Abc7s chris nguyen is here now with local apa leaders to talk about important issues affecting our bay area communities. Cheryl, its great to be here. Im excited to introduce you to our panel of guests today. Gina su is an actor based here in the bay area. Shes the winner of the 20162017 miss asian global pageant. Next, lan diep is an attorney. He currently serves as a San Jose CityCouncil Member representing district four. And finally, vincent pan, executive director of chinese for affirmative action. Hes also a board member for the center for Asian American media. Thanks to all of you for joining us today. We have a lot to talk about. Our first topic is Civic Engagement and how to get more Asian Americans involved in the process. Vincent, well start with you. Would you say that we are seeing an upsurge in political activism . I would. I mean, i think that theres always been a lot of unseen activism thats occurred in the Asian American community that maybe hasnt been recognized by dominant culture. But if we look at things like voting, if we look at things like people running for office, we do see that we continue to increase our numbers after election. But one of the most interesting things, i think, is the way Asian Americans are starting to show up across the spectrum of ways to be involved, and especially in many of these direct actions and protests against many of the federal policies that have been targeting immigrants, that have been targeting communities of color. And i think that those types of ways of being involved are really important for the Asian American community, not only to be involved in but to be recognized for it. And with social media, it seems like everyone has an opinion these days. They want to share it. Were seeing more people on facebook getting in fights more than ever before. Gina, do you get the feeling that more people are hiding behind the monitor instead of just having that conversation face to face . Yeah, absolutely. Its so easy to just type on your computer and write something that you want to be heard. But i think for Civic Engagement, especially in the Asian American community, it starts with your immediate family, your immediate friends. Im never afraid to admit the first year i was able to vote, i didnt cause my parents didnt. I didnt understand the process. I didnt understand the value. And it wasnt until a close friend of mine that i actually met through the pageant her names sharon chung. Shes so passionate about politics that thats what encouraged me to do it. And so sometimes social media is great to see all of that, but you really need someone a friend, a Family Member i think to encourage it to really happen. Yeah, good point. And, lan, i want to get your thoughts. But first we have some video of your swearingin ceremony as a San Jose CityCouncil Member. Lets roll the clip. I, lan diep. Do solemnly swear. Do solemnly swear. That i will support and defend. That i will support and defend. The constitution of the United States. The constitution of the United States. And the constitution of the state of california. And the constitution of the state of california. Against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Lan, youve spoke about wanting to make government more fun. We saw in that video you wearing your captain america shield. I have to ask, what was the reaction from people in the audience that day . The reaction was quite warm, i thought. I got laughs, i got applause. I didnt realize it at the time, but it kind of took off, and i got a bit of National Attention for that. And i think it was just great. I did it not to make any political statement, but to just bring home the point that government can be fun, it should be fun. And if it is fun, it can bring more people into the process, because a lot of the things that we discuss as elected officials or as policymakers are of great importance, but they tend to be dry and drawnout conversations. Theres nothing wrong with bringing a little levity to the process and making it entertaining as well as educational. But, lan, when you hear that people are saying, hes not taking his job seriously, et cetera, does that make it discouraging at all . I do get that, but i think that im not taking myself too seriously. And i think we need more politicians who are able to laugh at themselves. And as long as people are laughing with me and im giving them the opportunity to engage, i think thats great, because for everybody who says that im not taking my job seriously, there are people who reach out to me to say that im a symbol of hope for them. They project positive things on to me, and im very happy to be that symbol for them. Vincent, what would you say are some items that are holding the Community Back from being more engaged . Well, theres some structural issues. So if you look at the number of times that Asian Americans are contacted by either people running for office or by the political parties, its much, much lower than for other groups. So i think that one thing that has to change is that there needs to be a better awareness from the overall political infrastructure about the importance of the Asian American vote, the importance of the Pacific Islander vote. So i think thats one thing. I think the other thing is that we do need more candidates that people can relate to and that understand that their community is their home base and who had the cultural competency to really discuss the issues that matter to them. I think all these things have to happen at the same time. Gina, what do you think it will take to get more people involved, more of