Paul Elam

Who he is

Paul Elam is the American activist who, in 2009, founded A Voice for Men — which Wikipedia describes as "a large and influential publication within the wider men's rights movement" and "essentially a mouthpiece for its editor". ^[1] Its stated purpose, in Elam's words, is to "expose misandry [hatred of men] on all levels in our culture". ^[1] For much of the 2010s AVFM was the organising hub of the online men's rights movement: articles, forums, radio shows and conferences.

Why he matters here

Elam is the clearest case of the men's rights movement's harder edge. Alongside genuine grievance, AVFM became known for deliberately provocative campaigns — a "Register-Her" site naming women, and an article declaring October 2012 "Bash a Violent Bitch Month" — that critics read as misogyny and that he has defended as satire and provocation. ^[1] In 2018 the Southern Poverty Law Center categorised A Voice for Men as a male-supremacist hate group. ^[1]

He matters to this site as a study in how a real ledger of male grievance — the same claims about false-rape-accusation rates and domestic violence the movement recites — can be fused with contempt and turned into something the mainstream reads as hate. He sits at the opposite end of the register from Warren Farrell, the movement's mild-mannered founder: same grievances, very different voice.

Elam was not offered a right of reply for this initial profile; if that offer is made, it and any response will be logged here.