A meeting of the UN body promoting equality for women starts with 5 male speakers

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N.’s preeminent body promoting equality for women and girls has opened its annual meeting with five male speakers in a row. The lineup made some of the men uneasy and was somewhat baffling to the hundreds of women who packed into the General Assembly chamber Monday. One of the men told the audience he had two choices: “Don’t speak” or stand up to support gender equality. Another said a female leader who was supposed to speak was absent for a family emergency. The first woman to address the audience was cheered. Another female speaker said: “I feel the energy in the room is getting better as we see more women coming to the stage.”