It’s time for the DSU to include the Men’s Issues Soc

Durham Men’s Issues Soc has been a controversial topic on campus – some totally for it, some totally against it, and probably many others who couldn’t care less. But the fact is that the Men’s Issues Soc needs to start getting praise for the job its doing.

The society were refused ratification by the DSU last year because it was too similar to Fem Soc… but where was Fem Soc when the Men’s Issues Soc slept rough and raised £850 for the homeless charity ‘Moving On’? It’s high time we abandoned the vacuous criticisms, and accepted that this is a society that not only deserves ratification, but desperately needs it.

After all, we really don’t hear a whole lot about men’s issues in wider society. When such topics are raised, they tend to be swept under the rug by pointing to inequalities that women face. Why is the public gender equality narrative so one-sided?

The fact is that men and boys are facing issues. Under-representation at University, underachievement at all levels of education, and a far greater preponderance of their gender in homelessness and suicide, are all issues that Men’s Issues Soc wants to bring attention to.

On the other hand, Fem Soc argues in its Code of Conduct for Men that it “prioritises the voices and experiences of women”, while only acknowledging that the patriarchy can hurt men. Now, I’m sorry, but the issues men face can never be addressed from the perspective that all problems are caused by a patriarchy.

‘People aren’t aware that men make up roughly a third of domestic violence cases’

The level of interest in the ill-fated Milo Yiannopoulos vs Julie Bindel debate shows that people are keen for an open discussion on the inequalities faced by both genders. Durham just does not want the kinds of authoritarian no-platforming that campus crazies are demanding at other universities, and the DSU needs to realise this.

So, by what right does DSU continue to no-platform them? It’s sad that two groups who are pro-gender equality can’t be aligned in their fights, and open in their discourse. But when the needs of one gender become prioritised so at to negate the needs of the other, it’s clear that a group who seek to redress that oversight is vital to achieve the common goal of equality.