Local film brings male survivors of sexual assault out of the shadows

The often untold stories of male and LGBT sexual assault survivors will be heard in the locally produced film “Breaking the Silence” at a free community event Saturday night.

Filmed using area actors, artists, community leaders and survivors, “Breaking the Silence” will be shown at 6:30 p.m. at downtown Modesto’s State Theatre. Haven Women’s Center of Stanislaus is sponsoring the event to kick off National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The film was developed and directed by Stanislaus County Office of Education teacher Debbie Soro.

“I wanted to challenge the misconception that females are the only victims of sexual assault. There is child abuse, domestic violence and LGBTQ assault within the kinds of survivors,” Soro said.

Soro, who taught and led drama productions for years at Enochs and Johansen high schools, got the idea to create “Breaking the Silence” after directing the play “The Sirens” last May at the Gallo Center for the Arts. The production focuses on female survivors of sexual assault, but she was asked afterward why there were no men represented.

“I think because there’s a big stigma around the concept of masculinity. There’s a conception that real men just suck it up and endure. And I think that stigma needs to go away,” Soro said.

“Breaking the Silence” features 15 vignettes, including stories from survivors, poems, readings and more. Soro began work on what would become the 90-minute project in September and did the filming in February. She worked with a crew from MyTV26, the local public-access station, which handled the filming and editing.

MyTV26 General Manager Janeiro Freeva Sr. served as the film’s videographer and editor. He had Soro as a teacher while he was a student at Johansen High in the late 1990s and was happy to help shed light on the project’s weighty subject matter.

“It was a really interesting topic. It’s something that needs to be talked about. I hope that it can help to see someone talk about it and know they are not the only one. I hope it starts a conversation about it because it’s a subject some people don’t want to talk about,” he said.

Haven Youth Program Manager Holly Grace Currie said the center long has provided support for male and LGBT survivors of sexual assault and abuse. A panel discussion will follow the screening featuring area survivors, representatives from Haven and SCOE. The event is free, but donations will be accepted.

This story was originally published March 31, 2017 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Local film brings male survivors of sexual assault out of the shadows."