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	Abused Quebecer on Oprah's Stage By Monique Muise Montreal Gazette November 6, 2010 http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Abused+Quebecer+Oprah+stage/3786970/story.html The one thing that stood out for Robert Berube was how different they all were. Men of every race, religion, age and cultural background, hailing from every corner of the United States and Canada. But while outwardly very dissimilar, the 200 people who joined Berube in Oprah Winfrey's Chicago studios last month for the taping of the episode that aired yesterday were united by one horrible truth. Each had been molested as a young boy; some by a family member, others by a teacher, a coach or a trusted friend. For Berube, who was born in Quebec but grew up in northern Ontario, it was a Roman Catholic priest who robbed him of his childhood -subjecting him to years of sexual exploitation. "There were different cases, but we all felt that this was our shared experience," Berube said of his time in Chicago. "I went first for myself -I wanted to be part of a group and feel that I was standing in solidarity. But I also thought that Oprah doing this was a remarkable thing for male survivors. I knew it would have an impact." The Oprah Winfrey Show, now in its final season, is devoting two full episodes to the issue of sexual molestation of young boys -the second of which will air on Monday. "I'd say we were about 30 Canadians there," Berube said. "When I walked into the studio, they had 10 posters of some of the guys as children hanging there. The one on the far left was me as a child." Berube has been outspoken about his ordeal, detailing how he was repeatedly molested at the hands of Father Jean-Claude Etienne, who was transferred to Ontario from Montreal in the late 1960s after allegations of sexual abuse surfaced in his former parish. Berube said he was pleased to see someone of Winfrey's stature tackle the issue of childhood molestation -something he maintains is still a major problem across North America and around the world. "What had made me a little sad was that famous people have all these causes, but no one was taking up the cause of little boys being abused and survivors," he explained. "There is still a stigma attached to it in society." Berube, who reached a settlement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie in 2008, recently founded a Facebook group for male survivors, and said he ran into several dozen of its members at the Oprah taping. "All of us were at different points in our healing," he said. "Some guys were just telling their family the day before that they were going on the show as a survivor. And then you have guys who have been open for many many years." Now back home in Ontario, Berube is working on several proposals for new services for victims, which will be submitted to the Ontario government. He will also come to Montreal in the coming weeks to meet with men who are just beginning to tell their stories. "What I'm finding is that helping other survivors helps me, too." Contact: mmuise@thegazette.canwest.com
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