your friends involved, more young people . You know, i always think it starts with passion. When i got politically involved was when i saw the soda tax. I love health and nutrition, and this was something i could relate to, i could understand, and i could easily share with my friends and family. And i could tell them, this will affect your life if this passes. And so i think more people, if they do want to get involved, take a baby step. Start with something that youre excited about, maybe you want to root for, and see what happens. Okay, some very good points. And as we see more people take an active role, you know, another question is, you know, could that lead to a rise in racial tension . Well tackle that issue coming up on beyond the headlines. Welcome back to beyond the headlines with Cheryl Jennings. Im abc7 news anchor chris nguyen sitting in as guest host for this special roundtable edition. As more Asian Americans get involved in the political process, many wonder will this lead in a rise in racial tension . Vincent, you work for a civil rights organization. Its important that people push back on bias and discrimination. It is, and i think the way we should understand our own identity is as a means, not an end. And so i think when we understand what it means to be treated as an other, we can maybe be more empathetic to other groups who are marginalized. And so in that way, we dont see everything as a contest for limited resources, but how we need to Work Together to make sure that everyone has a fair shot, i think thats the way to address some of these questions around, you know, any potential downsides of diversity, including tension between different groups. Vincent, are you hearing more reports of people becoming more hateful toward others . Well, i think we look at it nationally. Weve seen a huge uptick in the attention in the amount of support groups that identify as either white nationalists and white supremacist groups. I think that when you have a place like the bay area and in california where theres maybe a much more sophisticated appreciation and pride in diversity and inclusion, the issues are a little bit different. And so, yes, we still do have a lot of problems of dealing with this notion that, you know, america is only for white people. But i think also within our community, within other communities of color, we have to do a much better job of actually getting to know one another and learning from each other. Valid points. Gina, what are you hearing amongst the millennials, so to speak . Any experiences that stand out that have kind of just left you thinking, oh, my goodness . I definitely have had a few friends who have had this experience of racial slurs or things being said to them, which is incredibly disappointing that thats happening now. But i think it has always been happening a little bit, and so im glad it is being brought to the surface and now we can have courageous conversations about it. Lan, as a younger politician, as the son of two immigrants, do people still view you as a foreigner . Yes, i think the working assumption is that im also an immigrant myself. Im actually san joses fourth vietnamese american Council Member, but im the First American born. So there is a change in the guard, change of generations. And i think its important for more, you know, Asian Americans to get out there, not just be elected, but to run for office, make the attempt and to just create this normalcy around Asian American candidates. Okay, so we have a question from our Facebook Community for the panel, and this one comes from praise santos. And the question is, is the passive tendency of asians in our current climate of racial tension in the United States benefiting us in the immediate but hurting us in the long term . Vincent, well start with you. Well, i actually dont accept that premise. I think that Asian Americans are much more active and outspoken than often is understood. You know, certainly the myth of asians as being passive across the globe is easy to debunk, and you could see that in the elections in south korea, you could see that in protests like occupy central in hong kong. And even in the United States, i do think that Asian Americans are involved in so many different ways, either as political leaders, community leaders, grass roots activists. And so i actually dont think that folks havent been outspoken. I think we havent been heard. And i think theres a difference between that and actually not speaking up. And, lan, what motivated you to run for city council . You know, youre obviously you know, that question from one of the viewers, in some ways, youre going against what theyre saying. Sure. I was a legal aide attorney. I helped a lot of folks in the bp oil spill in mississippi and louisiana. I did some legal aide work here in the bay area dealing with limited English Proficient vietnamese americans, and i saw myself helping a lot of people resolve the same issues, more or less, again and again and again. And i thought if i were to run for office and were able to affect change at a policy level, id be able to help a lot more people with, you know, one ordinance or so. And that attracted me to politics, it attracted me to run, and im glad i did. Gina, your thoughts . You know, i actually do think in the Asian American community there is the sense of being passive, about not rocking the boat and bringing too much attention to yourself. Its obviously important to speak out and be bold about it, but i do think that, as Asian Americans, were also not innocent in this climate of racial tension. So if we can just