Men and boys set to march the Royal Mile in campaign for equality

The march will run from 2-5pm and will begin at Edinburgh Castle and end outside the Scottish Parliament.

Organisers ‘Split the Difference’ are a not-for-profit organisation and were set up by Welsh campaigner Sally-Anne Burris after she lost her only brother who struggled to get the support he needed as a teenage boy transitioning to manhood.

Marchers will be campaigning for change in areas such as family law, healthcare provision, legal representation, housing, education and domestic abuse.

Sally-Anne Burris, a therapist and journalism student with 30 years experience working within high-risk frontline services, said: “The nature of my work as a therapist over many years, which has included areas like homelessness, drug and alcohol, child protection; has led me to recognise the many inequalities men face, and I knew I had to fight their corner, the evidence wouldn’t allow me to turn away from this need. We want equal rights for everyone, regardless of gender, class, or circumstance.

She added: “There seems to be an assumption by some women that we are required to only support the female agenda. It is a human need to support each other and right now it is our men and boys who need an effort made to open pathways into supportive services.”

Sally expressed a desire for the organisation to be involved in hate crime legislation and said she would be arriving early in the Capital to ensure their voice is heard.

The Edinburgh march is to be co-hosted by Gender Parity UK who has stressed that women, non-binary and children are also encouraged to attend the march.

Philipp Tanser, from Gender Parity UK, said: “Men’s issues are often invisible and there is a lack of awareness, recognition and support in many areas. Only by publicly talking about men’s mental health, suicide, homelessness, custody issues, male victims of abuse and other issues men face, can we create change.”

For more details visit: splitthedifference.com/campaign.

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