What would you like to talk about if nobody judged you? WE NEED TO TALK by Ida Östensson and Thor Rutgersson is a book that’s supposed to inspire guys and men to start talking about things that they traditionally do not talk about.

Ida Östensson is the founder of a number of organizations and initiatives. Equality foundation Make Equal, consensual sex movement FATTA! and No Limit Skate to name a few. Ida has received a number of awards and was entitled Educator of the Year 2015 and won the BRIS Award in 2017. In the summer of 2016, Ida Östensson started the hashtag GUYTALK urging all men to start conversations with their male friends about what it’s like to be a man.

Ida Östensson says: “Men are expected to be the toughest, the fastest and the strongest, to be the best. These are unreasonable demands that no person can face alone. Because of them, tears are suppressed with alcohol, anxiety is turned into mental or physical violence towards others, and many men leave their families – either by substance abuse or suicide (or just by running away). 

In short: The patriarchy SUCKS, for everyone.“ 

Thor Rutgersson is an author of both fiction and non-fiction. His previous non-fiction books have been about education, gender equality, political movements and democratization. Rutgersson tried #Guytalk but he found it difficult to open up and talk honestly about things guys and men rarely speak about, he therefore wrote to Ida and asked for help: Can we do something more that help us men talk openly and honestly about how we feel and what we do?

This Spring #Guytalk became WE NEED TO TALK, a short, fun and effective book built on conversations held with, and personal stories from, ordinary and extraordinary men. They were given the space and opportunity to discuss different topics like love, sex, friendship, vulnerability, ego, and escape. All with the ambition to help their fellow man with a more open conversation. Because what affects others by extension also affects us. By allowing men to talk in safe forums and giving them tools to discuss their physical and emotional problems WE NEED TO TALK can bring about change from within and work towards an equal society for all.

Here you find the podcast and the latest news and updates about the project you find here. You can buy the book online here or here.