be the best ambassadors to fight for the rights and things that we believe in, then maybe we can also help support other minorities and people of color. And if all of us can do that together, i think theres quite a bit of strength there. Now, immigration is always a hot topic. We hear a lot about immigration when it comes to hispanics. But this is also an issue that affects asian families across america. Vincent, can you expand on that for us . Sure. There are about 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States, and about 10 of them are people of asian descent. Right here in san francisco, there are 10,000 undocumented chinese immigrants. So this whole narrative around immigration and undocumented immigration being a latino issue is really, again, i think something i think we have to look at more closely. The reality is that half of the Asian American community is foreign born, that the same fear and bigotry thats targeted against undocumented immigrants are the same types of fear and bigotry that are targeted against legal immigrants, as well. And so i think were seeing nationally this rhetoric that, you know, on the one hand, been about undocumented immigrants, but really its about, you know, people who have not been part of the old notion of what it means to be america, which is a very white america. And talk to us about the importance of celebring diversity and, in particular, Asian American accomplishments. Well, i think that when we understand our accomplishments, when we understand our history, it can maybe point the way forward. And it could help us understand that we have always contributed to the things that do make America Great and that theres so much more that we can do. But to do it in a way that isnt just about us, that is about reaching out to others, that identifies common goals, and really moves us to maybe a higher and shared humanity. Gina, when you were going through the process for the miss asian global pageant, was there anything that you learned in particular that you didnt necessarily expect to take away . That was my first very pageant, so it was a very new experience for me. And when i thought of it as a miss asian global pageant, i just thought of my chinese american friends, my taiwanese american friends, and it was interesting to have people fly from japan and china. We had an awesome candidate, maya, who is cambodian, and that really expanded my understanding of the Asian American community in the u. S. Its so diverse, yeah. Lan, when you told your mom that you were gonna run for city council, what did she say . And then what was the reaction like from your family and friends when you actually won . Because you won by 12 votes. Is that correct . I did. My mothers reaction initially was, are you serious . [ laughter ] and i ran in 2015. I lost by 13. I ran again in 2016. I won by 12 against the same person who beat me the first time. So its an ordeal, but i think generally asian parents, at least vietnamese parents, dont encourage their kids to go into politics. You know, they encourage their sons and daughters to become pharmacists, doctors, engineers, lawyers even. But in the case of vietnamese americans, their political history has been to be disappointed by government, to be wary of government. And so they dont want to see their kids move into that field. And i think thats a Common Thread i hear among vietnamese americans, perhaps Asian Americans more broadly. And im glad to kind of move in that direction because i think we need representation, and i represent not just vietnamese americans and Asian Americans, but also my entire district of north san jose, which is more than just asians. And real quickly, what made you decide, you know what . Im gonna try again, even though i lost the first time around . Maybe theres a bit of pride in it, but theres also a bit of wanting the district to have good representation. I observed in the second round of that election, there were no contenders. In the first time when there was an open seat, we had 10 people sign up to run. In the second round a year later when there was an incumbent, nobody decided to run. And i thought, in a democracy, you need choices. And some people are unwilling to put up their kind of Political Capital and lose. But im willing to do that because i believe in democracy. I believe people deserve a choice. But im thankful that they chose me. Great perspective. Well, were gonna pause for a quick commercial break. But coming up, well dive into the topic of asians in entertainment. Stay close. Youre watching beyond the headlines with Cheryl Jennings. Youre going to be hanging out in here. So if you need anything, text me. Do you play . Use the chase mobile app to send money in just a tap, to friends at more banks then ever before. You got next . Chase. Helping you master whats now and whats next. Welcome back to beyond the headlines. Im chris nguyen sitting in for Cheryl Jennings on our special roundtable episode today. Lets move in now to another interesting issue asians in entertainment. So, lan, this first question goes to you. Growing up, did you have any Asian American role models on television that you can remember . I remember two, and i dont know if they were role models, per se, but people that i identified with. One was Dustin Nguyen of 21 jump street. Mmhmm. And two was connie chung, because those were the only asian people that i recall seeing on tv. And i watched a lot of tv. I learned english completely from tv. So those are my two. And, you know, i guess it impacted me to see somebody familiar to me on tv. I lived in houston