International Women's Day 2011 ......

International Women's Day Centenary sees largest ever activity

IWD Press Release

London, March 2, 2011: March 8 sees the highest level of global women's activity ever witnessed as groups celebrate the International Women's Day centenary.

The first International Women's Day events were run in Austria, Denmark, Germany and

Switzerland in 1911 and attended by over one million people. 100 years on, International Women's Day (IWD) has become a global mainstream phenomena celebrated across many countries and is an official holiday in approximately 25 countries including Afghanistan, Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam and Zambia.

8 March sees extensive global women's activity. Performer and social activist, Annie Lennox, will lead a mass march across London's Millennium Bridge for charity. In Washington D.C. over a thousand people will descend on Capitol Hill demanding a better world for millions of marginalized women and girls around the globe.

A major international businesswomen's conference will be hosted in Sydney, Australia. Schools and governments around the world are participating in the day. Trade Unions and charities are campaigning. Global corporations are hosting conferences and distributing extensive resource packs. The United Nations Secretary-General delivers a formal message. The United States even designates the whole month of March as Women's History Month as officially proclaimed by President Obama on February 28, 2011.

International Women's Day is a global celebration of the economic, political, and social achievements of women past, present, and future. However, activity has not always been on the increase. Australian entrepreneur and women's campaigner Glenda Stone, who founded the http://www.internationalwomensday.com website, a global hub of events and information, said:

"A decade ago International Women's Day was disappearing. Activity in Europe, where International Women's Day actually began, was very low. Providing a global online platform helped sustain and accelerate momentum for this important day. Holding only a handful of events ten years ago, the United Kingdom has now become the global leader for International Women's Day activity, followed sharply by Canada, United States and Australia. 2011 will see thousands of events globally for the first time."

More recently, social networking websites like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube have also helped fuel International Women's Day activity. Generally the day has moved away from its socialist Suffragette beginnings to become more mainstream in celebrating women's achievements. Women's rights campaigners, however, continue to remind that vigilance rather than complacency is essential in striving for women's equality.

locally in light of the recent problems some lesbian and bisexual women have been encoutering that of verbal attacks by mostly men in public spaces a self defense course has commenced in Kingston (March 6th 2010) via Couture Elements, there have been some reports of some of our Butch oriented sisters being profiled in public spaces and harassed, one woman was literally almost run over by a taxi man in Half Way Tree while hurling insults at her. Many fear that the recent Buju Banton verdict may have sent some of his groupies into a feeling of exacting some kind of revenge of persons who do not fit the gender norms aesthetically. There are also reports of some gay men particularly the homeless and displaced brothas who are being targeted by groups of thugs in sections of Kingston who claim the gay activists overseas set up Buju Banton to destroy him because of the Boom Bye Bye song so battyboi muss feel the pinch.

An Open Mic session is planned for Wednesday March 9th at 7pm in Kingston to discuss famous women, past present and future and look at some of the issues facing lesbian and bi-sexual facing women...in the now!

Read and come prepared to share what you know/learnt about women, come express how you feel about your special woman and the women in your life.

Meanwhile The theme for International Women’s Day this year is ‘Education and Training: Decent Work for Women’.

Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Olivia Grange will lead a delegation to the service which begins at 8:30.
In addressing this year’s theme, Minister Grange says although statistics show that there are more women with degrees and that women graduate from tertiary institutions at higher rates than men, women still struggle to get decent work.

Noting that a stop needs to be put to this practice, Minister Grange indicated that this year’s observance of International Women’s Day will address the issue in a big way.

meanwhile: SMACK in the middle of Princess Street, downtown Kingston, business is booming for a set of hairdressers, nail and other beauty technicians. Among the women doing what's seen as traditional women's jobs is Samuel Blair, a versatile male hairstylist and 'eyelash technician' who goes by the name 'Gabriel'.

Gabriel said he's a self-taught hairstylist who has been working on Princess Street for the past three years.

Notice how the camera man zooms in on the stylists thumb ring, what are they trying to do? advertise that he is gay because of our stupid belief that it represents homosexuality or some declaration, even if some gay persons wear this so called identifying mark not all persons who wear a ring on their thumb are gay, sections of our media has such a long way to go in adjusting their behaviour and stop pushing stereotypes and such.

Peace and tolerance

H