We are really honoured that our co-founder Björn got the opportunity to be interviewed by journalist and author Julie Bindel for her latest online streaming series Action Men.
This brand new series from Spectator TV, which premiered on 15 December 2023, features interviews with 6 men from across the globe who contribute to the work feminists are doing. The most recent episode, featuring one of the co-founders or MACS premiered last Friday and we wanted to take this opportunity to give you a recap of the series so far.
In the first episode Bindel spoke to Michael Foran, a Scottish legal academic, who played a key role campaigning against Nicola Sturgeon’s (the then First Minister of Scotland) attempt to push through the Gender Recognition Act (GRA) – a bill which would have allowed anyone who ‘ allowing self identifying ‘identifies’ as female into women’s spaces. Watch the interview with Michael Foran here.
“If your principles happen to always work out in your favour, every single time, then they are not principles. You’re just finding ways to rationalise what’s in your self-interest.”
Michael Foran – Action Men Episode 1: Why Sturgeon’s trans bill threatens women
The second episode of Action Men is called Why we don’t need ‘male feminists’ and features Michael Conroy from Men at Work. Conroy works with boys and young men and works with them to have a close look at macho culture – exploring the ways in which boys and men are brought up and socialised to fight and in some cases become abusive towards women and girls. This includes looking at issues such as rape, domestic violence and the use of pornography. Watch the interview with Michael Conroy here.
“What kind of feminism should I support? The one that poses you the greatest challenge.”
Michael Conroy – Action Men Episode 2: Why we don’t need ‘male feminists’
Bindel’s third interview was with Robert Jensen, an academic, writer and activist based in the USA. Much of Jensen’s work focuses on analysing pornography and the sexual exploitation industries using a feminist critique of sexuality and men’s violence and he has also addressed questions such as race, white privilege and the ecological crises in his work. In Episode 2 of Action Men Bindel and Jensen speak about the feminist critique of pornography, their disillusionment with the left and Jensen’s cancellation after he spoke on the question of gender. Watch the interview with Robert Jensen here.
“[The transgender movement says…that being transgender] is entirely normal, yet a condition that needs medical treatment. Well, it can’t be both.”
Robert Jensen – Action Men Episode 3: Why trans activists are intellectually incoherent
The 4th episode featured Pala Molisa, an academic and life coach based in Vanuatu. Molisa has become an outspoken critic of the political left and their failure to recognise the impact of a ‘sexually liberated’ culture on the safety of women and girls. In the interview Bindel and Molisa speak about how the porn industry deliberately grooms children, especially boys, at a young age to turn them into profitable ‘customers for life’ as well as Molisa’s research on post-colonial power structures and the criticism his academic writing has attracted. Watch the interview with Pala Molisa here.
“The business model of a lot of these big porn companies: if you can get a kid’s mind between 4 and adolescence you have a customer for life.”
Pala Molisa – Action Men Episode 4: How the porn industry targets children
In the 5th episode, titled The false ‘liberation’ of the sex trade, Bindel talks with Male Allies Challenging Sexism (MACS) co-founder Björn about growing up, how he changed his mind about the liberal approach to pornography and prostitution and how men can help in the fight for women’s liberation. Watch the interview with Björn from MACS here.
“There’s 8-year-olds watching porn on mobile phones…” [Björn] “…that is their sex education.” [Julie Bindel]
Action Men Episode 5: The false ‘liberation’ of the sex trade
We’ve loved watching the series and can’t wait for the last episode to be released on 23 February. Make sure you don’t miss it. We certainly won’t! You can find the entire playlist for Action Men here.