growing up at a time when there werent many vietnamese people in houston. I was kind of the token vietnamese kid in my class. I remember going to, like, target and hearing a vietnamese person speak, like, two aisles down. I would run out just to see them. And so i think its important for young people to see other people like them in media as actors, as entertainers, as elected officials, as News Reporters just so they know that there are many paths and avenues available to them, and its not just the kind of stereotypical thing that you would typically get from, you know, Old School Media like youre a kung fu fighter or martial artist of some sort, and i think thats important. Yeah, were gonna talk about stereotypes in just a bit. But first, gina, as an actress here in the bay area, can you share some of your experiences that youve had as youve gone on auditions . Yeah, absolutely. So, auditions are always nervewracking, i think, for me and for a lot of other actors. And theres a sense of when youre confident and youre calm and you have this good, you know, humor about you and sense of selfawareness, then i always find that those are the auditions that do really well. And in the bay area, we have a very tightknit community of artists, directors, producers, and its nice to see people collaborating and using the same actors or producers again. So its great here. And theres a lot of student filmmakers, as well. As you go out to read for some of those roles, are you seeing that, you know, race isnt that much of a deal for those student projects, but then when it comes to the commercial side, theres a difference . Yes, absolutely. For all my commercial work, theres definitely a pool of diversity. You know, you want in a shot with people of all different colors being shown. But when it comes to student films and indie films, every single role that ive been casted as a lead for had nothing to do with my race. And i find that to be incredible. And i think as these student directors or indie filmmakers take leadership roles hopefully in hollywood in the future, theyll carry that mind set with them. Its the character and its a story, and thats the most important part. And we do have a question from our Facebook Community. What advice would you give to upandcoming or aspiring Asian American actors . For actors in particularly, totally be so good that you are undeniable, you know, because sometimes people always talk about do we have enough roles written for us, and, you know, are we able to even compete in this era of whitewashing or roles given to white actors . But if theres more of us that come out, were bold about it, we go on as many auditions as possible, and we bring to the table all our talent and our hard work, then its a choice of choosing between talent rather than race, so. And weve also been hearing more from stars such as constance wu, who is on abcs fresh off the boat. Shes been very vocal. I love that. I think shes really making a big change and making some waves, and people are having more courageous conversations about it, which is what we need. Now, vincent, what do you think needs to happen more for Asian Americans in terms of representation in the entertainment world . What needs to happen for that to happen . Well, i think ginas points really good about what people can do individually. But i do think theres also a need to work collectively. I think that, you know, people who are involved in the creative arts, in all the creative arts, have to think about the ways that the industry is set up and how changes need to be made in order to make sure that theres full representation. And i think thats how weve seen gains in the past, and i think thats how well continue to see gains in the future. And one of our viewers on facebook was wondering, do you think asian stereotypes are going away at a fast enough rate in hollywood . Well, i dont think its ever fast enough. Theres clearly been some progress, and i think its important to have roles and to have stories that really reflect our experiences, some that center our experience as Asian Americans and others that dont. I think that a lot of that, again, happens throughout the chain of how things get on air, and thats both the writing, the producing, the directing. And also that crew has the decision to greenlight what projects go forward and what dont. Lan, youre an attorney, now serving on city council. Is it encouraging for you to see more young Asian Americans choose different career paths as opposed to what you mentioned, the doctor, the typical doctor, et cetera . I think, you know, asians are very talented, just like any other community, and living in america, we have choices. And whats important is to pursue a career path that is fulfilling to us as individuals. I mean, i keep telling people as a politician, but i think this is true for anybody. Whats important is youre able to live with the reflection in the mirror that you see every day. So whatever you do, you have to find that fulfillment and live for yourself. Panelists, thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to be with us today. We are out of time, but were gonna keep this conversation going online on our website, abc7news. Com. For now, cheryl, well send it back over to you. Thank you, chris. For more information about todays show, go to our website, abc7news. Com community. Were also on facebook at abc7 community affairs, as well as Cheryl Jennings abc7. And follow me on twitter, cherylabc7. Thanks so much for joining us. Have a great week. Well see you next time. The gateway to military sexual trauma is. A culture