Clementine Ford; Courageous and Inspiring Australian Feminist 02 New Female Mps in Parliament and MORE
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Auckland Women's Centre SPRING ISSUE QUARTERLY 2017 IN THIS ISSUE: 01 Clementine Ford; Courageous and Inspiring Australian Feminist 02 New Female MPs in Parliament AND MORE Clementine Ford; Courageous and Inspiring Australian Feminist abuse and hoping it will stop, Clementine invites recipients to Courageous and inspiring Australian feminist use humour to defuse the words’ power. Clementine Ford on a wintry September evening She showed the audience dozens of vile and threatening held a room full of kiwis spellbound with her talk messages she has screenshotted. Hate Male. “I want you to laugh at these men to diminish the power they Dr Pani Farvid, Senior lecturer, Department of Psychology, have in your minds. They are of no importance. They are not AUT, acted as MC. relevant to our struggle.” Clementine has a column in Daily Life and is a broadcaster, She deals with the old chestnut of feminists hating men by public speaker and the author of the book Fight Like a Girl. responding that some women do hate men because living She burst into the Australian spotlight when private, nude in the patriarchy means they have been given very good pictures of 4000 Adelaide girls and women were stolen and reasons to do so. shared on a database. Breakfast television show Sunrise “When people ask me whether I hate men, I say that’s the posted an article titled “Girls, when will you learn?” least important part of my feminism. As a matter of fact, I In response, Clementine stripped part-naked, took a don’t hate men… Feminism is not about women hating men. picture and posted it with the words “Get fucked Sunrise” It’s about us understanding we don’t have to hate ourselves.” and an explanation of the abhorrence of the programme’s She says the insults she receives frequently focus on the victim-blaming. physical: calling her fat, drawing attention to her tooth gap Men immediately began sending Clementine degrading and criticising her breasts. and dehumanising messages, and the tirade of abuse and “It doesn’t matter that we women are putting forward our threats has not let up since. intellectual ideas. What matters is whether men want to have She said the most common words used to her are sex with us.” “whore”, “slut”, “cunt”, “bitch” and “fat”. Clementine rejects the suggestion she often receives: that While many women try to survive in public life by ignoring the she should escape abuse by getting off the internet. Photos by Nicky Noble Photography: Left to right: Clementine Ford answering a question. Clementine Ford with our volunteer, Jess Tappin Auckland Women's Centre Quarterly Spring 2017 Clementine Ford; Courageous and Inspiring Australian Feminist, continued “It should never be an obligation of the person being Women are told ‘don’t walk down the street alone’, ‘don’t abused to get off or to change her behaviour. It’s silly for accept lifts from strangers,’ ‘don’t let men buy you drinks,’ anyone to say the online world and the offline world are ‘don’t wear short skirts.’ different now. It would be impossible for me to take myself But, at the same time, men known to women tell us “I’m not offline and work as a writer.” that man.” But what are the men who make this protest doing She says the vileness is the daily backdrop of her life. to end patriarchy's violence? “I don’t let it defeat me and it doesn’t really upset me but it’s Clementine ended by saying women should remember we the daily detritus and rubbish I have to clean up every day.” did not have to justify our feminism to men who were seeking Major controversy arose when men sent Clementine abusive arguments rather than genuine conversation. Simply not messages and she referred the comments to their employers, engaging was a good strategy. leading to them being fired. At the end of her talk, she generously answered questions on Clearly, it was the men’s actions which led to the dismissals. a wide range of issues, wrapping up a thought-provoking and However, Clementine was blamed for the job losses and the informative night. ■ men were publicly portrayed as victims. Photo by Nicky Noble Photography: Katherine, Pani, Clementine, “When we take action as women to address the abuse we Mira & Sophie receive, people tell us we’re overreacting, people don’t mean it, they were just trying to compliment you.” She says women are blamed for being attention seekers if they highlight their passions. And, if they don’t want to be bombarded with attention from men when they walk down the street, that is bad as well. “We are told from a young age we are not able to interpret our experiences properly, that we are not