Surfing through blog land I came across a link to this article. It's about a party organizer in Australia who wanted to be able to ban men from parties specifically organized for lesbians and bi women. They won the ability to ban men in court.
The article in itself is very interesting and it does bring up a lot of issues around equality and non discrimination based on sex or sexuality, but what was more interesting to me were the comments.
If you read them you can see that mostly men showed up to comment. Most of them came across as totally angry that their rights are being diminished while women get to have what they want. OK, WTF???
Those comments are EXACTLY why those lesbians need to have a safe place to congregate without having to deal with neanderthals. Because you know, a party full of lesbians is not going to attract a normal, conscientious man who is empathetic to women and what they deal with. Nope, the men who'll show up at those parties are just the type of guy that will harass and act incredulous that those women just don't want them.
Normally, I think a party consisting of 99% lesbians would be intimidating to a man. Why would men want to go to something like that anyway? The fact that men wish to go tells me they are going for only one reason, to mess with them. Unless they are gay men.I just don't get why the men in those comments were so angry. What's it to them really if a bunch of lesbians want to gather without men? And they are so slanted in their thinking as well. I mean really, how often do men get sexually harassed at work, on a crowded train, in a crowded bar, walking by a bunch of women, in a gym, and so on? These things happen constantly to women on a daily basis. Those comments just go to show that many men, who've really had it so easy all through history, are feeling so angry and oppressed by women getting any kind of right that puts them on some equal playing ground.
For me, if all of those neanderthals wish to have their own club banning women, fine by me. They aren't the kind of men I'd want to be around anyway.
These guys are backing their protest with the historic discrimination of straight men? Seriously? Want to bet these same guys would be glad to know if a gay men's club opened so they couldn't accidently walk in and be ogled?
ReplyDeleteExclusive clubs and such tread a fine line, but if you know the majority of the members think a certain way, even if they are "open" or "public" you wouldn't particularly feel like joining.
Cathy, yes, I was really shocked at how pissed those male commenters were. Why does it bring up such anger?
ReplyDeleteIt also goes to show that just under the surface, many men are just itching to have their right to do as they please without respect to women back again.
I'm not a feminist in the sense that I'm anti male. But when it comes to dealing with sexual harassment, I get uptight.
In other countries, like India and Japan, they have special train cars for women only because of the constant harassment by pervy men who think it's OK and wanted if they feel you up in the train.
I think that this whole thing went to court not because of some feminist idea or general desired law to diss men, but because they've probably had actual, constant problems with men harassing the lesbians and bi women. Otherwise, why bother? If there's no problem, then there's no need to fight for a law.
I also suspect that men going to these things were there with the fantasy that they would pick up a bi women who'd have sex with him and another woman. Ugh.
I also suspect that men going to these things were there with the fantasy that they would pick up a bi women who'd have sex with him and another woman. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteThat would not surprise me at all.