that supports humiliation and bullying at, really, every level of the military, including the highest levels. Abc7 presents beyond the headlines with Cheryl Jennings. Welcome to beyond the headlines. Im Cheryl Jennings. We are talking about an extremely difficult subject today, so i have to warn you, some of the stories youll be hearing will be extremely disturbing. Were talking about rape in the military. Weve heard the horrifying statistics about women being raped, but this next fact is equally horrifying. You may not know that more men are raped in the military than women. I want to show you a clip of one veteran who had the courage to tell his story. I was knocked unconscious from behind. And when i came to, uh. I was being held down by two individuals. And someone was pulling my pants down, and i was raped, sodomized. And that brave man in the video is here with us in the studio today with his partner and his wife, Michael Matthews and Geri Lynn Matthews. It is so good to see you in person. Thank you so much for being here. Nice to see you, cheryl. All the way from albuquerque, new mexico . Yes. We met each other first by satellite about three years ago as i recall. Yes, yes. Right when you were beginning your documentary, justice denied. So, michael, i want to start with you. Why did you decide to go public . This is a tough subject. Its hard enough for women. I cant even imagine what its like for a man. I had gone [sighs] i when i was raped, it was in 1974, and i never just saying that, just saying that out loud so matteroffactly, youre kind of, like, processing it still . Well, i never told anybody for 20 years. Oh. So, i went through a lot of therapy to get to that point, and i tried to commit suicide seven times. And after one of my suicide attempts, they took me to the v. A. , and i, you know, was talking with a counselor, and, finally, she said, well, you know, she this depression i had that was clinical depression, she said, you want to tell me about your rape now . I broke down and told her, you know, and finally told my wife, and, uh. We talked about it. My wifes a social worker, of course, so we talked about it, and she said, you know, maybe theres something you should do with, you know, this because, you know, god, your higher power, obviously has other plans for you. You know, they were pretty good suicide attempts, and youre still here. Actually, when he told me, i i was surprised, but in a sense, i was relieved because i felt, im not crazy. There really was something troubling him, something serious. And at that point, i knew the most important thing was to to get help, and i thought, thats the beginning step, is to tell someone, to take that first step, and so thats what we try to encourage people to do. A lot of men have problems, you know, thinking about people are gonna challenge their sexuality, and this is not about sexuality. This is, you know. Most of the rapists in the military, 98 of them are are heterosexuals, okay . So, its not its not about sex, and its not about gender. All right, its its its about someone with power and control as we all know. They didnt tell anybody cause it was 1974. You know, i was born and raised in new york, and i just, you know, can put the pieces together that, you know, if i came forward and said anything, they were gonna, you know, give me a bus ticket home, obviously, you know, give me a quick discharge and get me out of there. So, i i wanted to spend i wanted to stay at career in the military, so thats way. And you had a career in the military . Yes, i retired from the air force. I think the film was a way to show other. Survivors, male and female, that its a safe thing to do to come forward at least to one person that you trust. Okay. And thats the beginning step. Okay, thats the first. All right, we have to take a break. We have a lot more to talk about. So, were gonna be back with michael and Geri Lynn Matthews, talking about military rape, their new documentary, justice denied, in just a moment. Men in the military do not get raped in fact, they do. Welcome back to beyond the headlines. We are here with Geri Lynn Matthews and Michael Matthews, talking about a very difficult subject rape in the military and michael is a survivor. And, michael, i know that because you and geri lynn have worked on this for so many years now, dealing with it for so many years with your documentary and just staying involved, you have some numbers in your head about just how bad this problem is in the military. Well, you know, we have roughly the numbers of veterans Walking Around in our Community Six million veterans have been raped male veterans have been raped. And the percentage of suicides theres 22 a day, veterans killing themselves right now. And the percentage of those is, only 12 of those are actually combatrelated. Roughly, about 2. 