Opposing the idea that “men are from Mars and women are from Venus,” sociologist and leading expert on gender equality, Michael Kimmel will speak on Wednesday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Bob Fain Auditorium, located inside the Lamar Johanson Science building. This keynote lecture is both free and open to the public. Kimmel will discuss gender equality—specifically, the myths surrounding gender differences, why gender equality is beneficial for both men and women, and how men and women are transforming college campuses and our culture.

Michael Kimmel, Ph.D., is the executive director of the Center for the Study of Men and Masculinities (plural to note there are more than one way to ‘be a man’) at Stony Brook University, where he is also Distinguished University Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies. He has written over twenty books including, Manhood in America, Angry White Men and the 2008bestseller: Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men. Through his work, Kimmel is redefining masculinity in America. Wednesday’s lecture aims to strip away the differences between men and women and underline the fact that gender equality is beneficial for men, too.

Highly respected in his field of study, Kimmel was asked to speak at Tarleton by Professor Dr. Leslie Stanley-Stevens last semester after discussing his textbook. Stanley-Stevens says she wanted to “give [her] students a treat by bringing him to campus” and when asked why she requested Kimmel, Stanley-Stevens replied, “Dr. Kimmel is a great public intellectual. He can take complex issues and bring them to life. I invited him to come and found funding for it because his work has been very helpful for me in teaching issues of gender to my students.”

Kimmel has lectured at over 300 colleges, universities, and high schools, appeared on TED Talk in May 2015, was asked to work as a consultant on gender politics for the Emmy Award-winning show Mad Men. He delivered the International Women’s Day annual lecture at the European Parliament, the European Commission and the Council of Europe, and has worked with the Ministers for Gender Equality of Norway, Denmark and Sweden in developing programs for boys and men as well as was named the Sociologists for Women in Society Feminist Lecturer in 1999. His latest work, The Guy’s Guide to Feminism, co-authored with Michael Kaufman, examines how feminist movements have improved the life of girls and women as well as how boys and men are also positively affected by these advances.

Additionally, Kimmel wrote the documentary history, Against the Tide: Pro-Feminist Men in the United States, 1776-1990, which chronicles men’s support of women’s equality since the founding of the United States. Michael Kimmel also serves as the spokesperson of the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS).

Kimmel’s keynote lecture has been made possible through sponsorship from Tarleton’s Sociology Program, Substance Abuse and Violence Prevention Programs and the Tarleton Speaker Symposium Committee.

For questions about the event or further information, please contact Dr. Leslie Stanley-Stevens, at 254-968-9620 or by email at [email protected].