This is the fifth News Briefing to be collated in lieu of UPDATE, since we have yet to find a volunteer to edit this. This issue has been prepared by volunteer Trustees.

Needless to say, responses and contributions from members will be most welcome. Please address these to the Honorary Secretary, Chandra Vaghela.

We welcome on board co-opted Trustees with website design expertise – Mr Ketan Shah. We are recruiting Chair of Board of PARITY Trustees, so if you know someone who may be a suitable candidate, please contact Hon. Secretary for further information.

We are pleased to announce that our AGM has been scheduled on 2nd June 2018 at 12:00 noon at the Union Jack Club.

News Items:

• Domestic Violence Issues – The ManKind Initiative Conference
• Domestic Violence Issues – The ManKind Initiative Achievements
• Domestic Violence Issues – Experiment
• Parental Alienation Syndrome
• Sexual harassment
• Male Victims of Stalking
• Rape Issues
• Speaking Up For Men
• Men’s Health – Male Infertility
• Men’s Health – Prostate Cancer
• Dr. Joanna Williams’ new book – ‘Women vs. Feminism:
• Why We All Need Liberating from the Gender Wars
• PARITY Legacies?

Men’s Health – Male Infertility:

The issue of male infertility care is often insensitive and one-sided according to charity Fertility Network UK after surveying men having difficulty becoming fathers. Many felt marginalised and excluded, with female partners being the main focus of attention in clinics, it found.

One man said: “The whole experience has been focused towards my wife…. even consultants’ letters about my genitalia are addressed to my wife. There seems to be no equality.” Another said: “I now know what it feels like to be identified on official documentation… as an appendage to one’s spouse.”

They said little is known about how men cope with their infertility because they are often reluctant to talk about it and share their experiences. Nearly all of the men said it made them feel worthless and “less of a man”. A lack of emotional support was highlighted. We regularly hear from women in the media who have difficulty conceiving, but not from men for fear of ridicule. It is therefore something men tend to suffer in silence.

Susan Seenan, chief executive of Fertility Network UK, urged men to speak out and said clinics should pay extra attention to the care needs of the men they see and treat. “Men are half of the fertility equation; when they cannot create the family they long for without medical help, they suffer and struggle physically and mentally just as women do”.

Causes of male infertility vary but the most common is poor quality semen, a low sperm count, abnormal sperm or sperm not moving properly. Damaged genitals, ejaculation disorders and low levels of testosterone also contribute. About 25%, however, of infertility cases are unexplained in the U.K.

The information for this piece was taken from the Health section of the BBC website of the 1st November 2017 and can be found at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-41820347.

Liberty Belles March:

A march in London was organised by The Liberty Belles (a group of women who speak out for Men’s Rights) and various activists on 19th November 2017 in support of International Men’s Day 2017. Around a hundred in total progressed from Trafalgar Square along the Strand to the Royal Courts of Justice, along the Embankment to Parliament Square and back to the starting point. Impromptu speeches were given in support of Men’s Rights which attracted a lot of attention and support from the public.

International Women’s Day is a well-known and established event taking place on the 8th March annually, with known aims. However, many will be unaware of the International Men’s Day event that was set up a few years ago and takes place on 19th November annually. Its goal is to promote awareness of Men’s Issues. We wonder whether it will get the publicity of its female equivalent.

On the same evening as the march in London, at a Soho venue, a conference was hosted where ten different speakers gave talks on this subject matter. Notable speakers included Fidelbogen (screened direct from the U.S.A.), Belinda Brown (Conservative Woman website), Neil Lyndon (activist and author of ‘No more sex war’) and Mark Pearson (wrongly accused of fondling a woman at Waterloo station). Sadly Dr Joanna Williams (author of ‘Women versus feminism: Why we all need liberating from the gender wars’) couldn’t make it. More information on International Men’s Day can be found at: http://ukmensday.org.uk/ or with a simple Google search.

Domestic Violence Issues – Experiment:

Another experiment has been done highlighting the difference in public attitudes regarding female to male violence compared to the reverse. The article is entitled ‘I abused a man in public and no one cared’ and demonstrates the prejudices men face when experiencing assault by a woman. It can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/5d33c36d-cd41-4351-97ed-4516962d5c44.

This follows on from The ManKind Initiative YouTube video ‘Violence is Violence’ published 22nd May 2014 which essentially proves the same thing. The URL for this is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3PgH86OyEM. Although the issues raised are concerning it is at least good that these prejudices are beginning to be highlighted and challenged.

View Full Article Here.