5 , so, wheres the other 80 , you know, 80something coming from . And and the apa tells us that a man who is raped and does not try to get help for it, get counseling, will try to commit suicide at least twice in their life. Thats 90 of them. Now, tell me what the apa is, please . Oh, American Psychiatric association. Mm, yeah. The apa did another study on it, the American Psychiatric association, that came out just recently, and they said its 15 times more so. If you do the numbers, its between 180,000 and 210,000 a year. Thats horrifying. I mean theres more men raped in the in the military. Than in federal prisons. Thats according to dods numbers and, you know, comparing them to do the justice departments figures. So, what do we do, geri lynn . How do we fix this . How do we i mean, i know that a lot of the legislators and youve met with them cause we have pictures of you. Mmhmm. Seeing him talking to Jackie Speier congresswomen Jackie Speier here is is really instrumental in leading this fight, but youre in the trenches. Youre youre living this. What do we do . [ sighing ] what do we do . Well, um, we keep the conversation going. By sharing with people about the topic. A lot of people still dont realize that this occurs in the military. They dont want to believe it. They dont want to believe it. Theyre shocked. Theyre still making it a gender issue. Theyre still making it an issue of sexual preference. Theyre not realizing that this is about a humanrights issue, and its not about male. Its not about female. And so, what were trying to do is educate people, educate the civilian world, as well, because when a rapist leaves the military, they go back into the civilian population, and then the heinous crimes continue. So, the main thing is to so, why now . Is that because the outside world, it doesnt prosecute. Right now, its prosecuted in the military, right . No, its not. Thats the problem. The problem is, you see theres not a lot of so, the general public doesnt know . Theres not a lot of rapists in the military. The percentage of rapists are small, but the fact is, an average rapist, according to the American Psychiatric association, performs 300 to 600 rapes in their lifetime. Theyre serial rapists. 90 of them are serial rapists. So, the people who were prosecuted in the military, that information doesnt get out to the general public . No, theyre not prosecuted. This is the problem. Its up to the commanders. Right. It goes to you see, they have a funny judicial system. You know, it goes to the commander, and the commander determines whether it was rape or not, who is not qualified to make that decision. They need to take this particular crime and Violent Crimes against servicemembers out of the hands of the commanders. We thank the california legislators for for supporting us and for getting the word out and continuing to do so. I think the most important thing is to continue to speak with people like you that are so gracious to give us this time and also to educate people about the benefits of coming forward and not keeping a secret. That poisons you from the inside out. Thats one of the most important things. Well, you guys are a delightful couple. We were talking on the break, and you have great senses of humor, and you need to have that to get through Something Like this, right . Mmhmm. Final thoughts, michael, before we wrap up . Were almost out of time. Well, you know, the thing i would like to get out there is, we need a the reason we made the movie was to publicize this, and we need the backing of our, you know, communities to call everyone to call your your congress and senate and complain. I mean, they theyre not acting on it. Our governments broken, but the way to fix it is by, you know, complaining. All right. Geri lynn, final thoughts on you . [ sighs ] im very much solutionfocused. And so, my feeling is create a sense of hope by letting people know that. There are people that care, not just us. There are a lot of other advocates in this realm that are there to, you know, give you a lifeline, to help support you so that you can get the healing that you deserve and that you need, and thats the most important thing. Thats the beginning. When we come back, youll meet another veteran who was sexually assaulted in the military who got the help he needed, and youll meet some of the key people leading the way and offering help and resources for survivors. Were talking about military sexual trauma, or mst for short. Joining us in the studio right now are three guests. Heath phillips is an mst survivor and Advisory Board member for protect our defenders. Nancy parrish is the founder of protect our defenders. Its a Humanrights Organization which fights to help veterans who have been sexually assaulted. And colonel Don Christensen is the new president of protect our defenders. I want to thank you all for being here. This is a story that weve been following and working on for a long time. Its really hard to get attention on this subject, and, heath, something terrible happened to you when you were just a young man in the military. So so, tell me. Let me start with you. Um. I joined the military at 17. Um, boot camp and everything was everything that you were told it is. Once i boarded my ship, thats when the nightmare began. I was sexually assaulted by six fellow shipmates. My command chose to ignore me instead of help me out. I. Tried suicide. I tried running away. I went awol. With the help of my parents, we did a congressional investigation. But. Something that most people dont understand. When youre not on base, its different, but once youre back on your base, thats the law. Youre going back to where your attackers were . Yes, maam. Yeah. What happened to you . Um. How did it affect you . [ sighs ] i was. A drunk for many, many years. You know, i did things wrong in life that im not proud of. If it was not for Nancy Parrish and protect our defenders, i honestly dont know where id be today. Nancy, i want to talk to you about even the need for coming up with an organization, protect our defenders its even hard to to think that we have to do that. It is. You know, the military has a rape problem. Uh. Sexualassault rates for activeduty males is 100 greater and for activeduty females, 50 greater than their civilian counterparts in the reserves. Its an epidemic. And our our mission, really, is to change