A program at the University of Texas designed to explore “healthy masculinities” has been placed on hold and is currently undergoing internal review following negative press coverage.
MasculinUT is currently being reviewed by a steering committee and will be subject to further examination by the Vice President for Student Affairs at UT to “make sure the program’s mission remains clearly defined.”
According to administrators, the program was not developed to treat masculinity as a “mental health issue” despite how many have perceived it.
“The MasculinUT program does not treat masculinity as a ‘mental health issue,’ and any such statements are simply not accurate,” the statement reads. “It has become clear that some of the communication and discussion surrounding MasculinUT did not convey this fully or clearly and was not effective at reaching the broad audiences the program envisioned.”
When the program was first reported on, several associated flyers advertising the program became the subject of intense criticism, as many people found them to portray the topic of masculinity in a negative light.
“Even though I’m masculine, I can wear makeup, and if I feel like wearing a dress, I can do that too and it’s totally fine,” one poster stated.
The initial media coverage of MasculinUT proved so intense that the topic was even covered by the talk radio king, Rush Limbaugh. According to Limbaugh, the program appeared to be designed to relieve men of the apparent pressures that are associated with masculinity.
“In red state Texas, masculinity is being treated as a mental health challenge, that too many men are simply crumbling under the pressure to be a man,” said Limbaugh. “So, if it’s not a good thing for a man to be a man, then what are they going to turn men into? What do you think is the alternative? If masculinity is a problem, then what are these guys gonna become?”
While the future of MasculinUT remains unclear, the public reaction to the program will likely cause administrators at colleges around the country to think twice before using student and taxpayer dollars for redefining masculinity.
