LESBIAN DEVIL: A BOOK REVIEW

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By Ann Menasche

“Lesbian Devil to Straight Man Saint: a trip through trans hell and back” by Scott Newgent (2024)

Lesbian Devil is a gripping, no-holds-barred, finely crafted page turner that exposes the significant role of homophobia in “transing away the lesbian.” It chronicles Scott Nugent/Kellie King’s life including the myriad influences that conspired to convince a 42-year-old lesbian, successful career woman, and mother that she was born in the “wrong” body and needed to pursue medical transition.  After ingesting cross sex hormones and obtaining multiple drastic surgeries, Kellie emerged with a male appearance – though still a woman – and with her health severely compromised by constant pain and frequent life-threatening infections.  Tellingly, the acceptance and self-acceptance that she sought in a sexist and homophobic world through medical transition continued to elude her.

Kellie also emerged soon afterwards with a profound commitment to save gender non-conforming and lesbian/gay children and teens from a similar fate.

Kellie was a spirited and athletic child who grew into a woman who excelled in business, obtaining an executive position in sales.  Like many other women, including many lesbians, Kellie’s outspoken and competitive personality did not conform to the narrow sexist stereotypes of “femininity”, and she often felt it would have been easier being a man.  Yet, she dressed the part of a professional woman, wore make-up and heels, and did not appear “butch.”  This did not stop the first gender counselor she met with, a trans-identified male, from asking her, “how long have you been dressing as a man, Kellie?”

Though Kellie was not unloved as a child, she experienced significant trauma.  Her father was physically abusive, and her mother struggled with addiction.  As a teen, she was raped. A few years later, Kellie attempted suicide. But to the gender industry, this was irrelevant. All the counselors and doctors Kellie spoke to about transitioning “affirmed” her, led her down the conveyor belt of medical transition without ever asking any questions about her mental health history or even why she wanted to transition.

“Each medical professional I came across guaranteed a utopian paradise on the other side of the transition. I wanted finally to be accepted, loved and seen as straight in this fantasy land.”

The most compelling promise for Kellie was that once transitioned she would escape the stigma of being a lesbian. When Kellie first came out as a lesbian, her grandfather, the greatest source of emotional support in her life, her “guiding light” as she called him, disowned her for being a lesbian.   This was a major blow.

Then some years later, Kelli fell passionately in love with a co-worker, Jacqueline. Jacqueline came from a close knit religious Catholic family and was in a loveless marriage to a man.  What followed was a tumultuous on again, off again relationship where Jacqueline went back and forth with her abusive husband as she struggled to accept herself, and by extension, Kellie, as a lesbian.  Needless to say, Jacqueline’s parents did not accept Kellie and encouraged their daughter to return to her husband.

As Kellie explained, “The vitriol that Jacqueline’s family directed at her was unbearable to my ears.  Their pleas for her to be purified and cast out the so-called demons were incessant.  The yearning for acceptance and sense of belonging and an unconditional love devoid of violence was all I ever sought.  Yet (Jacqueline’s) family painted me as a pariah, undeserving of love from even God himself.”

Jacqueline was quick to embrace the idea that Kellie was really a man and encouraged her transition.

Later, in her transman “disguise,” Kellie got to know and became very close to Jacqueline’s family.  Except for their rabid homophobia, they turned out to be very fine, caring people. As a “man”, Kellie was totally accepted and welcomed into the family circle.  But this acceptance was based on a lie, and she found herself deeply troubled by this deception.  Kellie was still female, still a lesbian.

Much of the book describes Kellie’s struggles with severe medical complications from her surgery, complications that brought her close to death.  She worried about not living long enough to meet her grandchildren.

Finally, breaking it off with Jacqueline, she began to regret the path she had taken.

Yet, there was no going back for Kellie.  The physical changes carved onto her body are permanent.  Kellie graciously forgave Jacqueline and others who had hurt her.  She could forgive everyone but herself.  She writes, “…a more profound forgiveness still eludes me – self-forgiveness.  The mirror reflects a face I do not recognize, physically or spiritually and fills me with hate for myself that I fight daily; it’s my face.  Yet there might be a day when I look into my eyes and find redemption…Still after all these years, I miss Kellie horribly.”

I wish Scott/Kellie healing as she continues her essential work of saving future generations of gender non-conforming children, future generations of lesbians from the false promises and permanent harms of medicalization.

As she frequently proclaims in urging opposition to gender medicalization of children, “Scream louder.”

“Lesbian Devil to Straight Man Saint” can be purchased through Amazon or Barnes and Nobel.  Please purchase  a copy and support Kellie/Scott’s important work. https://www.scottnewgent.com/

NOTES FROM THE WDI CONFERENCE

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by Christy Hammer

FIST’s inaugural conference last July was my first conference on gender critical/sex realist issues, and WDI in Atlanta this last weekend was my second.  Both had fascinating presentations, deep dialogue , and networking on important issues of sex and gender in our culture, social institutions, and political economy.  Provocative and deeply political issues were bravely shared, including historical perspectives and future collective actions.  I was delighted to meet the incomparable Kara Dansky, who along with Ann Menasche both supported me when I was canceled and punished by a few trans activists and current DEI madness for not admitting to more than two sexes and for accidental misgendering.