the culture of misogyny and victim blaming, denial of male rape. And to do this, you have to fix the ineffective and dysfunctional Justice System. So, we coalesced a community of survivors and their families to advocate for change, and we provide free legal help to for activeduty members, veterans, and civilians. We educate the public, and we push for muchneeded policy reform. Its an incredible amount of work, and just, colonel christensen, youve taken on this role. You were the chief prosecutor in the air force, and you also wound up defending people at one point in your career, so youve seen all sides of this issue. How how does this happen, and how do we change it . Well, the biggest problem we have is, we have a Justice System thats archaic and is a commandcentered Justice System. In other words, instead of having a professional Prosecutors Office determine whether a case should go to trial or not or what should happen when somebody attacks somebody like keith, we have commanders who know the accused, are gonna know the people who have committed the crime, and oftentimes know the survivor of the Sexual Assault, and so, based upon their biases, all too often, we see justice denied to those people who are are victims of Sexual Assault. And so, to fix it, the first thing we need to do is is get legislation passed to change our system so that we have independent, professional military prosecutors who are trained in the very difficult job of prosecuting Sexual Assault make these decisions instead of commanders. Im an army brat, and i know that my late father wouldve been appalled by all of this. Youre talking about changing the whole mindset because chain of command in the military is everything. But when somebodys assaulted, they cant just go to the police like any other victim. Right. What were looking for is for our brave men and women who who protect this country to have a Justice System as good as the one that they protect and defend when they go overseas. And then to accomplish that, we need to have a process where we have professional a military justice that is run by prosecutors and that we have a police force that is there to properly investigate these crimes, just like the great people in san francisco. When they have a crime, they go to their local Police Agency. That Police Agency investigates, and then the District Attorney makes a decision whether or not a case should go forward. Were not asking that our military members have anything more, just something as good as what theyd have in the civilian world. The world that they protect. The world they protect. Yeah. Nancy, is this possible . I know that congress is trying hard to do something about this. Well, it is possible. In fact, we we have we have a bipartisan majority in the senate, and and weve made some significant progress. But with the coalition of the Survivor Community and humanrights attorneys and through our probono work, we you know, we know that we can fix this, but we also believe that the president must show leadership as he has with civilian criminaljustice reform. Our troops deserve nothing less. Absolutely. All right, firstly, were out of time. Thank you for being with us today. Heath, youre gonna stick around for us for our next segment, and we are going to be back in just a moment. Big thanks to Nancy Parrish and colonel christensen with protect our defenders and to heath phillips, who is a survivor rape. We will stay with us for the next segment. Now, when we come back, youre going to meet two attorneys who have been honored for their work on behalf of military Sexual Assault survivors, so please stay with us. Well be right back. Who are these people . The Energy Conscious people among us say small actions can add up to something. Humongous. A little thing here. A little thing there. Starts to feel like a badge maybe millions can wear. Who are all these caretakers, advocates too . Turns out, its californians its me and its you. Dont stop now, its easy to add to the routine. Join Energy Upgrade california and do your thing. Were talking about a tragic subject rape in the military, affecting women and men. Heath phillips is joining us once again as a survivor, and our new guests are two attorneys from the Legal Aid SocietyEmployment Law center, elizabeth kristen, the director of their gender equity and lgbt rights program, and cacilia kim, special council, and you were both honored by congresswoman Jackie Speier, and you won a whole bunch of other awards, so congratulations. Thank you. Thanks, cheryl. And i appreciate you both being here today. I want to start with heath because you had a legal battle after you reported what happened to you your your Sexual Assault. So, tell me what happened with with how they they treated you in the military. Um. Eventually, i was discharged. It was a dishonorable discharge because i went awol. Um. And you went awol because you didnt want to be assaulted again. To protect myself, yes. That was the only way i could protect myself. Um. So, you didnt get your benefits. You had to fight for them. It. Took years. And years. I had a lot of support. Protect our defenders, congresswoman Jackie Speier. My senator, senator. Kirsten gillibrand. Between all of them, the probono. I. Um, finally, i won my appeal. And. I have 100 Service Connected for ptsd due to the mst. And. And i think a lot of people dont understand that, who are not in the military, when they hear ptsd and mst. So so, let me start with you, elizabeth, and, cacilia, you can jump in if you want to, just for people who dont understand how those two are connected. Yeah, ptsd