Anarcha-feminist Stitch'n'Bitch :: Tuesday 1st - Friday 4th of Feb

My understanding is that yes it is drug and alcohol free.

Why would be unsafe if wasn't though? Personally I think it would great fun to have a beer or two with a bunch of inspiring women. It's not like drinking at a dodgy bar or something!

are male children welcome at the workshops?

love how you're turning the tables by only allowing men to be involved in looking after the children and preventing them from entering the discussions and workshops.

way to go bitches!

ARRRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!

Alcohol can be a great contributor to violence and some womyn may be the victims of alcohol induced violence (I have been in the past and by women not men in fact). Personally I'd just feel very uncomfortable with people drinking and taking drugs. We want to make the space comfortable for everyone right? Yes. So this is just another of those things that need to be addressed to make everyone feel welcome. Also we'll probably all be a lot more productive and clear headed by detoxing for a few days.

I wonder whether any efforts are being made to make sure survivors of (sexualised) violence can feel comfortable, e.g. by making sure they won't be confronted with women who took part in their "abuse" (example: spat on their boyfriend's survivor..) or males that were/are abusers (male childcarers).

speak for yourself megan, i don't need to detox and also don't actually need you or anyone telling me what to put in my body or not.
alcohol is not the danger to this conference and you know it.

punk boy :
can't you handle what rehzi is saying? if she's wrong then why are you getting so upset and threatened by it? or are you afraid of someone involved in movements where rapists actually get dealt with how they deserve

as for 'responsibilty' why don't you use your real name if you are so concerned about accountability

Nice one. :) Theres been a few of these in perth, and the women have really liked em.

To the fellas critisising this. Looks to me like men can come , just not in the workshops. I'm sure the ladies wont mind if you organise a few mens workshops on your own. Get together with the boys and discuss how gender and stuff affects men. Now surely you dont need the women to organise THAT for you too! Ya'd almost think us guys are uselss without women to do the thinking for us! :) :)

Guys: Just organise some mens stuff in paralell. Everyone wins in that scenario.

the issue is really that alcohol in this case is *not* what will make the space safe or unsafe, it's issues of how the anarchist movement has been dealing with rape and rape survivors which is the key concerns of quite a few people, and which will make the space unsafe.

but you're right this is not the forum to discuss it in.

so megan, instead of us having a veiled arguement about it here, why not reply to questions i asked about this on the anarcha-fem organising list????

we all have our own concerns for what will make the conference best for us. All I'm saying is that for myself fell that the camp is a safe space I'd need to know that it is going to be drug free. It is totally ridiculous for you to say that there is only one thing that could make the conference not be a safe space for each individual! I will email the list now to explain further. But please do not attack me as I have treated you with respect even though you have not me.

If any females want to join the @ fem NZ list email me or visit http://lists.enzyme.org.nz/mailman/listinfo/anarcho-feminism_lists.enzym...

Actually blanket statments like that dr mike is what causes people who are intolerant to drugs have overdoses.

The traditional roles are that the man must earn the money and the woman must raise the children. No choice for either party.

But looking at today's society I would say women have to a certain extent been liberated from these roles. It is now acceptable for her to do either. Men on the other hand are less liberated. It is still very much expected that they be the breadwinner, and people wonder about you if you aren't.

The problem is not that women aren't yet liberated. It is that given the choice, a lot of women are realizing that the office they longed for is stressful and boring and maybe their traditional role wasn't so bad after all. And the feminists don't like this. Well every persons life is their own.

P.S. a lack of drugs and alcohol doesn't make a place safe. People still have free will and can decide to smash your face in. The only thing that makes a space safe is the threat of government retaliation against anyone who decides to initiate force. And since this is an anarchist meeting, and anarchists don't believe in government, they obviously don't care about your safety in the slightest.

Hope everything goes well at the gathering. I for one think it's an excellent thing to be happening, regardless of any disagreements about the exact form of its organisation, and I hope those disagreements form the basis of fruitful discussion before, during and after the gathering. I look forward to hearing how it went and anything that those who took part wish to share with the general public.

Hey girls!How did the anarcha feminist convergence go? It would be cool to hear some comments on this site, as the anarchy one is down at the moment.