International Women's Day

You probably remember this once I remind you.

But it was International Women's Day, and I went and bought a $200 Starbucks gift card.

And I put the link on my social media and was like, ladies, go treat yourself today.

It's like, happy International Women's Day.

Go treat yourself today.

And someone in Winnipeg went and drained the card.

I still run the International Men's Day.

Because the Women's Day is in March, but the International Men's Day comes on November 19th.

And I said, why can't Uganda also celebrate, commemorate the International Men's Day? So I started the first International Men's Day in Bali.

And then we had further mentors.

... amount of pil- female pilots we've had.

I know Aer Lingus, on International Women's Day, make a point of putting together pieces around that.

Mm.

Um, we're still yet to have a female intercounty manager co- or managing a men's county team in Croke Park.

And when that goes wrong, it goes spectacularly wrong.

The absolute best example of this blowing up in a corporation's face is the international Women's Day Twitter bot.

This scenario is legendary in marketing circles.

It really is the ultimate cautionary tale.

Imagine the scene to yourself.

It's International Women's Day.

Hundreds of massive corporations are deploying their scheduled boilerplate social media posts.

We celebrate our female leaders.

And I am Zoe Venditotse, Doctor of Laws, teacher and writer.

On the 8th of March 2020, International Women's Day, we launched the Feminist Witches of Scotland campaign.

The Witchcraft Act, enforced between 1563 and 1736, saw thousands of people, mostly women, accused and executed as witches in Scotland in the country's biggest and most brutal miscarriage of justice.

Our campaign had three aims.

to obtain a pardon for all those convicted and to get a national memorial to remember those involved in the Witchcraft

Act.

On International Women's Day 2022, the first of our aims was realised when First Minister Nicola Sturgeon issued a formal state apology to those accused as witches.

the first formal state apology ever.

And the discussion that you have around it is, is so inspiring and interesting and educative, you know, as well.

So there was stuff happened when it was there that was just hilarious and wonderful, as well as all the press and stuff that I did whereby, For example, one of my friends was at the Women's March, which happens every year.

I think it's on International Women's Day.

But anyway, she and the march kind of ended, I think, at the one year at the Intrafalga Square.

And they were all beside the fourth plinth.

Anyway, it's all been a big laugh.

But then, of course, somebody then said, what about a man session? you know that I mean okay I will let yeah sure let that go and like if you want to if you want to organise a man session go for it you know like nobody's stopping you organising a man session and but it's like it reminded me of when it's International Women's Day and all the men go, what about International Men's Day? And then Richard Herring for years.

This is what I

literally was going to say.