

Black Panther is FINALLY out and Remoy and Samantha are excited to talk about it! They explore themes of unity throughout the film, how traditional notions of masculinity are turned on their head, and how much of a badass Shuri is! They explore the dueling masculinities displayed by King T’Challa and Erik Killmonger, Okoye’s embodiment of what is usually thought of as masculine, and the importance...

In the past 40 years, the American prison population has increased from 300,000 to 1.6 million. This week, Samantha and Remoy examine the prison industrial complex and the cyclical impacts of mass incarceration on men and society. They are joined by Alejo Rodriguez who faced incarceration himself before becoming the Mentor and Alumni Coordinator at the Prison Reentry Institute and shares his wisdo...

This week, Samantha and Remoy explore the blurrier regions of sexual consent. We've seen what happens when the James Tobacks and Kevin Spaceys wield power for sex, but what if it's the beloved Aziz Ansari who gets a bit aggressive? What if it seems Grace had opportunities to say no and she didn't? What if you just don't want to have sex anymore? What if it's your spouse? MASKulinity looks why we n...

Welcome back! In Season 2, Samantha and Remoy are looking forward to understanding the systemic character of MASKulinity. They kick it off with the illustrious Dr. Michael Kimmel, founder of the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities at Stony Brook University, digging into his last book Angry White Men to understand how a group whom most consider to be the most privileged could be feeling l...

Bonus episode! The first season of MASKulinity closed out last week, but Samantha and Remoy couldn't go without sharing their conversation with Jason Tan de Bibiana from NextGenMen! Jason shares his work as a researcher with Samantha and Remoy, and lays out what it looks like to teach young men to be responsible and supported in their social lives, and to talk about those gendered things that they...

In the season 1 finale of MASKulinity, Samantha and Remoy go “one-on-one” to get to the core of some of the toughest issues plaguing masculinity. First, Samantha perceptively discerns the difference between enjoying being desired and simply being objectified. Next, Remoy and Samantha try to make sense of the policing of women’s sexuality. They explore the predicament of the “nice guy.” Samantha an...

South Bronx native, Christopher Saunders, joins Samantha and Remoy to shed some light on how masculinity has affected the 'hood . Saunders shares some eye-opening stories from his childhood growing up in the South Bronx. Saunders goes on to uncover the way masculinity is tied to survival and not just for men but for everyone in the ' hood . Saunders also speaks to how the LGBTQ community is preval...

With the Harvey Weinstein scandal looming, Samantha and Remoy take the opportunity to look at the overarching power of Hollywood. First, Remoy illustrates how TV and Movies taught him to take a kiss from a woman. Next, Samantha speaks to the dehumanizing power of the cinematic “male gaze.” Lastly, both Samantha and Remoy dive into the Weinstein story and seek out opportunities for men to be better...

West Texas pastor, David Ritchie, joins Samantha and Remoy to explore the complex intersection of Christianity and masculinity. David tells the story of how he was born into Christianity, how he sought out other philosophies and religions, and finally returned to the Faith with a greater hope for what the the Faith could be. David reflects on how Christianity, in its purest form, is incredibly pro...

This week, Samantha and Remoy navigate some hot news items. First, they unpack how ESPN, in trying to censor SportsCenter anchor Jemele Hill’s opinion, validates the worldview that women are inferior. Next, they paint a vivid picture of what actual verbal abuse looks like. And lastly, they look at the tragedy in Las Vegas and come to understand that there are stratifications of privilege and compa...

This week, Samantha and Remoy tackle a long-awaited topic: Single-Sex Education. Is it helpful or does it just reinforce stereotypes about boys and girls?? They are joined by Regine Roy, founder and CEO of Queen Geniuses, an organization dedicated to teenage girls' growth and development, and Barry Cooper, formerly High School Dean of Eagle Academy for Young Men, Ocean Hill, in Brooklyn, now start...

Referenced in this episode: Guardian article "Why Men Fight"  

This week, Samantha and Remoy talk to the wondrous Jimmie Briggs, a renowned journalist who wondered unchartered waters to found an organization empowering youth around the world to combat gender-based violence. fromSouth Africa, to Pakistan, to Oakland, The Man Up! Campaign has had an impact around the world. Jimmie also talks to the duo about his own experience with manhood and maskulinity, and...

This week, Samantha and Remoy plunge us back into summer news that has yet to have an update. R. Kelly's sex cult of 19 to 22-yr-olds, Betsy DeVos penchant for men's rights on college campuses, Men Against Women in LAPD and even a little interracial romance. Listen as they explore what the MASK has to do with it all.

In this episode of MASKulinity, Samantha and Remoy are joined by Yuval Moses, a therapist from the Crime Victims Treatment Center in New York, who works with men who have survived various forms of violence. He drops knowledge on the way suffering affects men (16:54), men being the victims of violent crime (22:36), how men can recover from sexual violence (30:50), and where survivors of violent cri...