The Inaugural Reality Based Women Unite!

Much fun was had

Photo by Annie.

The first ever Reality Based Women Unite! was held by caWsbar on March 8, 2024—International Women’s Day. I still can’t quite believe that Canadian women were able to pull together such an amazing event, with so many attendees from across the country. This is something I previously felt we could only dream about. Our geographical barriers and the fear that many have of speaking out on this topic seemed like hurdles that would not be so quickly overcome, but they were. It feels like just yesterday that my friend Heather Mason was messaging me about the idea, and now here we are.

The event was a way of taking the day back for women—real women—after a string of insults over the past few years. In Canada, International Women’s Day is often used to celebrate men like Fae Johnstone and Marni Panas who have worked to destroy women’s spaces and sex-based rights. We also get our Prime Minister issuing asinine statements like, “we reiterate today that trans women are women.”

Well, we’ve had enough of that.

Reality Based Women Unite! brought together a panel of amazing speakers from across the country, and I was lucky enough to sneak my way in there too, somehow.

The event would not have been possible without Trinity Productions, our main sponsor The Democracy Fund, and Maureen, who worked tirelessly to ensure it all went off without a hitch.

I flew into Toronto on the evening of the 7th and it was nice to have some time to settle in and see some friends from across Canada who I do not get to see in person very often. We had dinner, but we forgot to take photos under the good restaurant lighting so we settled for a parkade pic after we raided a convenience store.

The next day it was time to prepare for the event itself. I went over my speech, which I was very nervous about, and finally got ready to head to the venue. The venue was beautiful and I loved that the audience was set up to sit at tables, not in rows. As people started arriving, I got a chance to meet so many online friends and acquaintances for the first time. Those were some of the most special few hours of my life, no doubt about it.

But looking at the speaker’s table and the podium made me even more nervous!

Thankfully, all of the anxiety faded away when I sat down and faced a whole room of people who I was so grateful could be there. We had around 200 attendees and 100 more watching online. It was amazing to know that all those people bought tickets and it was so wonderful to look around and see the fruition of the immense effort put in by the organizers. The least I could do was focus on those good things and aim to deliver!

I was the second person to speak, after the lovely Trish and after the best introduction I could have asked for by my friend and MC, Raine. Looking out over the crowd was all I needed to feel nothing but joy about being exactly where I was.

I was followed by Amy, who was followed by April Hutchinson, who certainly stole the show. When she spoke about overcoming alcohol addiction, I think there was a dry eye in the room. April is a champion powerlifter who is currently suspended for referring to a psychopathic man who holds several women’s powerlifting records in Canada as a man. She is a brave and kind woman who is and will continue to make a difference.

April was followed by the always-amazing Heather Mason, and Meghan Murphy wrapped us up for the evening.

Getting applauded by the audience at the end and standing up alongside these incredible women was one of the most surreal but coolest experiences of my life. There are many reasons why it was such a special moment, and I’m still having a hard time believing it wasn’t all just a very good dream.

Photo courtesy of April Hutchinson

I was exhausted but hardly able to sleep that night, my mind racing with thoughts of how well everything had gone and of all the people I was able to meet. It felt like a whirlwind, and I wished at times that there were two or more of me. I want to tell anyone who is reading this and who did come up to me that your words meant so much. A few of you truly helped put my mind at ease when I told you I was nervous to go up to speak.

I eventually had to command my brain to turn off because the trip wasn’t over yet! The next day, we held a protest to Keep Prisons Single Sex in downtown Toronto. It was rainy and chilly, but we made our message loud and clear and hopefully got some people to think!

After a fun dinner with protest attendees, where I was glad I got a final chance to chat with some people I’d missed the past few days, it was time for me to fly home.

Just like that—it was over. But, despite how quickly it all went, the memories and connections made at Reality Based Women Unite 2024 are truly larger than life. I always daydreamed about an event of Canadian women fighting gender ideology of this scope and magnitude but I didn’t imagine something like this would happen for another couple of years, if ever.

But the organizers pulled it off, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I am also grateful to everyone who attended, both in person and online. All I had to do was show up, talk about things I am passionate about, and meet cool people.

I don’t feel like I deserve these blessings, but I’m committed to continuing to work hard to earn them.