Keep your distance from A Voice for Men’s conference at its new location in St. Clair Shores.
That’s the basic message the organisers of the original June 7th protest against the AVFM conference want to get out to anyone thinking of protesting the conference this Friday and Saturday. In an open letter posted on Amanda Levitt’s Fat Body Politics, the original organizers urge would-be protesters to boycott the conference and stay out of St. Clair Shores.
While the original organizers reaffirm their opposition to the conference and to “the horrific and vile hatred that A Voice for Men spreads on their website,” they are concerned about the safety of anyone who might be considering protesting:
We have had numerous people reach out to us to let us know of the very real danger we could be in by protesting. Due to concerns for physical safety we have decided the best way to oppose the conference that is now going on in St. Clair Shores is to keep our distance. With AVFM’s history of attempting to provoke protestors, harassing individuals by following them to their cars or home, and filming or photographing them in order to release their private information online we don’t feel that protesting at the VFW hall could keep people reasonable safe.
While there may be others who decide to protest the conference, we want to make it perfectly clear that there are real concerns for safety. If you are planning to protest the conference, please make sure the people who are coming are informed enough about the kind of vicious tactics that AVFM has used to derail and trivialize the response to their own ideology.
Be in solidarity with us this weekend as we ensure the safety of our organizers and other protesters by tweeting to #NoMRA about why this conference and the beliefs of AVFM shouldn’t be tolerated.
Emphasis added.
I should say that I agree with this approach: DON’T protest AVFM’s Conference in St. Clair Shores this weekend. Speak out against AVFM’s misogyny, and against its efforts to intimidate its critics — on social media and any other way you can.
But unless you are covering the conference as a journalist, don’t go to St. Clair Shores. Not only do you risk being doxxed and harassed by AVFM and its supporters, but you also will be giving AVFM what it wants: a confrontation, and yet another excuse to play the victim.
Make no mistake: AVFM and its supporters want to see protesters at their conference this weekend. Don’t give them what they want.
You will be far more effective critic of AVFM if, instead of confronting them in person, you speak up online, through letters to the editor, and by spreading the word in other peaceful ways that don’t involve actually going to the conference.
I don’t personally oppose AVFM’s conference taking place, but I think it’s very important to show the world what AVFM, its supporters, and its invited speakers really stand for.
I urge you to do what you can to publicize the video I helped to put together in collaboration with Mancheeze.com that highlights the hatefulness of a number of those scheduled to speak at AVFM’s conference– link to it, embed it on your blog, whatever you can do.
You can also help to spread the word by posting the graphic I’ve pasted in below, after the jump, which collects together the statements quoted in the video. You can click on it for a larger version.
RE: Evan
I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and see if there really is any gold among the turds.
I find it truly impressive that you’d be willing to shell out $250 to go to a shit show to see if there’s anything BUT shit, but godspeed, I guess.
What are the chances of me getting beat up by these guys if they get butthurt that they were flirting with a dude in drag?
Uh, dude, these are THE LAST PEOPLE I would want to be clocked by. No really.
RE: GNL
protesting the VFW will make you look the Westburo Baptists.
Dude, it’s a fucking BUILDING. Protesting an event in the building isn’t protesting the fucking veterans. What the hell, why do people keep correlating the two? I tabled at a fucking craft fair at the VFW, that doesn’t mean it was fucking beyond reproach! If some anti-yarn cranks had insisted on protesting our selling of crafts, it’s not like they’re pissing on the armed service.
Of course, why wouldn’t they have a penis manifesto? They can’t save men and boys without a penis manifesto, because they need to know how to act in the best interest of penes.
I’m glad to hear that. Protests and confrontations will never work with that group because no one can sink to the twisted lowest common denominator like they can. Plus, they enjoy it.
Wait, now they’re giving out tickets for FREE? After chiseling their fucking fanbase?
This is just… textbook How Not To Run A Con. I mean, seriously, we have…
1. Changing venue at the last minute
2. Hiding the reasons and news
3. Demanding funds from congoers to cover extra security (which should’ve been planned for already)
4. Demanding identification from congoers before handing over tickets
5. Having high tickets prices, then U-turning and giving them away for free
Seriously, the only thing I can imagine making their con more poorly managed is if they do all of the above AGAIN.
Yes, it has been a comic burlesque.
But buried in all this is the ongoing claim that “death threats” including a “sniper” were made to the Doubletree Hotel, and the fact that those claims have never been specified. I hope the MRA lore concerning their conference does not in future include the legend of feminist violent threats.
I don’t think protesters should stop pressing for details of these alleged threats.
What the hell’s all that donated money going to then? Remodeling GWW’s kitchen?
