Nice men

The Democratic convention included many breakthroughs. Feminist Jessica Valenti, creator of Abortion,  Every Day, identified one that seems worth pondering. She reflects on the meaning of giving such prominence to men like Doug Emhoff and Tim Walz who show their soft sides: 

... it’s not just the natural march of progress that makes the 2024 election so different from the last time a woman ran. In 2016, the question framing Clinton’s run was whether or not the country was “ready” for a woman president. She became an avatar for women’s progress, the election a referendum on feminism itself. The first female president versus a misogynist huckster.

Voters have that choice again this November, but by drawing so much attention to this new, positive vision of masculinity, Harris’ campaign is giving Americans something they didn’t have in 2016: The opportunity to still, somehow, vote for ‘men.’

It’s brilliant, if a bit sad. Harris’ campaign has figured out that they can’t just offer up the vice president as the alternative to Trump—they need men alongside Harris to make her more palatable. Still, that doesn’t take away from how vital and needed new models of masculinity are, especially as we face the very real and dangerous policies of Republican men.

So if pushing good men to the forefront is what it takes to elect the first woman president, I’ll take it.

Though I certainly hoped and expected Hillary Clinton to win, I was never a fan. Sure, she would have been the first woman in the top job. But neither in policy nor style did she appeal to me.

Like Valenti, there's a part of me that feels "a bit sad" that it probably takes foregrounding nice men to advance the candidacy of this strong woman, Kamala Harris.

On the other hand, I'm delighted to struggle alongside the nice men of the world for the democratic (note small "d") empowerment of all. 

Achieving women's equal participation and leadership is one of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals. So far the U.S. is something of a laggard (though I'm not sure such a categorization quite captures the recent role of Nancy Pelosi.) 

As of 1 June 2024, there are 27 countries where 28 women serve as Heads of State and/or Government. At the current rate, gender equality in the highest positions of power will not be reached for another 130 years.

Let's add another woman on top in November.