*This discussion series, open to anyone who currently identifies as a man, or at any point in their lives has identified as a man, will take place every Sunday from 1pm-4pm (with a one hour lunch break) starting July 14th, ending September 1st. Location to be decided, and will be wheelchair accessible. For those who won’t be taking part, please invite folks you think might be interested, or consider proposing a presentation for the program, call-out coming soon.
**DEADLINE TO APPLY IS JUNE 27th, 5PM
FIND APPLICATION FORM HERE (this google doc is not editable; copy it into a word document and send completed form to email address below): https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_qclAdddMC1W7FJRh8Sjm0csDbK-qW05fwjbxPGBdjA/edit?usp=sharing
PLEASE E-MAIL YOUR COMPLETED FORM, OR ANY QUESTIONS/CONCERNS TO endmisogyny2013@gmail.com
————————————————–
Come join the Montreal Against Misogyny Project for a summer of open, honest discussion and in-depth analysis of how gender-based oppression functions in our society today, how it has functioned historically in relation to white supremacy and capitalism, and how gender privileged people can constructively help end it.
This project aims to respond to calls from gender-oppressed people for cis men to take a larger role in changing the violent behavior of other cis men on an interpersonal level, and for cis men to bring more cis men to actively support feminist struggles on a systemic level, while remaining accountable, and respecting the guidance and leadership of gender-marginalized people. We will also discuss how people’s relationship to hetero-patriarchal power and privilege can change over time, relating to changing gender identities. Through these discussions, we will hopefully strengthen our own analysis and political practice, while improving our ability to challenge other gender privileged people to start/continue on this same process.
Montreal Against Misogyny has been conceived not out of a belief that gender-oppressed people need cis men to end gender-based oppression, nor that cis men should play a central role in movements to end hetero-patriarchy, but out of the belief that despite moves in the right direction, male supremacy and misogyny are still pervasive in activist and radical communities, that these dynamics undermine any struggle for justice, no matter what the issue, and that while cis and trans women, trans men, gender-variant and intersex people face the violence of hetero-patriarchal society on a significantly larger scale than cis men, most cis men also suffer under patriarchy, and have a legitimate self-interest in ending structures of gender-based oppression.
Montreal Against Misogyny will work through an anti-oppression and collective liberation framework, recognizing that there is no universal experience of being a man and that systems of oppression are intertwined with one another, meaning that working to end hetero-patriarchy cannot happen without simultaneously working to end all forms of oppression, including capitalism, white supremacy, settler colonialism, imperialism, ableism, and the exploitation of the earth.
Our discussions will be facilitated by weekly readings, and 4 presentations by local activists (2 in French and 2 in English). French/English translators will be present for all discussions and presentations, but please note that the readings will all be in English. Participants will be strongly encouraged to volunteer a minimum 5h/week at an organization with an explicitly feminist orientation, and we will discuss ways to continue our goals and commitments after the program is done.
The Union For Gender Empowerment 