The Canadian government recently published a report that recommends monitoring and prosecution of gender equity advocates under federal hate crime laws.
Titled "School Success by Gender: A Catalyst for the Masculist Discourse," the report takes on the growing awareness of the problems of boys in schools. Indeed, the report shows that boys are lagging behind girls on the full gamut of educational indicators:
- Boys are more likely to be held back a year in elementary grades.
- The high school drop-out rate is 50% higher among boys than girls.
- While 71% of Canadian girls matriculate in college, only 55% of boys move on to higher education.
But nowhere does the report sound a clarion call for teachers to pay more attention to the educational needs of boys. No, the disparities that affect males should not concern us.
Instead, the report makes the argument that the real problem lies with the gender equality advocates who aim to "challenge the gains made by women and discredit feminism." The report, issued by Status of Women Canada, cost Canadian taxpayers an easy $75,000.
The report notes that Canadian men are almost five times more likely to commit suicide than women. The essay shrugs off this statistic with the comment, "Socially, should attempting or committing suicide create some hierarchy of concern?"
But if women were knocking themselves off four times as often as men, I'm willing to bet that Status of Women Canada would be singing a different tune.
The report admits that men die five years earlier than women, and notes that female life expectancy has risen by 2.3 years from 1981 to 1997. Then the report reaches the illogical conclusion, "The real question we should be asking is what has caused women's life expectancy to stop rising over the past two decades."
Stop rising? Since when does living 2.3 years longer equal no progress?
The report's coup de grace is found in its chilling proposal that "consideration be given to whether legal action can be taken under section 319 of the Criminal Code" against gender equality advocates and organizations. Section 319 is Canada's hate crime law.
Appendix II of the report fingers the prime suspects – over 90 gender equity groups like Fathers for Justice and the Canadian Committee for Fairness in Family Law.
Groups with subversive-sounding names like Children for Justice and Kids Need Both Parents also made the list. Apparently Status of Women Canada worries that a growing cadre of children are becoming anti-feminist, too.
More disturbing is that the message of gender fairness has spilled across the border into the United States, as well. The Mankind Project, Dads Against Discrimination, and 31 others – the Canadian government needs to keep tabs on them, as well.
Among the American conspirators is Christina Hoff Sommers, author of the highly-acclaimed exposé, The War on Boys.
But I am upset that the report does not blacklist me. I believe in equal rights and responsibilities of the sexes. I advocate that men and women should equally enjoy the benefits of medical care. I believe in equal pay for equal work. And I think that boys should have the same educational opportunities as girls.
And I haven't exactly kept my beliefs a secret. A variety of newspapers and Internet sites have run my articles over recent years.
So I want to ask Status of Women Canada a question: Why are you discriminating against gender equity advocates like me? Please put me on your blacklist.
June 16, 2003
