Men slip on high heels to bring awareness to violence against women
May 8—Chris Markes slipped on a pair of red high heels downtown on Friday evening, along with dozens of other men, for one reason: awareness.
Markes has been participating in Enid YWCA's Walk a Mile in Her Shoes since it began in 2014, to help bring awareness and to show support for women experiencing domestic abuse and sexual assault.
"Awareness is the main thing," Markes said. "Before we got on board with (YWCA), we didn't realize how serious the problem was. You hear of it once in a blue moon and it's like, 'We didn't realize that she was living in that situation,' but there are so many people that live in that situation."
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is an annual fundraiser put on by YWCA, where men — almost all wearing high heels — walk for awareness, going from the Gazebo on Garfield County Court House lawn, around the block and back this year during First Friday.
A record-breaking number of about 100 men participated in the walk this year, said Virginia Miller, the fundraising chair for YWCA's board of directors.
"We are really excited about (the record), so that's really big," Miller said. "This means we're going to keep doing it, and next year, we've got to do more than 100."
Markes won the "Mr. Walk A Mile" award after the walk because of how involved he has been with YWCA and Walk A Mile in Her Shoes, and because of how many people he invites to participate and support the cause.
"I just send out a text to all my friends and family and say that it's time to give to the YWCA, and everyone will send me money, and ... I can raise over $5,000," he said. "It's so easy to ask for money for this organization because it is so well-run. It's so organized, it makes you confident to give the money because you know it's going to go to the right place."
Markes added that the walk is a great exposure because "high-profile" men such as Garfield County Sheriff Cory Rink, pastor Devon Krause and Garfield County District Attorney Mike Fields put on the heels and walked around the courthouse.
This was Rink's first time to participate in the walk, and even though he said his feet were hurting after wearing the heels for about an hour, it was well worth it.
"It's a great thing for the community to be aware of sexual assault and domestic violence, not just in Enid, Oklahoma, but all of Garfield County," said Rink, who won the "Best Dressed" award after the walk.
Every 73 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted, and every nine minutes, that victim is a child, Miller said. One in 3 women and 1 in 6 men will experience some form of physical violence in their lifetime.
Miller said the walk, which was sponsored by Edward Jones, makes people ask questions about why the men walking are wearing high heels, highlighting the main reason and bringing attention to YWCA.
"It's going to draw attention," Miller said. "Even though we are in a small community, people still don't know that the YWCA exists. They don't know what services we have to offer. We have a crisis center ... From there, it's just trying to let the community know we're here. We support you. You have an outlet. There's ways to get help, and we'll help you do it."
YWCA's crisis hotline is (580) 234-7644 and it is available 24/7 for anyone in need.
Kelci McKendrick is police and court reporter for the Enid News & Eagle.
Have a question about this story? Do you see something we missed? Do you have a story idea for Kelci? Send an email to kelcim@enidnews.com.