is a term that means posttraumatic stress disorder, and military sexual trauma is a term thats abbreviated mst, and so, it happens when someone is sexually assaulted in the military. They develop ptsd, but it has some different symptoms that ptsd you might develop from combat. Its, in some ways, more severe than combat ptsd, and yet its more difficult sometimes to get those benefits that heath was talking about. So, heath, you feel like you were retaliated against, right . Yes, maam, in more than one way. And how would you compare that retaliation to the assault . [ sighs ] its actually worse. It was worse . Iiits more demeaning. When. You join the military, theyre supposed to have your back, and when they dont have your back. It makes it worse. And then the v. A. They dont help you out. It makes it worse. So, you relive each moment over and over. So, each time they retaliate against you by. Taking your benefits away or not allowing you to be seen, it reopens the wounds. Mm, im so sorry. Cacilia, we were talking off air about the retaliation and the problems that youre seeing, a kind of a theme that happens with people who are survivors of these attacks. Youre seeing sort of the same thing. They get diagnosed with a certain type of disorder. Right, and weve heard that a lot from servicemembers who have been assaulted, like heath, where, you know, once they are assaulted, then they have these instead of having ptsd from the military sexual trauma. Theyre diagnosed with preexisting personality disorders. And because it preexisted, the military, they dont the military doesnt have to provide any kind of compensation or treatment for the veterans, and so this is another form of punishment and retaliation that you see against servicemembers, and, unfortunately, retaliation is still widespread for people who come forward and say theyve been sexually assaulted, and theres a recent the most recent data shows that nearly 2 3 of those who come forward to say theyve been sexually assaulted are still being retaliated once they make the report, so this is a huge issue, and before we say to servicemembers they to come forward and repot these assaults, we really need to make sure that they are not retaliated for doing so. This is really alarming because someone like heath its taken him 30 years to get to a better place thanks to all the help and to his own determination, but what i mean, what do we tell our survivors who are afraid . Its very difficult for survivors to come forward, and yet theres a paradox. If they dont come forward, were never gonna stop this problem of military Sexual Assault. So, i have so much respect and adration for people like heath who come forward and for the work that protect our defenders is doing and our advocates like congresswoman speier to both make the system better and also to support our survivors, to come forward because we cant have them remaining silent and have this epidemic continue. And i think its particularly important for male sexualassault victims to come forward because this is an overlooked issue. So, 85 of the activemilitary force are male, so at least as many, if not more, men have been sexually assaulted in the military as women, and yet most of the the work and the prevention for military sexual trauma or Sexual Assaults in the military have focused largely on women, and there arent Many Services for men, and so it really we need to bring this issue to the forefront and keep it in the forefront until we stop these assaults. So we need to hear from more male survivors. Is that what youre saying . Exactly. But its a terrifying catch22. You are now on the Advisory Board for protect our defenders. Yes, maam. What knowing all of this and what youve been through, what do you say to people . Well, well, when i came forward. I have a word terminology. Its like a burn victim. Each time i speak about it, im shedding an extra layer of skin. And it. Im not healed, but its helping me heal. Mmhmm. [ sighs ] i cant speak for anybody else, but for myself, coming forward was probably the best thing i couldve ever done in my life. And if anybody else comes forward, there is protect our defenders theres people there to help you, and thats they need to come forward and get the help they need. We have about 10 seconds left. Final thought from you, elizabeth. I just have so much admiration for our servicemen and women who do come forward and do speak out against Sexual Assault, and i want them to know that protect our defenders, and the probono network, were there to support them as best we can. You know, this isnt one or two isolated incidents. We have thousands of military servicemembers who have been raped when they join the military service to serve their country, and so we really need to focus on this issue and stop the assaults. All right, thank you all for being here. Thank you for being so public about it, and congratulations on healing or at least beginning that process with your family. Thank you. All right, i really appreciate your being here. Thank you. It was a pleasure. Thank you. And thank you so much for joining us. For more information about todays special program and resources where you live, just to our website, abc7news. Com community. Were also on facebook at abc7communityaffairs, and follow me on twitter cherylabc7. Im Cheryl Jennings. Well see you next time. Last man standing is recorded in front of a live studio audience. Mike yeah [ cheers and applause ] doesnt get any better than this. You, me, the crowd, and the broncos. And justin. I said, the crowd. Yeah, thank you for including me, sir. Ah, dont thank me