By Susan Price
SYDNEY — This year's International Women's Day (IWD) march and rally here will be open to all supporters of women's rights following a decision by the organising collective on February 22.
Since the early 1980s, the impact of radical, separatist feminism on IWD organising committees and events around Australia, along with the fragmentation and ideological confusion within the women's liberation movement internationally, has led to numerous debates about the role of building alliances and the participation of men in events such as IWD marches.
Discussion in the Sydney collective revolved around whether IWD should be a political day of protest in defence of women's rights or a day on which women only should march and rally as a sign that they were "doing it for themselves".
IWD collective members from the Committee in Defence of Iraqi Women made some hard-hitting arguments in favour of building alliances and encouraging men to actively support the IWD events, referring to the attempts by right-wing fundamentalist governments in the Middle East to silence and undermine women's protests by prohibiting men from supporting them.
They explained that in countries such as Iraq, Iran and many other Middle-Eastern countries, civil and family laws mean that women can be legally murdered by male family members for "damaging the family's honour" as a result of rape or adultery. They said that the importance of gaining support from men for the struggle to end these laws is paramount. Events such as IWD are an important means to educate men about the realities of women's lives and form alliances against the governments and system responsible for injustices to women.
Resistance member Bec Beirne said, "Although conditions in Australia are not as extreme, the need to form alliances in defence of women's rights and against the Howard government's attacks is no less important.
"Resistance members in the collective argued that the IWD march and rally should be open to all those who support women's rights. We believe IWD needs to seek the support of others fighting the government's attacks, whether that be trade unions, Aboriginal and migrant groups fighting the racist attacks, or the community sector."
A solid majority of the collective voted in favour of men's participation at the rally and march.