William Hirsch, Lawyer and Producer, Discusses Film

Exonians welcomed William Hirsch, father of Jack Hirsch ‘16, to assembly last Friday to share his thoughts on sexual assault, gender norms and his documentary film “Audrie and Daisy," which chronicles the stories of two teenaged girls who are sexually assaulted by boys they knew.Hirsch is currently on the board of the nonprofit organization Futures Without Violence, which seeks to end gender-based violence. 

Hirsch was originally a lawyer but became disillusioned when many of his important cases ended in settlements that failed to spur societal change. This caused him to pursue a career in producing documentaries instead. “I wanted to have a larger social impact, and I wanted to make movies that reached across the social, cultural and political barriers that divide us. I was looking for a new language,” he said, adding that he “wanted to find a way to really change hearts and minds.” Hirsch became involved with Futures Without Violence through their Founding Fathers program, which tries to unite fathers to work together to protect their children by preventing sexual misconduct.

“Violence is learned and it can be unlearned, and together we can work to change the culture of violence.”

Hirsch admires the work FWV does, saying, “Futures [Without Violence] is the  most amazing organization. They are so effective and so smart and so strategic and kind and embracing.” His appreciation for the organization led Hirsch to want to make a film about its work preventing sexual assault. However, he had difficulty finding a community to focus on for the documentary, until he considered the stories of Audrie Pott and Daisy Coleman. He had previously heard about Audrie and Daisy, as they garnered a significant amount of media attention from national news stories. Once he had decided that these young women should be the subject of the film, Hirsch spoke with their families to gain their trust and convince them that the movie would help prevent sexual misconduct and assault.

The documentary has already reached a large audience. It was featured at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016 and was later picked up by Netflix. According to Hirsch, Netflix is the “biggest player in the documentary film world.” Audrie and Daisy is one of the few documentary films that Netflix has picked up and invested in to help broaden its audience. The film has also been played at hundreds of colleges and universities. Hirsch wanted to make sure that the film educates its audience; he and his team have also developed educational material to accompany the film.

Hirsch came to Exeter to speak to two audiences: those who are active in Exonian Against Sexual Assault (EASA), but also those who are less involved in or aware of the mission of EASA. Hirsch has found that two of the most effective ways of preventing sexual misconduct are education and making a perpetrator understand the consequences of his or her actions. He says that it is important to teach boys when they are young about manhood and treating women with respect. “When people start to understand [the consequences], it has an impact on how they think,” he said. Hirsch thinks this is where Audrie and Daisy can have an impact, in showing the aftermath of sexual assault.

According to Hirsch, men also have an important role in preventing sexual assault. He said that women have done strong work for 25 years, but that preventing sexual assault became a stronger and more effective movement when women reached out to men, so that sexual assault “wasn’t considered just a women’s issue, but an issue that all of us should be concerned about.” Futures Without Violence was able to successfully bring men into the fight against sexual assault by bringing them in “as parents,” he added. “When they looked at their daughters and thought about what they wanted for them, it was a way to get them involved in the conversation.”

Upper and EASA board member Jacqui Byrne said, “There is an issue of people not even thinking there is a pressuring sexual climate or hook-up or rape culture on this campus, which is not the case.” Director of Counseling and Psychological Services Jeanne Stern agrees that the assembly “[highlighted] an issue that it is important to address,” but hopes students won’t forget that the majority of relationships are overwhelmingly positive experiences for those involved. “I want us as a community to focus on what healthy relationships can look like because that’s what is critical to learning.”

Hirsch agreed with Byrne’s assessment of the problem, adding that another factor that leads to sexual assault is society’s specific definitions of femininity and masculinity, which he says everyone together to change. He adds that coaches of sports teams have an obligation to educate their players on sexual misconduct. He says that “a lot of the worst behavior is generated in that kind of culture, where bravado and toughness seem to be the dominant themes.” PEA’s football team has already taken steps to combat such a culture. “It is made very clear that any kind of sexual harassment or misconduct is not tolerated—we don’t want those kinds of guys on the team, period,” senior captain Jack Farrel l said.

Though the majority of speakers that have come to Exeter to discuss the sexual climate have mostly focused on educating offenders to prevent sexual assault, Byrne believes that teenagers should also know what to do when they gain knowledge of a situation where sexual assault may be present, even if they are not involved themselves. “Helping a victim can be very difficult because unless you have been in that situation it is impossible to know how someone feels when their body has been violated,” Byrne said. She advises showing support and care for victims. “Make sure to let them know that you're always willing to listen,” Byrne said.

Hirsch hoped that his assembly “fosters a closer relationship between students and the administration” at Exeter. He thinks it is “important for students to keep on asking for more training, asking for more support, asking for the school to more directly deal with this issue,” but has seen that the administration seems to be listening to students. Above all, Hirsch hopes to leave audience members with the message that “violence against women and girls is not necessary.” He adds that it is not inevitable, but that, “Violence is learned and it can be unlearned, and together we can work to change the culture of violence.”