reliable witnesses to our own lives. It’s dangerous because it teaches us to doubt out own experiences – we don’t know when to be cautious.” New Female MPs in Parliament After the recent election 38% of our MPs are female, up from only 34% before the election. Below is a list of the female MPs entering Parliament for the first time: GREENS LABOUR Golriz Ghahraman is an Iranian-Kiwi Chloe Swarbrick is 23 and in 2016 Kiritapu Allan is of Ngāti Ranginui and refugee. Her studies at Oxford, and ran a high-profile but unsuccessful bid Ngāti Tūwharetoa descent and worked work as a lawyer for the United for the Auckland mayoralty. She is the as an intern for former Prime Minister Nations and in New Zealand, have youngest MP to enter Parliament Helen Clark while at university. Kiri was focused on enforcing human rights since Marilyn Waring in 1975. She a commercial lawyer and business and holding governments to account. met with Marilyn during the election consultant, focusing on primary Golriz has longstanding involvement campaign. Chloe has a law degree industries as the key to regional in refugee and migrant rights and in 2016 she and her partner and development. She was on the board of activism, and is a prominent member a friend opened a small art gallery 350.org and was an executive member of the Iranian community. and coffee shop. of a national kiwifruit growers’ association. Auckland Women's Centre Quarterly Spring 2017 LABOUR continued NATIONAL Ginny Andersen contested the Jo-Anne Luxton contested the Hutt South electorate and entered Rangitata electorate and entered Parliament on the list. She has Parliament on the list. She owns and worked for the Police, in the Justice operates the Hinds Early Learning sector and at Parliament, including Centre, the first such business in on plans for reducing harms New Zealand to be an accredited associated with gangs, organised Living Wage Employer. She is the crime and methamphetamine. great-niece of former Labour Prime Minister Norman Kirk. Dr Liz Craig lives in Invercargill and Harete Hipango was the first Māori has monitored the health of children woman chosen by National to contest and young people as a public health a seat it held. She stood in doctor for the past decade. She is Whanganui but entered Parliament on critical of DHB underfunding and an the list. Harete practised as a lawyer advocate for improving state housing for over 25 years and was a member availability and quality. of the Whanganui DHB and Māori- Land/Farms Incorporation Board. Anahila Kanongata’a-Suisuiki was the Lead Advisor-Care and Tamariki Denise Lee was an Auckland Priyanca Radhakrishnan has a Advocate-Service Design at the Councillor representing the Master’s degree in Development Ministry for Vulnerable Children, Maungakiekie-Tamaki ward and won Studies and worked as a social Oranga Tamariki before entering the Maungakiekie seat for National. worker in the Indian community in Parliament. She is a Tongan New Politics is in her blood as her father, Auckland. She worked in Auckland Zealander from Hofoa, Niua and Graeme Lee, served as the Hauraki Mayor Phil Goff’s office when he was Kolovai of Tonga and is married with MP for 15 years and was a Cabinet an MP. four children and six grandchildren. Minister under former Prime Minister She says “Take the phrase ‘I don’t Jim Bolger. have the time’ out of your life.” Deborah Russell ran her own small consulting company and worked Erica Stanford won the East Coast as a university lecturer in Aotearoa arrived in Aotearoa Bays seat vacated by long-serving Marja Lubeck and in Australia. Her doctoral thesis in 1989 and is of Dutch, Indonesian MP Murray McCully. She has lived in was on multiculturalism and she is and Chinese heritage. She served the electorate for 35 years and has a tax expert and the mother of three four terms as president of the Flight two daughters. She was the producer teenage daughters. Attendant and Related Services of reality television show Noise Association and was a board Control. member of E tū. Jan Tinetti was the principal of Tauranga’s only Decile 1 school and has been an advocate nationally NEW ZEALAND FIRST for equal educational opportunities. She is passionate about warm, dry, affordable homes, free education and dignity at work. Angie Warren-Clark has many years’ experience working in government, and was the manager Willow-Jean Prime gave birth to her of Tauranga Women’s Refuge. She second child, Heeni, at the start of the was admitted to the Bar in 1998 as Jenny Marcroft was a newsreader campaign and her mother is travelling a barrister and solicitor of the High and worked in broadcasting for over with her to Parliament to help care for Court of New Zealand and also holds 30 years before entering Parliament.