International Men’s Day is being marked today, Nov. 19, with events across the world highlighting the theme “Celebrating Men and Boys” and drawing renewed attention to the contributions, needs, and well-being of men. Launched in 1999, the annual observance has expanded into a global initiative recognized in more than 80 countries.
Created by Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, a history lecturer at the University of the West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago, International Men’s Day is built around promoting positive male role models, supporting men’s health, and strengthening gender relations. Teelucksingh and other organizers say the day provides an opportunity to address challenges affecting men and boys while encouraging communities to acknowledge the value men bring to families and wider society.
Teelucksingh, whose father is a now-retired Presbyterian minister in Trinidad and Tobago, has emphasized the event’s potential to “heal our world.”
“The concept and themes of International Men’s Day are designed to give hope to the depressed, faith to the lonely, comfort to the broken-hearted, transcend barriers, eliminate stereotypes and create a more caring humanity,” said Teelucksingh.
Six foundational pillars were envisioned by Teelucksingh when he created IMD. They were promoting positive male role models; celebrating men’s positive contributions; focusing on men’s health and wellbeing; highlighting discrimination against males; improving gender relations and promoting gender equality and creating a safer, better world.
“Since its inception in 1999, International Men’s Day has blossomed into a movement which promotes goodwill and has positively transformed the lives of many people all around the globe. Every year I am overjoyed to witness and read testimonies of persons who genuinely believe that the observance of International Men’s Day has resulted in greater stability in their lives and guided them from darkness into light,” added Teelucksingh.
Warwick Marsh, founder of Dads4Kids, a Christian-based harm prevention charity in Australia, and the sponsor of the IMD website, and a coordinator for IMD, has written about the importance of the event for both families and societies.
Writing for The Daily Declaration, the Australian Christian news website, March said Dads4Kids would run a global livestream to complement the event on the day itself. He also said that men’s masculinity needed to be celebrated, not seen as toxic.
“Lately, I’ve noticed a growing narrative in society that men are inherently dangerous, and that the solution to “toxic masculinity” is to feminise them. But here’s why this approach isn’t solving the problem — it’s exacerbating it,” Marsh wrote for The Daily Declaration.
“When we strip men of their natural masculinity, their strength, courage, and sense of responsibility, we don’t eliminate toxicity.
“Instead, we create a void filled with insecurity, passivity, and resentment. Weak men, unsure of their purpose and lacking direction, are far more dangerous than strong men who have been taught to channel their masculinity constructively.”
Pure masculinity is not therefore the problem but “it’s the solution,” according to Marsh.
“Strong, grounded men are the ones who stand up to injustice, protect the vulnerable, and lead with integrity,” he added, in his article for The Daily Declaration.
“They’re the ones who build families, communities, and societies that thrive. They don’t conform to mob mentality or shy away from hard truths; they face challenges head-on and take responsibility for their actions.
“We need men who are strong, not domineering. Courageous, not reckless. And principled, not passive.
“Men who embrace their masculinity in its purest form are the ones who drive positive change, inspire others, and create a better world for everyone.
Marsh called upon wider society to encourage men to embody masculinity in its highest form, rather than demonising it. He also stressed the importance of teaching men to be “strong, honourable, and purposeful. Because when men are strong in character, everyone benefits.”
Marsh added that families needed man and women working together and balancing their “competing characteristics through the miraculous power of sacrificial love,” He put it simply that children need a mother and a father.
“Both the masculine and the feminine are under attack at the moment,” added Marsh. “The greater attack is against the masculine. The attack against men is so ferocious that masculinity is in danger of extinction.”
