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WOMEN ONLY

Making a statement.

Yes, spaces reserved just for those who identify as women are fair.

Late September saw a bold court ruling in Australia, one that said a women-only space in an art gallery wasn’t discriminatory. (To be clear from the start: We are absolutely not talking about excluding trans women. They are women, full stop.)

Artist Kirsha Kaechele created the exhibit, known as the Ladies Lounge, at the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Australia, as a way to highlight women’s exclusion from bars and other public spaces until as recently as the mid-1960s. By giving women a luxurious area all to themselves, she said, she was making a comment on misogyny and the role of women in Australian culture.

One man took the gallery to court, saying the women-only lounge broke anti-discrimination laws. Kaechele said what he was feeling was part of the artwork; a judge sent a previous tribunal ruling in his favour back for reassessment.

The staff at Women’s Resources of Kawartha Lakes is “women only”.

What does a court case in Australia have to do with us here in Kawartha Lakes? The idea behind it is something women, and the staff and volunteers at Women’s Resources, are keenly aware of. For instance, all of those staff are women. How is that legal? Because we have a human rights exemption that acknowledges how critical it is that the work we do be carried out by women.

Imagine being a teenager fleeing her human trafficker, or an adult who’s finally found a way to escape her abusive partner. How would they feel if they came to our shelter for support and encountered a male counsellor? Of course men have all kinds of gifts and talents, and we are glad to count many men among our supporters, but in our day-to-day work with those who have experienced gender-based violence, it’s critical to have only women involved.

This is not discrimination; it’s affirmation.

Whether it’s at Vicky’s Values, our food cupboard, our office or our new second stage housing, offering comfort and safety to the women we serve requires us, just like the artist in Australia, to have places set aside strictly for women. This is not discrimination; it’s affirmation. And just like the art exhibit, it makes a powerful statement about who deserves a space that meets their needs, and who actually gets one.

By Nancy Payne


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