Paddy O'connor Men Need To Speak Up!'

The home and away star says it’s time to make a change

- Sara Tapia

When thousands of Australians took to the streets earlier this year to demand gender equality and greater action against sexual assault as part of the March4Justice rallies, Home and Away star Patrick O’Connor was listening.

“We were on an away shoot with work [not long after] and we were discussing the current treatment of women in our society,” the actor, 28, tells WHO. “I felt that there was a connection between the type of man that seemed to be committing this behaviour and my experience with toxic masculinity growing up.”

Instead of just batting away the issue, O’Connor decided it was time to speak up and shared an emotionally charged post detailing his own experience with toxic masculinity. “I think as men we have the real potential to change for the better,” he tells WHO of his decision to share. “It’s our job as men to find an answer that improves our gender for the better and doesn’t simply push it off to the next generation.”