International Men's Day events have historically featured significant anti-feminist rhetoric, but this framing has notably decreased in recent years according to leading gender researchers. The observation comes amid confusion in Australia where two organisations with strikingly similar branding are running competing campaigns for the 19 November event.
Conflicting Campaigns for Men's Day
The Australian Men's Health Forum (AMHF), the government-funded peak body for men's mental and physical health, has coordinated International Men's Day since 2017. This year, their campaign adopts the inclusive theme "supporting men and boys" and maintains a commitment to diversity.
Meanwhile, the conservative Christian organisation Dads4Kids, trading as the Fatherhood Foundation, claims to be the "global digital driving force" for IMD with the theme "celebrating men and boys." The domain names and logos of both campaigns appear remarkably similar, though AMHF has explicitly stated it is not affiliated with Dads4Kids.
AMHF chief executive Glen Poole emphasised: "AMHF is not affiliated with any International Men's Day website that does not support this inclusive approach to marking the date."
Controversial History of Conservative Campaign
Dads4Kids, led by founder Warwick Marsh and his son Nathaniel Marsh, has promoted anti-feminist and anti-LGBTQI+ sentiments for over two decades. In materials for this year's IMD, Warwick Marsh claimed that "masculinity is in danger of extinction" and described feminist ideology as a "cancer on society."
The organisation has a documented history of controversial positions. Warwick Marsh previously published a document describing transexuality as a "deceptively fierce disorder" and made false claims about homosexuality. These views led to his dismissal as a health ambassador in 2008, with then health minister Nicola Roxon calling the material "quite abhorrent."
Despite this, Marsh continued referencing the document in government submissions, including a 2023 family law amendment where he claimed the legislation was "based on a father-phobic, radical feminist ideology."
Academic Perspective on Evolving Dialogue
Professor Michael Flood, a researcher on masculinity and gender at Queensland University of Technology, acknowledges the complicated history of International Men's Day. He initially felt hostile toward the event because it often represented anti-feminist perspectives and framed men as victims.
"In the last decade I've seen a growing number of events and discussions about IMD that acknowledge issues of mental health, suicide, other genuine forms of disadvantage that some men face but without the broader kind of anti-feminist framing that had troubled me," Flood explained.
While he maintains some ambivalence about the day, Flood now speaks at IMD events, discussing topics like men's health and the harmful effects of rigid social expectations of masculinity. He notes that most IMD events today represent "well-intentioned efforts to address genuine forms of harm that men face."
The professor believes that while the day has previously served as a "vehicle for legitimising anti-feminist views," it is ultimately "redeemable" and has shown positive evolution in recent years.
Both organisations claim connection to International Men's Day founder Dr Jerome Teelucksingh from the University of the West Indies, though they represent fundamentally different approaches to addressing men's issues in contemporary society.
