When women organize woman-positive activities, they are confronted with the question: What about the men? Some women suggest the men need to look for the answers.

• What does it mean "What about the men?" What's the problem? Why don't the men just meet on their own when the women meet?

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• I mean there are always going to be a few males that are going to be hard line on the place of a woman... It is going to take a long time for them to get over that... If they ever get over that... It's going to take time. So I guess the danger maybe is in pushing too hard. There might be some sort of a kickback or whiplash that happens, that might tend to have some sort of reversal. People might tend to back off or something. I don't know. I haven't seen it here.

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• You could get rid of all the men-all of us.

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• Why should they change? There's no reason to change as long as you control the balance of power. There are some men who are feminist, who will say," Yes, there is an imbalance here and an injustice and let's correct it." And, "Yes, I will give up some of my power in order that you may have some more power and balance things out." But for the most part, men aren't going to.

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• There has been a men's forum at [literacy conference]. And that doesn't appeal to me at all. I went to a men's forum [in another organization] and I couldn't wait to get out of the meeting. In some ways I don't actually know what men's issues are. I'm not in touch with them. And men generally don't talk about them anyway unless they're kind of in bitchy terms, just shooting the shit or complaining. I've learned more from just kind of being on the outside of a women's group here. And I have no idea how a men's group could make that useful.

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• What happens to those men who don't fit into the way things are going... They don't agree with the way we are treating women [positively]. What happens to them? Do they drop out? Do they cause trouble in the classroom... What do we do for them?

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• I think [looking after the men], that's an extension of the mothering role that I refuse to take. The men can look after themselves. When they're ready, they will. I don't feel like I need to go out and take care of them and tell them "You really should come and discuss your inside feelings." No. I'm not going to mother a male adult. Or at least, whenever possible I will not do it. So I feel really strongly that that's bullshit!

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• The subtext to those conversations is women need a women-only support group because they need a safe space. Men don't support each other. So a men-only support group is a contradiction. Women support men. So a mixed group is a men's support group.

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• Even if at a sort of local level of human one-to-one relationships, it may have some impact about the general oppression of class, the general oppression of racism, how men and women are linked... That kind of issue. If men were to raise within men staff, men students and men teachers, with some direction, I think that would be a very great outcome... It isn't a woman's issue. It's not a woman's issue.

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• You know, for all the hardship and everything, I'm not worried about the women. They'll do well. They'll find a way as they always have. They have the [inner] resources. They have the organizations. That's not true for the men, certainly not true for a large proportion of men here. I really despair over the men in this community. I think the crisis is for the men. I know that is not very apropos to talk about...

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