"Equality" Festival in Toronto folds b/c MRA's behind it

[tropaka]

http://www.blogto.com/music/2014/05/to_ ... lity_fest/

 

 

Quote

The brouhaha brewing around a music festival held by a group sympathetic to the men's rights movement has led the event's site, sponsors and performers to pull out of the event, leading to its cancellation. E-Day, which billed itself as a festival "celebrating social equality", was set to be held at Artscape Gibraltar Point on Toronto Island Sunday, June 1. Indie acts like David Celia and Spookey Ruben were scheduled to play in the afternoon, with a number of sponsors - including locals Hogtown Brewers and corporate giants Kronenbourg and Jagermeister - supplying the booze.

 

On Wednesday, left-wing news site Rabble reported that the event had been put together by men's rights group Canadian Association for Equality (CAFE). The group has gained notoriety in recent months for working with strongly anti-feminist groups like the U.S.-based A Voice For Men and attempting to hold rallies and launch satellite groups on Canadian university campuses. (Among the issues they list in their Twitter bio: "misandry.")

 

Despite the festival's lengthy page calling for changes to child custody laws - a cause men's rights activists often point to as proof that social systems privilege women - references to CAFE, or the group's wider activities, are generally absent. That omission evidently also extended to musicians and sponsors. Musical duo Giraffe were first to announce they would "respectfully decline" their slot, saying they weren't aware the organizers' activities. "We feel that we were not fully informed about what it was that is being supported," Lynne Rafter wrote on Facebook. "Calling it a festival that celebrates 'equality' as opposed to 'men's equality' was intentionally misleading."

 

By Thursday afternoon, it appeared the festival had larger problems than bands dropping out: Artscape announced they would no longer be hosting the event, saying it contravened their policy against political events on the property. Hogtown Brewers pulled their support just half an hour later: "When we were approached, we were not aware of the true nature of (CAFE)," the brewery tweeted. "We would not have knowingly supported this cause. We are truly sorry."

 

The event's Facebook page has since vanished, and it remains to be seen whether the show will still go on. But now that little ambiguity remains about the festival's roots, it's tough to imagine an E-Day that could continue to slot itself without scrutiny among the city's summer music festivals.

 

blogTO pulled our event page for E-Day, which we had highlighted as a Top Pick in our events hub and Free Events posts, after a reader linked us to the post on Rabble today.

[Jinger Jar]

My husband had a brush with the MRA movement in California when he and his ex were in court over custody of their daughters, before he'd retained his current attorney. He was approached by a "dad's rights" lawyer while he was waiting for a court appearance, and this guy - not knowing squat about my husband's situation - told him that he could finagle things so that my husband could both see his kids as little as possible and pay his ex as little as possible in child support. Clearly, he was willing to act in the children's best interests. :roll:

Re: the canceled music festival. It seems to me that if men's rights were really that noble of a cause, promoters wouldn't have to couch it as a "equality for all" event in order to attract entertainment and secure a venue.

[2xx1xy1JD]

It's worth keeping an eye on CAFE.

10 days ago, they had a press release announcing that they are now a REGISTERED CHARITY.

In case you were wondering if they may actually be legit, the press release goes on to say:

CAFE focuses on providing positive solutions to the important but overlooked social problems of fatherlessness, disparities in men’s health and the boys crisis in education, but does not shy away from raising necessary critical questions about concepts like rape culture and ideological feminism.

Source: equalitycanada.com/media-advisory-government-grants-charity-status-to-first-mens-issues-group/

Look, I'd have no issue with a legitimate group doing objective research on boys in the education system, addressing the lack of services for men dealing with domestic violence, and encouraging the role of fathers as equal parents. I just have no idea what opposing discussion of rape culture and bashing feminism have to do with those things - or why my tax dollars should support anti-feminists.

[tropaka]

Well, BlogTo, who initially advertised and then dumped the event, has disabled commenting and wiped out previous comments.

Seems CAFE advertised sponsers who had no idea their brand was being used. One of the spokesmen for CAFE, when confronted with the latest mass killing, simply said "oh, was it over a divorce?".

[GoFlamingo]

Well, BlogTo, who initially advertised and then dumped the event, has disabled commenting and wiped out previous comments.

Seems CAFE advertised sponsers who had no idea their brand was being used. One of the spokesmen for CAFE, when confronted with the latest mass killing, simply said "oh, was it over a divorce?".

Were CAFE the ones who made the "Don't Be That Girl" posters with the logos from the police and domestic abuse shelters without permission?

wehuntedthemammoth.com/2014/03/25/a-voice-for-men-appropriates-logos-of-real-anti-violence-organizations-for-new-dont-be-that-girl-postering-campaign/

[Eclipse]

I went to undergrad with one of the co-founders of CAFE. He is a MRA. He is simply an ass. He was a co-founder of CFI, an atheist organization. I have heard a lot of female members left because of his MRA links and inability to address inequality and gender issues.

You should read his stuff linking female genital mutliation to male circumcision. It is the same thing, dontchyaknow :roll: .