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Leading Ladies (International Women's Day 2020)

On screen and stage I have worked with some amazing leading ladies and in my real life my leading lady is my wife.

I wasn't going to write a post of International Women's Day this year but three events shocked me enough to change my mind.

First I went to see the movie Bombshell which depicts the sexual harassment culture that took place at FOX News. As I was watching it I felt incredibly uncomfortable because as a man with many female best friends, not to mention a stepdaughter, I wanted to scream at the screen "No woman should have to deal with that shit!".

Second, I was shocked and horrified to hear about Hannah Clarke's murder and the subsequent response from Bettina Arndt. I know not all men are violent but when another woman attempts to brush violence under the rug it sends a bad message. There are no excuses for violence against women.

Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse my blood tipped over the boiling point when I learned about the disgusting sticker that the Canadian oil company made about Greta Thunberg. She is a teenage girl speaking up for what she believes is right. No one deserves to be degraded just for speaking their mind.

On a more positive note, I was hysterically happy when I heard that Mattel had made a Madison de Rozario Barbie figure for their new hero range in the process demonstrating paralympians have equality among athletes.

I also want to pay tribute to Marlee Matlin an amazing Oscar winning actress whose career with her deafness has inspired me to keep going with my acting career when I thought directors wouldn't hire me because of my disability.

In the same vein I am extremely proud of my fellow actor with cerebral palsy Bridie McKim for becoming the first Australian actor with a disability to land a lead role.

I also would like to give a shout out to colleagues Lynn Forman, Tina Gulino, Ingrid Mary, and Simone Stevens for being leading figures in disability advocacy from whom I have learned so much.

It is time to make big strides towards gender equality each time our community leaders make a decision they should stop and think about our everyday leading ladies.



Leading Ladies

Mothers, sisters, wives, and little babies
These are our everyday leading ladies.
We all need to live with women shoulder to shoulder
So that a policeman is never again handed a domestic violence folder.

It is a disgrace when a woman's promotion is denied
Because she refuses to be sexually objectified. 
If you need to be reminded of a woman's power
Let's not forget Michelle Payne's Melbourne Cup's winning ride.

Let us salute Gina Rinehart, Australia's biggest mining magnate
And Lauren Jackson, a basketball great.
Let's not forget our nation's feminist scholars when it's time to decide 
If we'll match men and women's salaries dollars for dollars.

Politicians stop delaying equality with so many maybes
It's time to remember our everyday leading ladies. 


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