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Will NH Have a State Men's Commission?

posted by Scott on Tuesday April 02, @12:44PM
from the news dept.

New Hampshire is inching closer and closer to passing a bill which would establish a state Men's Commission, to study and advocate solutions to issues which negatively impact men as a gender. A full Senate vote on this bill is due any time now, and much of the reason I've been so negligent with Mensactivism.org lately is that I've been very caught up in doing local activism to help promote this bill. An article I wrote for the UNH school newspaper has been adapted for MANN and appears in the Read More section below. If you're a NH resident, please take a moment and write a letter in support of the bill. If you're not a NH resident, you can still write in support of the bill, and let NH Senators know that the country is eagerly hoping to see the success of a state Men's Commission.

Proposed Bill to Establish State Men's Commission

For more than thirty years, New Hampshire has had a Women's Commission to investigate and advocate for women's issues. This commission has done much to help bring public attention to the problems that women face and has promoted opportunities for women to realize their potential. Now, a bill has been introduced in our state that would do the same for men. HB 587, to establish a New Hampshire Men's Commission, is currently making its way through the NH legislature, and would help bring attention to men's issues which have remained invisible for too long. The staggering suicide rates of men, fatherlessness, domestic violence against men, and double standards which harm men as well as women are just a few of a number of issues that have too often been ignored in the current dialogue on gender. The Men's Commission would help show another side of the coin in gender issues, and improve equal rights for both men and women.

Last year, a legislative study committee issued a report outlining men's issues and status in New Hampshire. The report, which can be downloaded here in Adobe PDF format, examines several critical issues mentioned above and explains the need for a state commission to study and advocate for the needs of men. The results of the report conclusively show that despite some people's perceptions, men have serious problems and issues related to their gender roles and expectations which we have a responsibility to address. Did you know that men die, on average, 10 years earlier than women in NH? That fatherlessness is one of the primary determining factors of violence and antisocial behavior among young men? Or that men on average are doing much worse than women academically (and the trend continues to get worse) in education?

It's time that issues such as these received attention from a state commission, which can collect data locally and encourage action to correct these problems. HB 587 has also received significant legislative support, passing by a wide margin in the House, and was recommended for passage in the Senate just recently by the Internal Affairs Committee. This support is an encouraging sign that men's problems are slowly being acknowledged and understood as serious, legitimate issues. And furthermore, that we can advocate for men's issues without negatively impacting the gains that women have made over the years.

If you believe in equal rights for both men and women, please write to your NH Senators in support of HB 587. This is an opportunity to make a difference for gender equality and justice. We have included a sample letter for you to follow if you'd like, but please keep in mind that individualized letters get more attention from Senators.

Dear Senator,

I am writing to express my support for HB 587, to establish a state Men's Commission in New Hampshire. I believe in equality for both men and women and feel that a state Men's Commission would help address many men's issues that are important not only for men, but also for the women and children in men's lives. We have had a state Women's Commission for more than thirty years, and it's time that we also acknowledged that men have problems and issues that are important. HB 587 would help by collecting data and advocating for men's issues in the state, including problems such as men's high suicide rate, fatherlessness and its social costs, and men's declining educational status. These are all issues we can address without impacting the gains women have made over the years, and a state Men's Commission would be a great step forward for equality and the improvement of both men's and women's lives. Please vote for this bill.

Sincerely,

Contact info for the NH Senate follows. E-mail addresses are included when they exist. Note that half of the Senators don't have public e-mail addresses. A good strategy for sending e-mail to those without addresses is to send your message to Tammy Wright, the Senate clerk, and ask her to print the message out and deliver it to the Senator's mailbox. Tammy Wright's contact information is:

Senate Office  271-2111
Senate Clerk's Office  271-3420
tammy.wright@leg.state.nh.us

