Boys will be boys is a lie we’ve been told from the dawn of time.
As a 21-year-old man, I can’t say that I’ve ever experienced the pain that comes with that idiotic statement. I can picture, many times growing up when I was hurt by the actions of a man and was told that it,s okay because they’re just following the traits of the gender. To suggest that hurtful actions are okay because of some bizarre biological urge to be a bad person makes no sense. Where is the line with boys will be boys? Why is this statement said to undermine the pain their actions have caused?
The recent leaking of hundreds of intimate images of Irish girls without consent has brought pain to hundreds of young women across the country. This is a time where we should be showing support to those who have been hurt through an act that is somehow not illegal in the eyes of Irish law. Yet some say it’s okay for men to be sharing these images that they promised another pair of eyes wouldn’t see. They took advantage of a girl's trust and crushed their trust.
Why is this deemed okay because they are men? You’re calling these men “boys”. Men who are sharing images that contain explicit photos of children. Your gender does not excuse these hideous crimes. Any of the men who view or share these files must be locked away and held accountable for their heinous actions.
It’s time to stop excusing them by labeling something they are not. These are men plain and simple. They know what they are doing is wrong and choose to do it anyway. It doesn’t matter who they hurt in the process, as long as they are satisfied then who cares whose life they ruin?
If you think it’s okay because they are acting in line with a made-up gender role you need to examine who you are as a person?
Boys will be boys? No. Monsters will be monsters?
If you’ve been affected by the leaks scandal please contact Women’s Aid on 1800 341 900.
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