Men's groups are the backbone of the men's movement. They are a good thing, says Michael Flood.
I JOINED my first men's group when I was 20, and it profoundly changed my life. Seven years on, I'm passionately committed to men's issues.
For the last three years I've been part of two great men's groups: the Canberra branch of Men Against Sexual Assault, and those lovely men in the XY editorial group.
Rod Mitchell decided to take up the challenge when Michael Flood posed some tricky questions in "Activism 101" (XY Spring 1994).
Mark Kriewaldt shares the fruits of some heavy thinking and talking on how the men's movement can reach out and become more inclusive.
What is diversity? How do the ways we construct our identities relate to diversity…and vice versa? How can we foster diversity and respect difference in pro-feminist politics - in our theory, personal lives and in activist groups?
Four lessons, and plenty of homework. That's what Michael Flood took home from the Adelaide sessions.
I learnt important lessons about pro-feminist activism, and lessons that are important for all men, in the four-day sessions in Adelaide. I felt challenged, inspired and confused.
"What's so fabulous about the idea of patriarchy?" asks Bryan Law, who takes another look at Co-Counselling and reclaims men's personal power.
Three terms have become the guiding principles for anti-sexist men in Australia, but what do they mean? Michael Flood pins them down.
Male-positive. Pro-feminist. Gay-affirmative. These three terms have become the guiding principles for a substantial section of the men's movement, including this magazine and Men Against Sexual Assault groups around Australia. What do they each mean, and what should they look like in practice?
The best place for pro-feminist men's efforts is not within the men's movement, but in alliance with those of other progressive groups, says Bob Pease.
Is XY anti-male? Is it male-bashing? Founding editor Michael Flood thinks not, putting the case for the defence and raising broader questions about men and men's politics.
While XY gets its fair share of positive feedback, it also regularly receives the feedback that it is "anti-male". Is this true, why might XY be seen this way, and what can we do about it?
The best involvements in men's or boys' issues, whether as a men's movement participant, a social worker or counsellor, or policy-maker, are guided by three interrelated principles: they are male-positive, they are gender-just, and they recognise diversity and are inclusive.
