The Men’s Story Project: Masculinities, Health and Social Justice

The Men’s Story Project addresses the need for public dialogue about what it means to “be a man”. Ideas about this are taught and learned, and therefore can be changed when needed. harmful notions of masculinity often contribute to problems such as men's reduced seeking of mental and physical health care, men’s violence against women and people of all genders, homo/transphobia, substance abuse, HIV/STI, and gender inequality across sectors. An innovative and research-based program, the MSP helps groups create live story-sharing events, films and social media where diverse men and masculine-identifying individuals publicly explore social ideas about masculinity through a personal lens.

Jocelyn Lehrer, Sc.D., is Founder/Director of the Men’s Story Project (MSP) and Senior Gender Integration Consultant with the Stanford University Global Center for Gender Equality. For over 25 years, her work in the U.S. and around the world has focused on the prevention of gender-based violence (GBV) and HIV/AIDS and the promotion of healthy masculinities and gender equality. Dr. Lehrer’s research has been published in leading journals including Men & Masculinities, Pediatrics, Journal of Women’s Health and Journal of Adolescent Health. Jocelyn has served as a consultant with organizations including MTV/VH1 and UN Women, and served as Senior Gender Advisor at the USAID Office of HIV/AIDS, community educator and facilitator with San Francisco Women Against Rape, and other groups. She is Chilean-American and a native Spanish speaker.