Chris Cantu, junior in philosophy, didn’t like having his homemade pro-male flyers taken down last semester.
After generating vast controversy for his views on male oppression, Cantu decided to start his own men’s rights group.
Men’s Rights Utah was created to provide a male viewpoint across campus and to encourage discussion and counterbalance second-wave feminism at the U.
“I noticed a lot of anti-male bias happening during classes here,” he said. “Since no one seemed to notice, I decided to start this group to point it so we can hopefully bring more understanding about men’s rights.”
Some of the topics discussed in the group include sexuality, masculinity and political events regarding gender issues, said David Yancey, sophomore in anthropology and MRU officer.
The group will also be discussing divorce rights, child support and custody, male reproductive rights, domestic violence and false accusations of rape, Yancey said.
Surprisingly, MRU seems to have more female members than male members.
“I did a little more research and found out that (female interest in male issues) is an interesting phenomenon that is common throughout the men’s rights movements,” Cantu said.
Camie Shaefer, senior in business and English and female officer, said that MRU is not anti-female but is concerned with movements that involve men’s issues.
“I am not an anti-feminist in any way,” she said. “Just a humanist who is concerned about elements of the current political movement in respect to men and women.”
Currently, MRU has about 20 members and is looking to recruit any interested students.
There are no fees to join, just an open mind and the willingness to share thoughts and experiences, Cantu said.
Students can join by contacting Chris Cantu at [email protected].
Ana Breton