Actor Matt McGorry visits Penn State to speak about violence prevention and bystander intervention

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa - On Wednesday, April 10, actor and activist Matt McGorry, who has appeared in multiple television roles such as in “Orange is the New Black”, “How to Get Away with Murder,”, and the most recent, “Archive 81,” spoke with two student moderators provided by Penn State’s Gender Equity Center.

During the conversation, they asked and discussed with McGorry the importance of topics such as toxic masculinity, the role of bystander intervention, as well as proper forms of consent between friends and partners.

McGorry told the moderators that the goal of talking about sexism, racism, or whatever it may be, is to be effective, and not put yourself in a position of power where you are viewing yourself as superior to the other person.

“You want to create, even for the people who are causing harm, if you can; especially if you have a relationship with them, create a space for them to actually explore those thoughts…take accountability from that, and work to shift cultures in the way that [Penn State] is doing so that is less likely to happen in the future,” McGorry said during the talk.

McGorry is also a strong advocate for racial justice, gender equity, and body positivity, as he explained a bit about his upbringing in Hollywood, and the toxicity of certain diets.

“I just think it was cool to see all of the different perspectives, especially on topics such as the importance of consent. It was also interesting to hear McGorry himself speak about his experiences and being young in Hollywood,” Jessica and Elena, two Penn State students who were in attendance, said.

The event was sponsored by the Gender Equity Center’s ‘It’s On Us’ campaign, which supports the enhancement of peer education opportunities and violence prevention and programming at Penn State.

Gavin Rollman is a third-year studying broadcast journalism. To contact him, email gmr5526@psu.edu