Clearly, something went horribly wrong at Lifeline for anyone at the organisation to even contemplate inviting extremist feminist activist Clementine Ford to appear as a keynote speaker.

It took nearly 14,000 signatures on a petition to the suicide prevention group to have Clementine Ford removed.

In fact, the event, which was set to occur on 29 May at The State Library Victoria in Melbourne (‘Recognise, Respond, Refer’ by DV-alert & Lifeline Australia) was cancelled rather than removing Ford.

Rightly, those 14,000 people are now asking, ‘What’s next?’

The spotlight must continue to shine on this precise, contentious issue as we consider maximising learning from this alarming error of judgement.

The decision making process must be reformed – and Lifeline must be further enlightened so there can be no mistake in understanding going forward.

The Australian public must make it clear where Lifeline went wrong.

The statement from the Feedback Support Team, Lifeline Australia, concluded, “Lifeline’s mission is to support all Australians in crisis and to do so in a non-judgemental and respectful manner. We do hope that you understand our decision regarding this event and that you continue to support Lifeline and our vision for an Australia free of suicide.”

There we have it.

“Lifeline’s mission is to support all Australians in crisis…”

Remember it has recently been announced Lifeline will receive $33million in government funding. That funding is not gender specific, for once.

Write to Lifeline. Tell them about your first-hand experience that pushed you to the edge. Family, friends, relatives, loved ones – write to tell them how you’ve seen your father, brother, son, grandson affected.

Men: whether that was domestic violence, Family Court wrangling, being separated or alienated from your children – speak up, now.

The Duluth Model is the pivotal enemy in these conversations. This was a program developed to reduce domestic violence against women – and only women. Men are considered evil perpetrators and women innocent victims, as decreed by feminist theory.

Feminist theory is not reality.

This model is not reality.

This ideological model is costing lives.

This is the barrier, personified by Ford, which must come crashing down if we are to make any progress in addressing these very real social issues.

Such issues will not simply vanish. We must flatly refuse to have them pushed back into silence.

At this point, the problem for Lifeline is, there has been no explanation, no apology or admission of error.

The shaky statement Alan Woodward made to Daily Mail Australia regarding the cancellation of the event doesn’t end this matter. “The decision was made following feedback we had received and our assessment the event had drawn strong views,” he said. “We felt we couldn’t proceed in the spirit of open discussion as intended.”

It’s almost as if Lifeline still don’t fully comprehend this matter is affecting people’s lives or acknowledge the connection between the rise in feminist policy on the male suicide rate. “Lifeline does not want to do anything that could create division in the community,” he continued.

Something is severely amiss when hateful activist Clementine Ford is even considered to speak in the first place.

What is Lifeline planning to do in the field of addressing the soaring male suicide rate?

What actual programs are they looking at implementing? I, for one, have been inundated with more than a few suggestions. Have they?

Tell them in black and white what the issue is here.

We all know the issue is The Duluth Model, that doesn’t reflect the reality of the experience of people in Australia – or the world.

Now is the time to tell them.

Got something to add? Join the discussion and comment below.

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