gender divide?

I'm delighted to have several wonderful, open, generous, dependable men in my life at the moment.

It's such a gift for several reasons. I firmly believe our liberation is bound up with the liberation of others. I know that we are not going to end either sexism or men's opppression whilst we are not able to listen well, learn from and trust each other as allies. I feel my own personal healing has come on in leaps and bounds recently, and think that is linked to the learning about myself that I've been able to do from having close friendships with men. Thirdly, getting fresh perspectives on some of the pressures and joys of being male is important to me to assist me parent my son as well as I possibly can.

It's not always easy, being close to men, as a heteosexual woman. My boyfriend is very accommodating of my love for, and closeness with, other men - perhaps cos he's so loving himself.

I think we can get separated off from one another early on to do with our gender. One of the first questions new parents are asked is if their baby is a boy or a girl, and I've seen how babies can be treated differently based on the answer, in terms of tone of voice, and expectation. (An hour old baby girl being told it wasn't lady-like of her to burp; the babygros that label as either "pretty princess" or "here comes trouble".)

For a long time I've been blessed with having many amazing women in my life who have trusted me and accepted my vulnerabilty. Being real with, and getting close to, anyone - whether they seem similar or different to me - is SUCH a priviledge. Right now I'm appreciative of all the people who I'm proud to call my friend :D