So are they also going to ask for ID from the free ticket recipients?
Anyone else think the ID requirement might be a pre-emptive strike to make doxxing easier if anybody dares report anything from inside the conference in less than glowing prose?
Oh christ this just keeps getting better and better. Free tickets? I’d say I bet the pissbabies who paid out the ass for their tickets and then paid for “extra security” (who wants to bet the majority of it went into Elam’s pockets, and about 10% of the donated money actually went for what it was supposed to) will be angry about this, but they are so stupid and enamoured with Elam he could piss on them (literally, he already does that metaphorically) and they’d still love him. Bless their hearts.
Where’s Woody?
LBT, even if their con is a con, they’re still running a con poorly.
Can they be more obvious?
They’re inept at running cons or they’re inept at running cons.
RE: marinerachel
Where’s Woody?
Dude’s gotta sleep sometime!
RE: contrapangloss
Can they be more obvious? They’re inept at running cons or they’re inept at running cons.
Pro: they’re doing our job for us.
Con: it’s a con con.
Seriously, does Elam have no shame? I mean, if I treated my fanbase like this, I wouldn’t be able to show my face again!
I’m a terrible person, LBT.
I read your comment, and started singing “Con-con, can we do the con-con?”
Actually, it’s OK that Woody’s not here because he only says one thing making it very easy to speak for him with absolute certainty one is accurately representing his position.
Woody has no doubt whatsoever all that money paid for tickets and donated for security will be put to the noblest of uses by Sir Paul thus those who spent money on this conference needn’t feel slighted, what with additional security no longer being required at the new location and tickets being given away. Indeed, they should rejoice in the knowledge that their hard earned money is going to a righteous cause as per Paul’s judgement. Praise be.
I think I got that right.
Do you have a link for the free ticket offer handy, I’ve searched their unpleasant website and only found that tickets will $350 at the door (and the Farrell seminar the day before topped out at $125).
Totally OT, but I just wanted to share. Hubby brought home a monster truck compilation DVD home for my son who loves trucks. As one might expect, every woman in the video was eye candy. In bikinis, the whole “male gaze” cinematography, passive roles, hood ornaments, etc. men drove the trucks, serviced them, were interviewed, etc. (I won’t go into the prevalence if the confederate flag, but you get the idea). my 7 year old just watched, trucks and mud are cool! It was sorta clumsy, but I attempted to draw attention to the differences in how the “boys and girls” were portrayed and talk about it.
This is why we’re doing this, calling attention to misogyny, talking about toxic masculinity and objectifying women and the real damage it does.
So my son and daughter, and other sons and daughter can maybe learn something else and the world will change. Bravo David. This is important work.
Btw, hubby shitcanned the DVD.
The Paul is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in motels; he leadeth me from one venue to another; he leadeth me in the paths of misogyny for his name’s sake.
Amen.
Or rather, a(voice for)men.
I found it, they’re saying donors will pay for the tickets they’re offering to people who can’t afford them, you have to email them a request for one and give them your legal name, emphasis Esmay’s.
*Ok, I don’t bold good, forget the emphasis part.
Aaaand now I had to listen to the can-can song. There are worse ways to spend my time!
By the way, it’s that time of year when I get home, strip down to my underoos and lay on my back atop my bed with my limbs extended like a starfish, trying to cool my body. I hate boob sweat. Make it stoooooooooop.
Oh, gods, boob sweat. I was trying to hand wash my bra in the shower today and now it just smells like lavender body wash AND boob sweat. I can’t win!
I remember when I was younger and wishing I had boobs. Now they are the biggest they’ve ever been (still not that big) but I take it back. I’d like to be flat chested again, please.
Urgh, boob sweat. I get it all year round. Only thing worse for me is where-leg-meets-groin sweat.
These stupid fucking things are bigger than my head, even when I’m not fat. UHG.
Letting one’s brassieres soak in tepid water with mild detergent for twenty minutes, then rinsing and drying in the sun kills the smell of sweat, or so I’ve found. I am a brassiere-keeping expert as mine are dreadfully expensive due to their unusual size and I can’t afford to regularly replace them.
It doesn’t sound like it should work but it does: Eucalan No Rinse Delicate Wash. Without rinsing, this stuff gets sweat and whatever else you have going on out of bras and panties.
I use good old fashioned Forever New, delicate wash bags, the hand wash cycle on the washing machine and the warm/cold water setting. Hang-dry those puppies in the sun and they’re super fresh-smelling and snug when I put them on. I can’t believe how far my breasts project when I’ve got a really supportive bra with nice tight fibres to it On. Knocking things off counters.