Reshaping the Relationships between Women and Men
It was special to be with a group of women and men so committed to working together to explore, discharge on, think about, and act on ending sexism and male domination. We were reshaping the relationships between women and men in RC.
Diane continuously held out that we must not compromise with sexism. I could challenge in a different way how sexism had affected my life. I could really go for1 “I want” and “I have my own agenda.”
Tim talked about how we can rebuild connection, and how our RC Communities make it possible to push in certain directions. He also said that we need a clear picture of reality and the struggle in order not to do this on top of our defeats. Connection was emphasized throughout the workshop. For us to not be alone with our struggles, to stand side by side and dare to reshape our relationships, connection is key. Diane said that to make this real, we have to take a stand. We—both women and men—have to take a stand to end sexism and male domination.
After the workshop, Sören Holm (my Regional2 Reference Person who also attended) and I led a gather-in with inspiration from the workshop. Twenty-five women and fifteen men showed up.3 This is good attendance for an evening event in our Region. It says something about people’s willingness to look at how sexism has divided us. We started by sharing insights and perspectives from the workshop. Then Sören went off with the men and I stayed with the women. We closed the evening together. It was an evening of inspiration, heavy discharge, and deepened perspectives for many of us. Thank you, Diane and Tim, for doing this work!
1 "Go for" means pursue
2 A Region is a subdivision of the International RC Community, usually consisting of several Areas (local RC Communities).
3 “Showed up” means attended.