It started in a bar and was all fun and games in the early 2000s when Travis Garone and Luke Slattery decided to bring back the no-longer-trendy mustache. When they realized that getting people to grow a mustache created conversation, they decided it could be used for a good cause. So they decided to use it to raise money for Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia (PCFA) and they’ve never stopped since. What started in Australia has now gone worldwide with a slew of countries joining in and lots of projects supported and funded to help men and boys mental health and well-being. And there’s ways you can join in and help — obviously, with the whole grow a mustache to raise funds, but there are a other ways too for anyone who isn’t a man or doesn’t identify with traditional views of masculinity to participate — but the site does wrongly still have a ton of gender binary language that leaves out transgender and nonbinary people. For those who want to participate there is Move for Movember; Host a Mo-ment; Mo Your Own Way. And if you need some mustache inspiration I’ve got you covered on some of my favorite mustaches on book covers. I mean, of course I was also going to make this bookish! Whether you’re joining in with Movember or looking for a more gender and LGBTQ+ inclusive organization helping to inform on cancer care, do take the time to look into and talk to friends and family about mental health, prostate, and testicular check-ups to know warning signs.
