Being the son of a famous parent can be daunting, especially if that parent is basketball legend Isiah Thomas. But DJ and music producer Zeke Thomas has never shied away from being himself in the public eye. Fans will get a larger glimpse into his life when his documentary, Untold Story, which he executive produced, is released next Spring.
Long before #MeToo gained a global reach, the gay Black man was already sharing his story — most famously with Robin Roberts on ABC’s Good Morning America, when he became one of the first men to speak out about being the target of sexual assault or harassment.
Since then, many other men have shared their stories personally, and across social media platforms. Much as #MeToo sparked #TimesUp in Hollywood, attention to men’s stories has culminated in global calls to action. Thomas is now an advocate for survivors of sexual assault, the first male ambassador for the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
“At the end of the day, we’re all human beings,” Thomas says. “We all have the same feelings, we all draw the same blood, everything. It’s unfortunate that women have been passed aside, just like many races and many forms of sexuality have been. However, when you decide to polarize a person’s truth and lower their experience just because of their sexuality or gender, that’s not right.” After all, he adds, “Men aren’t treated the same as women. I’ve had friends, family members even, say, ‘Whoa, your assault is different because you’re a man — it’s not equal, it’s not as serious.’”
In addition to encouraging men to come forward, Thomas wants all of us to “stop allowing people to blame themselves: ‘I could have done this, I could have done that.’ No. This person took advantage of you. People are predators. There’s good people, there’s bad people. We have to stop making excuses for the bad people.”
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