The Dueling Commission Head of Office has recently made it known that he plans to submit a proposal to the Wizengamot that will make it illegal for women to participate in sanctioned dueling events. To most, this may seem an unnecessary measure - as women already can only perform magical displays when dueling - but Mr. Barnabas Skeeter (aforementioned Dueling Commission Head of Office) says otherwise. At the request of Mr. Skeeter, I had a meeting with him so that he could further explain his purpose.

Let's get right down to it. I understand that you want to ban women dueling - period - despite their already limited participation. Why is that?
"I am sure that you have seen the latest editions of The Daily Prophet - it's full of stories about women acting in violent ways toward one another. Women who we would believe to be otherwise respectable and appropriately demure! There have been stories over the years that are similar of course - however, it is most recently it would seem that there is a much, much higher volume of such occurrences. The volume and frequency of them is downright alarming! I have done my research and I can confidently say that there is a definite correlation between the rising violence against (and by) women and the public acceptance of women dueling.

So you're saying that women dueling - of any kind - is making them violent?
"Just so. Despite the current limitations to women's dueling events, they still experience the pressures of dueling that the men do. It sparks a competitive spirit in them that they simply cannot control. In short, they are unable to separate it from sport to every day life. The more opportunities that the spark has to grow - the more likely it is that a woman may turn violent when under pressure. The fairer sex have many positive attributes, but as we men know - they can be easily influenced. Sadly, though they may like to believe that they can be our equals, they simply cannot handle the competitive spirit. It goes to their heads and they cannot turn it off like men can.

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We've seen it happen several times recently - a fight over a tea cup resulting in the death of two women (both mother's and wives), an alleged duel between two debutantes where one was unfortunately transfigured by a dog [The unfortunate Miss Ophelia Dippet in dog-form was rescued by Mr. Skeeter, the editor points out] and a pair of young women from a prestigious and well known family were lucky to avoid an article, but practiced violence against each other all the same."

Have all of these women participated in duels, then?
"Honestly, not all of the mentioned women have. A number of them have either participated themselves or have been in attendance at a tournament where other women were dueling, however. Hogwarts even hosts tournaments for the students to participate in - and as such, is heavily influencing the most susceptible."

What do you think we, as a public, need to do to remedy this?
Frankly, I believe we have reached an epidemic. Who knows which woman will be attacked next? Your wife? Your sister? Your daughter, perhaps? As a society, Hogsmeade needs to rally together and support the decision to disallow women participating in duelling tournaments. Though its effect may not be immediate, it will at least keep the women who have not been compromised safely out of harms way.

What can individuals do to help support your proposal?
Write letters and attend the proposal meeting! Ultimately, it will be the Wizengamot who decides whether to approve my proposal or deny it. As a citizen of Hogsmeade, we can write them to further the cause. I am also collecting personal testimonies for when I present my case. If anyone would like to submit them, please owl them directly to my office.

Thank you for the interview, Mr. Skeeter. We shall see what the future brings.

AUTHOR: IAN PENGLOSS