The Straitjacket of Masculinity OCD took me to the brink of suicide, where I contemplated the various ways to take my life. A year after my OCD diagnosis in April, my stepdad ended up in a home as he had vascular dementia, and it had rapidly declined. My aunty who helped raise me after my dad died on Christmas day when I was six years old, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. After this, I tore my ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament), MCL (Medium Cruciate Ligament), and meniscus and fractured my leg. I then ended up in the hospital with severe pneumonia. After this I found out my cousin was murdered, his body was tied up and he was found with gunshots that killed him. Then whilst in therapy, I found out my half-brother whom I never met and only communicated with a few times died of cancer on 25th August. Then, my aunt, my mother's sister also died. There was so much pressure on my back and the responsibility and weight of being a man weighed too heavily on me. The one thing that was supposed to be my coat of shining armour my masculinity, was instead the straitjacket I wore. Being a man at times brings about unique struggles, but writing suicide notes is ready to say goodbye to everyone. I stopped myself, went to sleep, and woke up crying, scared of where my mind could take me. Hopelessness became hope and my voicelessness became the voice I needed. I realised just how many people reached out to me that change was needed Attendee Results: Understanding the unique struggles that men face What we can do to challenge toxic masculinity The difference between hegemonic masculinity vs toxic masculinity The effects suicide has on society and those around them What in society can we do to encourage more men to speak up about their mental health How we can best support men to speak up

Unintended Consequences: How Pornography Becomes an Illegitimate Sexual Education for Many Young Boys In today's digital age, the pervasive availability of explicit content on the internet has given rise to an unexpected and concerning phenomenon: pornography as a form of sexual education for young boys. In today's digital age, the pervasive availability of explicit content on the internet has given rise to an unexpected and concerning phenomenon: pornography as a form of sexual education for young boys. Shaun has written about his challenges with porn addiction. I was 11 when my porn addiction started. At around 11 I was first introduced to porn. I couldn't put it into words the feeling, but I knew I was enthralled by the moving of the bodies and the joy they seemed to be experiencing. I hadn’t even turned 12, but porn had already sunk its claws into me. It would be years later before I even realised that I was addicted to it. I began watching adult material around this time after a school friend of mine introduced me to it. I don’t even remember the first video, but I knew I liked it – and wanted more. From that moment on, it quickly became an integral part of my life. It was the first thing I watched in the morning, and the last thing at night – it became just as normal to me as brushing my teeth. Throughout my teens and early adult years, I used it to the point where I was absolutely exhausted some days. I couldn’t go to the gym or concentrate on work. Sometimes, if I wasn’t doing anything during the day, I would resort to porn out of boredom. Unfortunately, discussions about the birds and bees were absent at home because – in my experience – Caribbean culture is conservative, and does not involve such taboo conversations. Sex education at school was pretty much non-existent, too. The more we deny porn and its impact on young men. Looking back now, I was unaware of the impact porn had on my life. It became a constant that I could rely on through everything, as well as a pacifier. It was almost comforting. But by staying away from it, I am starving the monster that crept into my life. We must encourage more conversations about porn. Attendee Results: Removing the taboos about sex and realising it is a part of life. What we can do to prevent more porn addicts. The difference between healthy porn use and non-healthy porn use. The effects of porn on the young male brain. How can we foster open and honest conversations about porn?