Alissar Gazal came to Australia from Lebanon in the early '70s. She is currently active in the Bring the Frigates Home Coalition in Sydney.
"My first step towards recognising myself as a feminist probably occurred when I suddenly realised that being a woman in my family and my culture made a hell of a lot of difference as to how I was treated in comparison to my brothers or my male cousins.
"Coming from an Arabic Lebanese culture where there is a lot of stress on a woman's role and her place in the home and so on made me rebel as soon as I became aware of my gender.
"One of the most positive things about being a feminist was the experience of my first IWD march in Sydney. I felt supported and surrounded by a lot of people I felt at ease with and who thought the same way as me on a whole range of issues. I truly believe that feminists have a much more positive idea about what the world should be like, especially with emphasis on world peace and human rights and the environment." Photograph by Peter Boyle.