Originally posted by Maura Pennington 2/17/2013
Lest you be confused by pessimistic commentary on the subject, I am here to report: There are libertarian women and they are outstanding. On a personal level, I am delighted by this. I cannot think of a more insufferably boring exercise than to have to ask the question over and over, year after year—what about women, where are the women? I have an invincible mother, went to an all-girls high school, and have benefited from the success of women in the time before mine. I do not perceive myself to be held back or hobbled on account of my gender and I’m tired of hearing conversations to that effect. So, I am very glad to be able to assure you: We are here!
Over 1,000 young adults gathered at the 6th Annual International Students for Liberty Conference in Washington, D.C. this weekend. It is an established fact that college students love to talk their way to intellectual discovery, though the kids in this crowd were more smartly dressed than your average twenty-something. Motivated by their own passionate interest in liberty, these students got together to consider past economic and political traditions, current policy, and the future of their movement. Women were well represented.
Of the dozens of breakout sessions that covered every area of interest from Austrian economics to the War on Terror to growing a libertarian presence on campus, two focused on women specifically. The first was about reaching out to women and featured three fantastically articulate and personable students, moderated by the former MTV VJ Kennedy. The second panel called “Girls! Girls! Girls!: Marketing Libertarianism to Women” was not nearly as constructive and actually left some women irritated. The first, however, was very encouraging because it focused less on the ways women are failing to find libertarianism and more on the ways we can make them feel welcome.
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