Organizers of the annual Womyn Take Back The Night event are trying to decide if men should be present when women talk about their experiences as victims of abuse.

Saturday they solicited public comments during a meeting at Lawrence Public Library. About 20 people attended.

“This is a question we’ve been asking ourselves for some time,” said Corrina Beck of Womyn Empowerment Action Coalition.

Take Back the Night is an annual rally and march to promote awareness about violence against women.

The event began in Europe as a protest against the fear and violence that women encountered walking the streets at night. The first Take Back the Night in the United States was in 1978 in San Francisco.

One event in Take Back the Night is a survivors’ circle during which women discuss abuse and sexual assault. Men are not allowed to participate and instead hold their own discussion group.

The two groups later meet for a joint discussion after the women march down Massachusetts Street.

Opinions among those attending Saturday’s meeting were mixed.

Amanda Zehr said she would feel threatened by the men if they were allowed in the women’s circle, saying it would be “like a man walking into a women’s restroom.”

Others agreed, saying some women wouldn’t feel comfortable talking about their experiences if men were present. Those who favored allowing men to attend said it would be an educational experience for them.

Josiah Legler, one of the few men at the meeting, said he found the Take Back the Night event intimidating. He said he would like to be able to be with his girlfriend during the entire event.

“The separation makes me feel uncomfortable, but I don’t hold that against them and can empathize with them,” Legler said of the women.

The next Take Back the Night will be in April, but no date has been set. WEAC representatives said they planned to study public comments on the issue of men and the survivors’ circle and make a decision by then.