Tonight, a crowd of people will march through Athens as part of the Take Back The Night demonstration, and for the first time since the early 2000s, men will be permitted to walk alongside women.
This rule change has sparked a discussion on campus about whether the march should remain a women-only zone or expand to include men and those with other gender identities.
We’ve been discussing the change ourselves since late last week and have been unable to settle on either side of the line. We even talked with others invested in the march to get their input, and we still aren’t sure. We can easily see both sides of the debate.
We recognize that Take Back The Night’s cause is to empower women to feel confident and safe on the street, a traditionally intimidating place for the gender that’s typically pegged as prey. It encourages women to convert the stigmatic action of “walking the street at night” into a show of strength. A crowd of women proudly flooding the streets after dark is a symbolic demonstration of reclaiming territory and overcoming fear. We understand the notion that including men in the march might weaken the impact of that gesture.
However, the deliberate exclusion of anyone who doesn’t identify as female from the march gives us, along with many others, reason to pause. Men are also survivors of sexual violence (albeit at a much lower rate than women are), as are people who identify with variant genders. Should they be relegated to the sidelines simply because of how they identify? We don’t think so.
There must be a middle ground between the two stances. We do not have all the answers, but we’re confident that this already important and powerful event can be improved further. The sexual-violence problem is huge. People of all gender identities will need to come together to solve it, men in particular. But the problem isn’t going to be solved overnight.
For the time being, let’s compromise: If you feel compelled to march, march. If you want to show your support for the cause in general, it might be best to stay on the sidelines. Recognize that your presence in the march might be more meaningful to the people around you than you realize, and be considerate of those for whom the demonstration carries more weight.
It’s not our place to proclaim whether men belong in the march. It’s a worthy debate that we believe has no clear resolution quite yet. But we’re proud to be part of a campus where these questions are not taken lightly or answered easily.
We welcome your opinions and encourage this discussion to continue. It’s an important one to have.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.
