Internationally acclaimed lecturer Jackson Katz called men to action to stop violence against women April 13 at Norton Auditorium.

The campus and local community gathered to hear his speech “More Than a Few Good Men: A Lecture on American Manhood and Violence Against Women.”

“I think most men are good men, trying to be decent people,” Katz said. “But a lot of good men have been silent around (gender violence) issues. These issues are leadership issues for men. We need more men who are more willing to take some risks, and start speaking up.”

A common misconception people have about gender violence issues is they pertain only to women, but these issues affect men, too, Katz said.

“The category of children who have been traumatized by (domestic violence) include not just girls, (but) also boys,” Katz said. “Boys who have been victims of violence are 10 times more likely to become abusive of others than boys who have not been abused.”

The media society surrounds itself with is one of the explanations behind men’s violence against women, including violence in movies, pornography and sports, Katz said.

The lecture cleared up many negative associations with feminism, said junior Davorius James.

“I think (the lecture) was really helpful in understanding not just domestic violence but understanding feminism,” James said

Since many people came to the event, perhaps more will want to change the gender violence issue, said sophomore Lexie Green.

“I thought it was a great event,” Green said. “I think it’s a topic a lot of people don’t like to discuss. Maybe we’ll have a big following of people who want to change the issue.”