When you’re at the wrong end of a gun barrel, sex doesn’t matter.
The person holding a quivering bullet inches from your head could be a 200-pound man resembling a Greek god, or a 100-pound woman resembling Mary-Kate Olsen. It won’t matter.
That’s what police officers face every time they step across the threshold of a home embroiled in a domestic situation. Officers take each situation just as seriously. So should the public.
It could be a teenage boy who comes out of the bedroom swinging, or a housewife with a hunting knife. Just because one is pumping testosterone doesn’t mean arrests won’t be made in both cases.
The cuffs are coming out, either way.
Local police say the men who do come forward to report abuse act embarrassed, and are reluctant to do so. That’s ridiculous.
If a social stereotype is standing in the way of victims getting their aggressors behind bars, then the stereotype has got to go. The public has to think an abusive relationship, not a sissy boyfriend or husband.
Because the facts indicate women can inflict just as many cuts and bruises as their men can. That goes for bullet holes, too.
Domestic abuse drains police departments of valuable time, and it provides the most dangerous situation for officers to walk into. It needs to stop, but in order for it to stop, it needs to be reported.
And if men feel they can’t step forward and admit their wives or girlfriends — or daughters — are hurting them, the black eye of domestic abuse in our communities won’t ever heal.
It’s a painful situation all around. If a victim comes forward, he or she runs the risk of getting someone they love thrown in jail. Society has been encouraging women to get the guts to come forward for years, and take that risk.
It’s time to widen that encouragement to both genders.
Can’t stand to see your tender, feminine love behind bars?
Then get the message out that it’s not OK to hit — whether you’re wearing lipstick or aftershave.
Opinion
Pouty lips shouldn’t equal lenience
Men shouldn’t hesitate to report domestic violence
- Opinion
-
-
CITY BEAT: Can you hear us now Congress?
Feeling down? Depressed? Upset because another football season has ended?
Confused because people actually watch things like “The Bachelor” or “The Voice?” -
HIGGS: Ordinance changes in the city raise eyebrows
New local ordinances are in the pipeline, such as changes to the Landlord Registration Ordinance, (more on that later) and a couple of other issues taking shape.
-
GLYNN: It’s ‘D-Day’ all over for Wallenda
Nik Wallenda is still left with that up-in-the-air feeling about the chance to fulfill his dream.
-
PFEIFFER: Something that really 'bugs' me
Who would ever think that roaches, as in cockroaches, not your left-over weed, and valentines are a good match?
As the greatest Hallmark holiday ever created looms large, my friends at the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Bronx Zoo have concocted a Valentines Day fundraising promotion that just makes you want to say, “Really?” -
HAMILTON: The SPCA and the pineapple upside-down pie
It is said that, as free Americans, we often get the things for which we ask; we also often get exactly what we deserve. Sometimes it works out to our good, and sometimes it doesn’t.
-
CHEERS & JEERS: Feb. 10's best and worst of the week
As Ken Hamilton so eloquently puts it in his column on this page — the SPCA of Niagara would probably be in a lot better shape if everyone took care of their pets.
-
GLYNN: Slim chance now for a real thick ice bridge
If you’re not convinced about the unpredictability of Western New York weather, consider that this area was experiencing temperatures in the mid-40s on the 100th anniversary of the ice bridge tragedy in the gorge.
-
EDITORIAL: U.S. has a lot of catching up to do in War of 1812 bicentennial
Almost 200 years after President Madison declared the War of 1812 there is a distinct lack of interest on this side of the border in commemorating that milestone.
-
BRADBERRY: Is Black History Month Still Relevant?
I am uncomfortably recovering and slowly recuperating from a relatively minor, but medically necessary procedure which has kept me out of circulation, out of touch and essentially on my back for a lot longer than I have personally believed was justifiable; however, in this case my opinion matters not; the doctor’s diagnosis and promising prognosis trumped mine, so here I lay almost completely befuddled, nearly unable to pen a clear sentence.
-
CONFER: Time to end the NFL’s blackout rule
Long ago, in a much simpler time, ticket sales accounted for the majority of revenues for professional football teams.
- More Opinion Headlines
-
Nordic Festival Puts North Korea in Spotlight
'Rumor Has It' Adele's Rolling in the Grammys
Grohl, Grammy Nominees Cut Up on the Red Carpet
Greece Passes New Austerity Deal Amid Rioting
Coroner: Houston Autopsy Results Weeks Away
Raw Video: Greek Rioting Ahead of Austerity Vote
Raw Video: Child Rescued After Kosovo Avalanche
Pop Music Superstar Whitney Houston Dies at 48
Whitney Houston's Church Mourns Her Passing
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
79 Turtles Seized at Shanghai Airport
Severe Cold Wreaks Havoc in China
Fuel Removal Under Way on Capsized Italian Ship
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine
Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
