I am a woman and a Feminist and what I do with my body is my choice. That's what the main message of Feminism is all about. Women aren't inferior to men. We are just as good. And we've changed laws and created social movements across the globe to enforce gender equality. We've accomplished a lot but still have a way to go. I believe that women the world over must continue to fight for their rights and demand gender equality. From Saudi Arabia to Germany, from Haiti to New Zealand, from Brazil to France, from South Africa to Italy, from Nigeria to Finland, all women must unite against sexism.
My name is Marjorie Thaddeus and I am a Feminist leader and a student of French Canadian descent at the University of Ottawa. I study Criminal Justice, with a minor in women's and gender issues. One day I want to become a lawyer, and fight for women's rights in the legal system of Canada. We're a progressive country but we've definitely got a way to go. In recent years, the University of Ottawa has been plagued with sex scandals. Women's issues activists and student leaders have been harassed for denouncing certain sexist campus traditions, and members of the Men's Hockey Club got accused of sexual assault, tarnishing our school's image forever.
A lot of people on campus are blaming Feminism for the ills that have befallen our campus. These people are completely wrong. Advocating for women's rights does not in any way mean that you are against men. I am not a man-hater. I am a proud Feminist because I believe in women's rights and gender equality. I have nothing against the male of the species. The stereotype of the man-hating, typically die-hard lesbian type of Feminist is just that, a stereotype. I want to bring change to the Feminist movement. I want to change the stereotypes about this great movement. That's something that I am really passionate about.
I convened a meeting with Jefferson Manheim, President Emeritus of the YMSA or Young Men Scholars Association of the University of Ottawa. I wanted to speak to the most respected male leader on campus to see if we get our respective sides to back off. Campus doesn't have to be a minefield full of gender-based hatred, angry rhetoric and political correctness gone amok. College and university should be a fun, safe and exciting time in the lives of all young men and women attending institutions of higher education across the vastness of Canada and beyond. People shouldn't feel afraid to speak boldly on campus about any topic because of gender wars. Free speech should be a guaranteed right for all individuals regardless of race, gender or sexual orientation at university. I sincerely believe that.
I must admit that when I first met Jefferson Manheim, he was not what I expected. I expected a pimply-faced frat dude, and was surprised to meet instead a tall, dark and handsome gentleman in a stylish business suit. Emphasis on the dark and handsome part. With his lime-green eyes, curly black hair and golden brown skin, Jefferson Manheim was masculine beauty with an exotic edge personified. I would later learn that he was an international student at the University of Ottawa, having transferred there from Boston University. Yeah, Jefferson Manheim was an American. How about that?