As men, we are told from a young age that we're supposed to be competitive, not collaborative. My guest on this episode asks us to re-examine this social condition as adults. We discuss how Andrew Tate is really scared and the difference between traditional and toxic masculinity. We also talk about how people can be better alleys for the LGBTQ+ Community and using our privilege to knock down barriers for each other.

Mac McGregor tells me his story of growing up in a competitive sporting environment in the bible belt in the 1960s and describing the magic letter F that follows you the rest of your life. He found that his gender didn’t fit and started changing his name to something more masculine at four years old. He started martial arts when he was 6, and by the time he was 17, he had won the US Lightweight fighting title. This opened up the world to him, and he found that there were more LGBTQ+ people out there. Sadly, despite his successes over a long career, he could not transition until he retired from the sport.

He started working in activism as a female athlete, campaigning for getting equal access to facilities and resources for female athletes and then moved to LGBTQ+ rights.

Mac is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Positive Masculinity, a non-profit that works to dismantle toxic masculinity and create a healthier model of masculinity for all people. Mac is also the author of the bestselling book, Positive Masculinity Now.

---Time Stamps---

01:52: The patriarchy & toxic masculinity hurts us all, not just women.

05:38: We’ve all been hurt by this binary system. “You’re not a man if you show emotion!”

07:19: Men are not allowed to complement each other

07:52: Why do we need activists and companies for social change?

08:47: The written word is more powerful now than it has ever been in history & the difference between toxic and traditional masculinity

11:34: How did Mac get into Activism?

17:50: Gender Expression in history

20:40: We need to speak up.

21:50: We all wear masks in our life and have to tear each other down to be a “man.”

25:30: Andrew Tate is scared.

30:04: The difference between traditional and toxic masculinity.

32:25: Mind your own business.

33:55: Equality and being able to get into the rooms where decisions are made.

35:55: How can we be better allies?

39:25: Meeting people half way

41:35: Positive masculinity now

45:30: The questionnaire

---Mac’s Social Media---

Instagram: @positivemasculinitynow 

Tiktok: @positivemasculinitynow

Website: https://macsmcgregor.com/

Positive Masculinity Now: https://www.positivemasculinitynow.org/

---Our Links---

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/tommeetsinterestingpeople

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tom_meets_interesting_people/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meetsinterestingpeople

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNvrfAfgj2hzSDVWTEJjD6A

Twitter: https://twitter.com/tommeetspeople

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