What's the truth about men's rights activists?

This year’s International Conference on Men’s Issues was due to be held at St Andrew’s Stadium, the home of Birmingham City Football Club. But at the eleventh hour the club pulled the plug on the event after it was decided that a conference on men’s issues wasn’t something a football club should be aligning itself with.

This isn’t the first time the organisers have run into trouble. Two years ago, protesters fought for the conference to be cancelled, with some even reportedly threatening to burn down the venue if demands weren’t met. No wonder the organisers of this year’s event decided to keep the venue details secret until the last minute. But one thing seems surprising as I enter the conference at the ExCel centre: the number of women in attendance. Yes, it’s true: there are hardly any – but even the handful of women walking about is more than might be expected. Even more surprisingly, the keynote speaker is also a woman: Karen Straughan, who is speaking on ‘why women must consign feminism to the dustbin of history.’

From the podium she begins with a rallying cry, declaring that it is up to women to do the consigning.