The thing about alienating people, Ryan, is that most of the time people are unaware of the subtle discrimination they perpetuate. Perhaps if you really want to include and support oppressed groups, you should consult with them about what they want before you attempt to set anything up, or take any of NZUSA’s money to help facilitate a group for the oppressors.

Ryan, obviously you’re not very well read in this area, so I’ll make it clear and easy to understand for you. Until equality is achieved (it isn’t by the way, in case you were wondering) for women there will naturally and logically be an emphasis on women’s issues. It’s pretty simple.

Omfgeeh post-feminism is soooo 1997.

who gives a flying fuck if you are bored gibbon?

as the name says diddums to you….poor wee baby gibbons is bored…someone get them a baby bottle and probably needs a nappy change as welll the poor poor wee baby……

Also, if our conference was alienating queer men how is it that the mens conference delegates that are queer failed to bring that up. Were all about equallity here, but it seems that nobody else is. I mean serioulsy 2 third womens issues and 1 third mens issues being a policy in a ‘Joint Outcomes Session’ does seem a tad unequal dont you think??

But good stuff on putting mis-pelled back in her place about your mental state. this is neither the time nor place for personal attacks. Big ups Rach

Also, perhaps you should stop grossly misquoting me. I did not say that 70 percent of men were rapists. I said that a study done with college students in the states revealed that a HUGE number, yes, a majority even, of male students said that if they could rape a woman and be guaranteed not to face repercussions, they would.

So don’t twist what I said, and DO NOT portray me as some anti-feminist charicature of a hysterical rape victim. My mental health status does not affect my political belief that if these men were genuine about furthering gender equality, they would not try to set up their own power-gaining initiatives, but would instead be more supportive of existing (female-directed) initiatives. Or they’d at least make sure their conference wasn’t alienating to queer men. H

In isolation the topics covered are probably all important but I don’t really see why student politicians needed to meet about it. Most of the more relevant issues we discussed would be better handled by student health.

Far from promoting segregation, MEN was intended to include ‘anybody who identified as being a male’ be they male, gay, transgender, lesbian, intersex or tomboy. It was also made quite clear to everybody at the mens conference that females were welcome to be on the group. Joel had chaired the meeting and Ryan was somewhat of a leader in the concept, as such it was felt by a number of men that they were best to represent us in the joint outcomes session. In 4 hours we had come up with a mission statement, a vision, short and long term goals, a basic structure and two campaigns we wished to promote. M*A*S*H and Thursdays in Black.

Interesting that it was seen as promoting mens oppression of women and encouraging the divide, when after mens conference I sat outside the womens room with 6 other men, having been advised not to enter or I’d be in some serious trouble – when all I wanted to do was drop off some keys. Yet these same women who had no issue with joining the mens dinner later that night were staunchly against the idea of MEN. Look, its all cool if you lot want your own little exclusive club, but thats not what ours was at all.