1. What are men’s issues?
- Men face institutional bias in the form of prison sentencing and conviction rates.
- Boys are being unnecessarily medicated for natural behaviour.
- Men are by far more likely to commit suicide or be the victims of workplace death or injury.
- Men often face legal biases in family courts that devalue fatherhood.
- Men form the overwhelming majority of the homeless.
- Over 30% of male babies in Canada annually have their genitals mutilated a.k.a. “circumcised.”
- For more information visit equalitycanada.com
2. What will your advocacy look like?
The SFUAMB plans to take a diverse approach to advocacy that includes, but is not limited to: speaker events, debates, workshops, public protests, petitions, and socials. SFUAMB vlogs, commentary, and video recordings of our events are viewable on the CAFE Youtube channel.
3. Wait, aren’t men privileged?
The SFUAMB asks people to consider that ALL people may experience some form of privilege based on their gender, class, religion, age, race, orientation, and so forth. The myth of men being a primarily privileged class keeps men’s issues invisible and contributes to the problem. This is a topic we will explore in our advocacy work.
4. What about gay, trans, or other minority men?
The SFUAMB is open to everyone, regardless of race/religion/sexuality/gender identity, and our objective is to address the human rights issues of ALL men.
5. Are women welcome?
Absolutely yes! The club is open to all.
6. What’s your relationship with the Canadian Association For Equality (CAFE)?
CAFE is an education-based, registered charity focused on equality for all people. Their current area of focus is the inequity males experience. In 2014, CAFE launched the successful Center for Men and Families in Toronto. CAFE provides consultation and information resources to the SFUAMB. The SFUAMB is aligned with CAFE’s mandate (abridged version below – view full mandate):
The Canadian Association for Equality is committed to achieving equality for all Canadians, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family status, race, ethnicity, creed, age or disability.
7. What about issues affecting male students?
- Since the late 70’s there has been a staggering decline in academic achievement among male students – males now comprise only 43% of undergraduate students.
- Boys are suspended twice as often and expelled three times as often as girls in part due to “Zero tolerance” policies that punish any forms of aggression.
- University campuses are becoming hostile to male students who face undue prejudice from “Kangaroo courts” that hold guilty-until-proven-innocent attitudes towards female accusations of sexual assault.
- For more information visit boysmeneducation.com
8. Is your club pro-feminism?
Seeing as the term ‘feminism’ encompasses so many varying approaches to achieving gender equality, it really depends. However, we believe that feminism is positive and empowering so long as it considers the interests of men and boys with insight and understanding within all of its approaches.
9. How can I get involved?
- Email us at info@sfuamb.com
- If you’re an SFU student join our club via the SFSS portal
- Stay up-to-date on club events by liking the SFUAMB Facebook page.