NH Senators with e-mail:	NH Senators without e-mail:
Edward (Ned) Gordon PO Box 112 Bristol, NH 03222-0112 susanduncan@leg.state.nh.us	Harold Burns PO Box 10 Whitefield, NH 03598-0010
Clifton Below 25 Perley Ave Lebanon, NH 03766-1816 cbelow@tpk.net	George Disnard PO Box 1476 Claremont, NH 03743-1476
Katherine (Katie) Wheeler 27 Mill Road Durham, NH 03824-3006 katieww@aol.com	Sheila Roberge 83 Olde Lantern Rd Bedford, NH 03110-4816
Thomas Eaton 27 Pheasant Hill Rd Keene, NH 03431-4339 senate10@juno.com	Deborah Pignatelli 22 Appletree Green Nashua, NH 03062-2252
Robert Flanders PO Box 1 Antrim, NH 03440-0001 flandersrb@aol.com	Gary Francoeur 23 Woodcrest Drive Hudson, NH 03051-3421
Mark Fernald 243 Spring Hill Rd Sharon, NH 03458-7308 fernalds@monad.net	John (Jack) Barnes PO Box 362 Raymond, NH 03077-0362
Burt Cohen PO Box 208 New Castle, NH 03854-0208 burtc@nh.ultranet.com	Daniel O'Neil PO Box 4206 Manchester, NH 03108-4206
Carl Johnson 42 Dale Rd Meredith, NH 03253-6802 carljean@worldpath.net	Russell Prescott 8 Farm Rd Kingston, NH 03848-3121
Theodore Gatsas 582 Chestnut St Manchester, NH 03104-6052 t.gatsas@leg.state.nh.us	Lou D'Allesandro 332 St. James Avenue Manchester, NH 03102

And whatever you do, keep your letters positive! The opponents of this bill have made many attempts to have this portrayed as a "women vs. men" issue, which they know will frighten off many people from voting for the bill and angering the women's lobby. Trying to humilate or shame Senators into voting for this bill is something that has already been tried and has backfired tremendously, so please don't make the same mistake.

If New Hampshire establishes a state Men's Commission, it would serve as a template for many other states to do the same. I have already expressed my willingness in front of the Senate Internal Affairs Committee to volunteer part-time on this commission should the bill pass. Please help make this vision come true!

< Getting To Batterers While They Are Young | Confronting Woman-Bashing in the Men's Movement >

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Great idea (Score:1)

by equalitarian62 on Tuesday April 02, @01:51PM EST (#1)
(User #267 Info)

I think it's long past time that a Men's Commission was established in state governments (not to mention the federal government). Has this been proposed in any other states, or is New Hampshire the first? Do any other states actually have something similar to a Men's Commision?

The legislators proposing this commission need to know that their actions are appreciated, and will be rewarded in the next election.

Good luck with your activism, Scott.

Steve

the bigger picture (Score:2, Insightful)

by brad (moc.oohay@leirna) on Tuesday April 02, @02:32PM EST (#2)
(User #305 Info) http://www.student.math.uwaterloo.ca/~bj3beatt

i think that the second last paragraph could be interpreted in a broader sense. consider the following rewording.

And whatever you do, keep your [messages] positive! The opponents of [our arguments] have made many attempts to have this portrayed as a "women vs. men" issue, which they know will frighten off many people from [agreeing]. Trying to humilate or shame [them] into [agreeing] is something that has already been tried and has backfired tremendously, so please don't make the same mistake.

i feel that this applies to most, if not all communications with those who don't necessarily agree with the issues we are raising. diplomatically phrasing one's points could greatly increase the chance of others listening.

consider this example. when i walk down the street and someone approaches me trying to sell something, i shut off all possibility of agreeing with them. regardless of the points they are making, i don't listen. it's an instinct developed from city life. likewise, when a telemarketer calls i slip into a defensive stance whereby everything said goes in one ear and out the other.

assuming our goal is to promote awareness, empathy and action with respect to gender equality, perhaps we could achieve these goals more effectively through a more positive approach. thoughts on this?

Small misprint. (Score:1)

by Scott (scott@mensactivism.org) on Tuesday April 02, @05:52PM EST (#3)
(User #3 Info)

Sorry about that, I had mistakenly written that the bill had passed the NH House by more than a 2:1 margin. The final vote on the bill was 182:145. I've updated the text to read, "passed by a wide margin".

Scott

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