By Laura Busheikin

The birthday party was hard to find. "Next to Club Roxy" was all the directions I had. I tramped up a long, dusty staircase, past a table piled high with flyers, zines and art postcards, through a cavernous hall occupied by an art installation, past a café and then finally the party, in what looked like a basement warehouse — rough plaster, high ceiling, industrial lighting.

A seemingly unlikely place, but in many ways an apt choice for the 15th anniversary party for the Prague Gender Studies Center (GSC). One of the first nonprofits to spring up in the early 1990s, the GSC has matured into one of this country's most respected nongovernmental organizations. With a staff of 22, and an array of funding from Czech and European Union sources, the center houses the largest library on gender issues in Central and Eastern Europe and runs a variety of programs. Yet, instead of a fancy salon in a conference center, the organizers chose this atmospheric venue: a big space, in the center of town, but, culturally, angled away from the mainstream.

Yes, an apt choice, and true to the Gender Studies Center's beginnings: emphatically grassroots, and yet indisputably central to this country's growing awareness of gender issues.

It began with a pile of books in the living room of sociologist and former dissident Jiřina Šiklová. Controversial books, with names like The Feminine Mystique and The Second Sex, which had arrived from abroad. Šiklová had experience with this sort of thing; as a Charter 77 member, she had been jailed for smuggling banned literature in and out of the country. Her many international contacts from that time, and her courage, came in handy when, as her country tumbled toward democracy, she determined that gender equality needed to be part of the picture. At least, she thought, we should have some literature available.

A less conducive atmosphere for feminist inquiry could scarcely be imagined. The vibrant Czech women's movement of the turn of the 20th century had been decimated by the communist regime, which had taken on the task of "emancipating" women, a job it did very badly. In 1991, when the GSC was founded, there was no women's movement, no independent women's organization, no women's or gender studies courses and no support for such things. Rather, the public mood was aggressively anti-feminist. I remember an editorial cartoon in Lidové noviny: A man held a headless chicken in one hand, an axe in the other. "I had to kill her," says the caption. "She was beginning to squawk like a feminist."

Ha ha. There was, however, humor to be found when the center opened its first bank account: "We tried to explain what we meant by gender issues," recalled Šiklová." And they wrote down that it was some kind of erotic massage."

Her pile of books, however, immediately attracted interest. Journalists, academics, students and activists were soon descending on the center. Even though gender was a fringe issue, or perhaps because it was a fringe issue, Šiklová's flat hummed with activity. For many people, the center was a haven, a place where they could find not just books, lectures and discussion groups, but allies.

At times it felt like the GSC was expected to take on the whole gamut of feminist issues. Urgent change was needed everywhere: in the legal system, health care, national and municipal politics. But the first task was simply to bring the issues to the table. As then-coordinator Jana Hradílková said, "We need to start the conversation."

With almost no funding, no office equipment beyond a used computer and no institutional support, the center ran on passion and a heady sense of momentum. No one had time to look for funding, yet, after a couple of years, funding arrived, and the center moved into its own space, giving Šiklová back her living room.

I worked at the center for its first four years, and later moved back to my native Canada. By chance, I was visiting Prague for the center's 15th anniversary. In between greeting old friends and drinking numerous toasts, I learned how the center has grown and how the Czech perception of gender issues has grown with it. The anti-feminist aggression has, thankfully, faded. There is still opposition, but nowhere near as virulent. In retrospect, I see how the courage of the center's early activists paid off. For years, they worked steadfastly in spite of ridicule, insults and, often, a complete refusal to listen.

"There was a huge change in 2002 in how we were received, especially by the media. From angry and arrogant — I remember participating in some talk shows where they'd just laugh at me for a whole hour — to interested, and even informed," recalled former GSC Director Petra Hejnová.

It's a similar story in academia. Gender studies as a discipline is flourishing, with an Institute of Gender Studies at Charles University, and both bachelor's and master's programs available.

The conversation that was so desperately needed is well under way. And there's more than talk — there's action. The laws on domestic violence have been rewritten, with input from women activists, and the number of shelters, hot lines, legal advocacy programs and other resources has grown significantly. Equality in the workplace has become a national priority. The GSC now offers an annual award for the best workplace promotion of equal opportunities, and, according to current Director Alena Králíková, competition is keen. She says that employers are also eager to receive the center's Equal Opportunities newsletter or take advantage of the consulting services and training it offers as part of its Workplace Equality Program.

"Gender awareness is now part of business culture," Králíková says.

The GSC is no longer so alone. There is now a range of well-organized and sometimes even well-funded women's organizations creating significant change in many areas of public life.

The Czech Republic's entry into the European Union constituted a huge step forward for all these organizations, bringing a level of institutional support they'd long been working toward. The EU brought much-needed funding as well as a set of directives for gender equality.

All of this is evident in the confidence, professionalism and sheer scope of the GSC today. And yet, according to what I saw at the birthday party, the center has not lost touch with its roots. Among the 100-odd people attending were many of the center's very first volunteers, who after 15 years still give generously of their time to help run the center, as well as many newer faces, excited to be connected to this vibrant hub of inquiry and social change. This organization is still emphatically grassroots and still driven by passion.

There is still much to do. Women are vastly underrepresented in political positions. Equal pay for equal work is still a faraway dream. Czech governmental support for women's nonprofit organizations is insufficient. Legal reform is needed, and much more. But my sense is that the center and its sister organizations are fully prepared to take on these issues and the Czech Republic is ready to hear from them. Much has changed in 15 years, and there is much to celebrate. Happy birthday, Gender Studies Center!