Perth IWD invites men to march
By Trisha Reimers
PERTH — The International Women's Day Collective here decided on February 22 to allow men to march at this year's IWD rally, although at the back of the march.
The compromise means that, for the first time in several years, men will be able to actively support the annual march. Previously, men have been asked to walk alongside, not in, the march and have been encouraged to show their support in other ways, such as by handing out leaflets to passers-by.
Claudia Fuentes-Beltran, a Resistance member involved in the IWD Collective, said the decision to allow men to march at all was "fantastic". "There's been so many attacks on women's rights recently, and it's important that we publicly demonstrate the strong support that exists for women's rights, including among many men", she said.
Sarah Harris, a member of the collective and of the Democratic Socialist Party, agrees. She points out that the Women's Electoral Lobby is organising a separate IWD rally on the same day in Perth this year which will feature the Liberal Party's minister for women's affairs. "The fact that the progressive, feminist direction of International Women's Day is being challenged this year makes it doubly important that all those who want to stop governments' attacks on women's services, jobs, access to welfare and education, and reproductive rights participate in the IWD march", she said.
Perth's International Women's Day rally is being held at 2pm on Saturday March 11, at the Perth Cultural Centre outside the Alexander Library. Phone (08) 9227 7367 for more information.