As well as being our Social Media Director, second year Journalism and New Media Student Megan Thornton is now the President of the UL Feminist Society. Megan took on the role of running the society this year and she took a moment from her busy schedule to talk to us about Fem Soc.
HC: Why did you decide to take on the role of Fem Soc President this year?
MT: I decided to take on the role because I wanted to get a lot more involved in the society and had an idea of the direction I’d like to see it go in. I wanted it to be more active on campus and raise money for loads of different voluntary organisations and causes such as, ARC and ADAPT, if possible.
HC: Tell us more about UL Fem Soc?
MT: UL Fem Soc is an intersectional feminist society, meaning we recognise gender inequality occurs over a range of different intersections such as race, religion, gender, class, ability etc. Intersectional feminism is for everyone and that’s how feminism should be.
HC: What have been your highlights from being a part of UL Fem Soc?
MT: I love meeting new people, getting to talk to different people about their experiences and getting to know them so that is one of my favourite parts. If I had to pick a particular event, I’d say the protest on the Living Bridge that we held last year for the Repeal The Eighth movement. It was held on International Women’s’ Day and it was very empowering to see so many people come together and show they cared.
HC: Why do you think it’s important for every college to have a Fem Soc?
MT: I think it’s important because it provides a safe space to talk about social issues that affect everyone, not just women. Also, you get to know loads of lovely open-minded people so it’s a win-win!
HC: Do you find there are many misconceptions around the college about what UL fem soc is all about?
MT: Yes, there’s always this idea that we hate men or don’t care about their issues but that’s not the case. We try to make sure every topic we discuss is as inclusive as possible because it’s not about raising one gender above the other. It’s about levelling the playing field and that’s not just in regards to men and women, it regards every gender.
HC: What would you like to say to people with negative ideas about Fem Soc?
MT: I’d say if you have a negative idea of what we’re all about, come to a meeting and I’ll try to prove you wrong. Meetings are open to everyone and we always like to meet new people and get new perspectives.
HC: What events have you and Fem Soc got planned for the year?
MT: We have just held a karaoke night with Out in UL and we are going up to the March 4 Choice. We are planning to hold a bake sale with proceeds going to the Abortion Rights Campaign soon, and also for our SoUL Week event we plan on holding a feminist movie night in Week 8, with proceeds in aid of Goshh Limerick.
HC: What topics do you hope to discuss in upcoming Fem Soc meetings this year?
MT: Some topic discussions we have planned are Ableism, Consent and perhaps Gnder and Sexuality. There’ll also definitely be discussions on mental health and toxic masculinity coming up!
UL Feminist Society meets every Tuesday eveing at 7pm in Schuman S116, and new faces are always welcome to sit in and see what it’s all about!