The same species - no comments

Today is International Women's Day, first observed on 28 February 1909 in the United States following a declaration by the Socialist Party of America.

Here's Antonia's summing-up:

I think it's worth repeating today of all days that feminism isn't about what choices we make for ourselves, but the freedom for all women to make those choices. We know that women's choices are still constrained by assumptions about their traditional roles and by their caring responsibilities. Feminism isn't about me, my choices, my empowerment, my right to earn a million pounds; it's about us, building a society where our daughters can say "but why did there need to be laws to make sure women didn't earn less than men, mummy?"

And here's an excellent article from Will:

[...]

International women's day (the clue is in the word international) deserves to be exalted. Not because of bourgeois ideology about equality of opportunity or a myriad other pieces of crap (that all seem to resolve around making comfortable petit-bourgeois lives easier) but because there happens to be - in our own societies in the west and to a much greater degree those societies in the non-west - a situation where woman are still regarded as another species altogether. This day should remind us all that poverty and oppression exists, is important to combat, and that the struggle against both is an international one.

In complete contrast, from a comment left at Dave's Part (and, reassuringly, given short shrift by other commenters). Square brackets are mine:

What is wrong about an alliance of the left and the disaffected Muslim community [as represented by RESPECT]? There may be issues about attitudes to women and homosexuals, but surely, there is always a need to reflect and consider positions on these. Who are we as western socialists to tell Muslims how to think? Perhaps with dialogue we can find agreement.

Somehow I don't find the idea of compromising on the rights of women and homosexuals to be an attractive one.