Award-winning poet and journalist Cameron Conaway on why he thinks The Good Men Project is a mission worth keeping alive.
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It was June 2011 and I was in Northern Thailand after visiting a shelter for child survivors of sex trafficking. Over the next few days I labored to make my filled notebook and my heavy emotions into a story that would resonate with the reader. The images came back to me as I typed: the boys with HIV who laughed and ran around as all boys should; the lush green mountains that surrounded the shelter like the warmth of a parent’s hug. I’m not a religious fellow, but I felt it was my calling to write the best damn story I could. And, after hours of furrowed brows and a few sleepless nights, I believe I did.
Little did I know that the difficult part had just begun. Nobody wanted the story. One major media company told me it was “far too long” and that I’d need to cut it “at least in half.” Eleven other media companies didn’t respond, two politely declined. Editors I trust ensured me that the story was worth publishing as is, that cutting it, especially in half, would crush the heart of it all. I thought of publishing it on my own website, knowing that it’d only get a few reads compared to what it would do elsewhere. Two weeks passed and I was beyond frustrated and into a state of utter confusion. I watched in disbelief as huge media companies churned out stories about human trafficking that lacked detail, story or any of the basic tenets of journalism. Then a friend recommended that I send it to this place called “The Good Men Project.” I did some research, took a deep breath, then sent it out.
“This is OMG AMAZING!”
That’s what an editor at GMP sent me a few hours later. That’s when this place called The Good Men Project became important to me. Since then I’ve watched as Team GMP has fought tooth and nail for the issues that matter in this world. This isn’t a publication; it’s a movement. It’s invaluable. Equally invaluable is your support so that this desperately important mission can continue. I hope you’ll join me in becoming a Premium Member. I simply can’t imagine a better way to spend $20 per year.
Cameron’s sex trafficking story, as originally published by us, is here: Never to Be Sold Again.
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One of the reasons the major media did not show interest in your story may have been that in addition to being about sex trafficking, it was also a very powerful story about personal redemption through Christianity. Most main stream media seems to prefer stories that depict devout Christians as intolerant bigots.