MEDIA ADVISORY – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FEMALE “MEN’S ISSUES” ACTIVIST TO SPEAK AT RYERSON UNIVERSITY

Public event follows Ryerson student union prohibition on groups or events that focus on men

TORONTO, ON – (January 30, 2014) The Ryerson University community will host “Are Men Obsolete? Feminism, Free Speech and the Censorship of Men’s Issues” at the Mattamy Athletic Centre on Thursday, February 6, 7:00 PM.

[Note this location has changed to G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education 7TH FLOOR, Peter Bronfman Room, 297 Victoria Street]

Men’s advocate Karen Straughan, famous as the YouTube sensation GirlWritesWhat, will argue the need to build safe spaces to discuss the health and wellbeing of men at university campuses, especially in the face of organized resistance.

“The event will launch a Ryerson-based Men’s Issues Awareness Society and directly confront policies passed without debate by the Ryerson Student Union (RSU),” said Ryerson alumni and event sponsor Adam McPhee.

In March 2013 the RSU rejected groups and events discussing gender other than through officially sanctioned perspectives, then immediately rejected a female-led initiative to explore men’s issues.

Karen will encourage men and women to work together in a variety of areas that hurt both sexes: violence, suicide, graduation rates, the gender imbalance in many professions and sexist portrayals in the media.

“She will also challenge us to take an honest look at where modern feminism has failed in its approach to men and men’s issues, and where its need to censor heterodoxy may have become a force impeding gender equality,” said McPhee.

The event is sponsored by the Canadian Association for Equality whose co-hosted programs at the University of Toronto have brought out protesters but generated overwhelming public support, resulting in funds to build the Canadian Centre for Men and Families. CAFE’s 2014 New Year’s resolution is to sponsor events at 8 universities across Canada.

CONTACT

Amber Taylor

info@equalitycanada.com

416-479-0718

-30-