Men march to support sexual assault awareness

Walking in four-inch high heels is something even many women have an issue with, but 200 men took on the daunting task of walking a mile in women's shoes Saturday for the Lubbock Rape Crisis Center.
The LRCC planned Walk a Mile in Her Shoes to raise money for the support the center provides to sexual assault survivors in Lubbock and the surrounding counties.
“I hope this brings awareness that sexual assault occurs and it’s a very serious thing,” said Leslie Timmons, community educator and volunteer coordinator for LRCC. “Most of our assailants are males, so we really want to get guys involved in prevention of sexual assault.”
The event began at the Lubbock County Courthouse with a men’s march, followed by a women’s stiletto “dash for cash.” Saturday evening the LRCC hosted a dinner and an auction.
Liza Hooser, a senior social work and music major from Houston, serves as an on-call advocate at the LRCC. She said she enjoyed watching the march because of all the men who supported a cause with which she is very involved.
“You have guys that are repeaters who come every year, and they are pretty comfortable and have the strut down,” she said. “We try to help the (first-timers) out and tell them how to walk in heels.”
Men of all ages participated in the event to support the LRCC during the month of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Hooser said. The women’s event consisted of four heats of four women, with the winner receiving a $500 cash prize.
At the after party, the LRCC honored four Lubbock police officers — Bill Carter, Ross Hester, John Lofton and John Thomas Gomez — for their involvement with sexual assault prevention in the community.
Timmons said the LRCC honors men each year who have spoken out against rape.
“I always tell the victims your body is like the church, and it’s very sacred; nobody should be abusing your body in any means or forms,” said Bill Carter, a detective with the Lubbock Police Department.
Carter said he works in the crimes against persons unit and is a supporter of sexual assault prevention in Lubbock and on the Tech campus. He emphasizes that male students need to set the example for other students about how to treat women.
“It’s a big deal to be able to stand up and say no and know what’s right,” Hooser said.
The LRCC provides a 24-hour hotline to assist sexual assault survivors and their family and friends, assistance at hospital visits following a crisis, and free counseling. These services are available to Tech students as well as residents of Lubbock and the surrounding areas, Timmons said.
Last year the LRCC helped more than 300 survivors and plans to provide their services in the future with funds raised at the event on Saturday.
“(The LRCC) is important because we have to support the victims,” Carter said. “They need a support system through family, counselors, the police department and anybody that knows about the situation.”