Speak Out, Speak Often

I do a lot of speaking and writing these days. Between traveling and local action, I accept about 25 invitations per year. I talk about child sexual abuse, juvenile sex trafficking, and pro-life issues.

Speak Out

Not everyone is ready or able to speak publicly. There are other ways to speak out too. Writing or posting to social media are obviously ways of getting the message out there.

There are consequences to being vocal, though. I sometimes receive really nasty comments. Often about my appearance rather than my actions or views. I suppose they don’t have any substantive comments to make, so they attack us personally. At any rate, it can be painful or even scary.

“You have enemies? Good.

It mans you stood up for something, sometime in your life.”

Winston Churchill

Speak Often

You don’t have to be on stages to speak often. It doesn’t need to be radio or TV or even Facebook Live, either. Sometimes, it at the dinner table with family or friends where the most impactful things are said. Lives changed will impact all the lives they meet from then on.

Small group meetings at work or in church, youth groups or schools too are tremendous opportunities for dramatic change.

One on one meetings with influencers are opportunities to have a behind-the-scenes impact. It may be policy advisors or lawmakers or business owners. Change comes in many forms. It may come when you least expect it.

I was invited to speak with George Russell earlier this month on his radio show, Nashua this Morning. We didn’t cover everything he had planned, but we had a lively discussion.

I misspoke Jerome Elam runs traffickinginamericataskforce.org.

He was not the male trafficking survivor who told me that men buy boys to abuse them and I did not intend to imply that they don’t have sex with boys. His point was that his experience was extremely violent. All prostitution is full of violence.