Protecting sex-based rights politically as Democrats was the first plenary session that including analysis of gender identity in schools that led one to admit she was going to vote for Trump.  I learned histories of both the poor definitions of gender dysphoria in the DSM by Amy Sousa and the increasing anti-female sentiment in fetal personhood laws by Marylou Singleton.  I appreciated analysis of transgender ideology in cartoon fanfiction popular among current youth, and Karla Mantilla on the some of the flashpoints between the LGBT movement and transgender ideology.  Of note, several sessions were fashioned specifically with a cross-generational focus.  Especially with desisted and detransitioned women participating and in the context of what is happening to butch lesbianism it was powerful for younger women to hear from older ones how they would likely be encouraged to transition to males when they were that age with the rush to trans young females adding to the persistent misogyny and sex-role stereotypes.

Learning more from FIST members Suzanne Forbes-Veiling and Denice Traina at WDI was wonderful, as it was to see the remarkable leader of LGB Alliance, Arianne Gieringer, again.

I’m  grateful for my involvement in both FIST and WDI, and look forward to future conferences, especially as my book develops.  If you’re interested in responding to a 10-item interview with your anonymous reflections on critical issues for Canceling sex: Gender ideology, Title IX, and DEI in schools and society please email me ASAP at chammer@maine.edu.

The Equal Rights Amendment – Final Impact Plan!

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What is the ERA? The ERA is an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to correct the omission of women. Like all amendments, it required ¾ of the states (38) to ratify it for it to become part of the Constitution. This is the full text:

Section 1: Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.

Section 2: The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article.

Section 3: This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.

The ERA was ratified by the 38th state (Virginia) on January 27, 2020. So why isn’t it in the Constitution?  Because first the Trump Administration and then the Biden Administration have unconstitutionally obstructed its being published by the National Archivist, as the Constitution requires.

There are so many reasons why women and girls need the ERA. Let’s review some statistics:

  • Over 4 women a week were murdered in California in 2020
  • Over 298.000 rapes of women were reported in the U.S. in the same year
  • Spousal abuse of women is estimated at 4.8 million every year
  • Approximately 1 million women are stalked annually in the U.S.
  • Over 78% of sexual harassment charges were filed by women between 2018-2021
  • 7 in 10 human trafficking victims are women and girls
  • Over 500,000 cases of female genital mutilation have occurred or are at risk of occurring in the U.S.
  • Abortion rights and birth control are increasingly under attack, risking women’s health and lives
  • Women in every state report injustice in their family law cases, especially battered mothers trying to protect their children from abusive fathers who aggressively litigate against them, using family court to stalk, harass, punish, and impoverish their former partners and children
  • Child marriage is still prevalent in the U.S., 87% of victims of which are girls
  • Women still earn 82 cents to every dollar men earn
  • Single women and mothers with children are the two fastest-growing groups of people experiencing homelessness in the United States

All of this is facilitated and amplified by the fact that women do not have equal standing in the U.S. Constitution.

Attorney Wendy Murphy explains more in this video:

Some History:

The ERA was first introduced into Congress in 1923 as the Lucretia Mott Amendment, shortly after women suffragists won the right to vote. It was always Alice Paul’s and the First Wave feminists’ intent to gain equal standing in the U.S. Constitution following gaining the vote. The ERA languished for decades, however, was rewritten in 1943, and finally passed in its present form in 1972. This was due to the efforts of Paul who seized the moment when the Civil Rights Movement for black people gained ground in order to press for the civil rights of women. It then went to the states for ratification and reached 35 states before the imposed deadline of first 7 years, extended to 10 years, expired in 1982. In 1992, when the 27th amendment was passed after over 202 years, efforts began anew to obtain the last 3 states to ratify in order to reach the ¾ requirement.

Because of the tireless efforts of individual women and especially the organization, Equal Means Equal, Nevada ratified in 2017; Illinois in 2018, and Virginia in 2020, reaching the required 38 states. Instead of being published onto the Constitution by the National Archivist as Article V of the Constitution mandates, however, the Trump Administration unconstitutionally interfered with its publication by writing a memo, known as the Bill Barr Memo, to the National Archivist telling him not to publish because the deadline had passed.  As Archivist, David Ferriero had recorded the ratifications of Nevada and Illinois, but pursuant to the memo from the Office of Legal Counsel in the Trump administration’s Department of Justice, he did not act to publish and certify the ERA after receiving Virginia’s ratification documents in January 2020.

Then after the 2020 election, the Biden Administration continued obstructing its publication and has fought it in court like the Trump Administration did, despite claiming support for the ERA and women’s rights when campaigning. This is especially outrageous considering the fact that the Dobbs decision overturning Roe would not have been possible had the ERA been in the Constitution.

David Ferriero retired in the spring of 2022, and Colleen Shogan was confirmed as his successor as Archivist; she has stated she would publish the ERA if she were told to do so by President Biden. So that is what we need to pressure him to do! We need as many people as possible participating every day in this campaign between now and the election, as that is when we have some leverage and can get some national attention.

Here is our battle plan to finally get the ERA published:

  • CALL: White House Comment Line 202-456-1111 open T-Th 11-3 EST 8-12 PDT
  • TEXT: 310-861-2977 – Harris    302-404-0800 – Biden
  • EMAIL: whitehouse.gov/contact – request a response!
  • HOUND ON SOCIAL MEDIA:    

Twitter accounts: @JoeBiden or @POTUS /@KamalaHarris or @VP  –  Use Hashtags #ERA #EqualRightsAmendment #ERANow!

Sample posts:

 The #EqualRightsAmendment was fully ratified on January 27, 2020 and has been unconstitutionally obstructed by Trump & now by @POTUS and @VP. It is now over 100 years since the #ERA was first introduced into Congress. How long must women wait for equality?!  Make the call, @JoeBiden!

Congress and the American Bar Association @ABAesq have both deemed the #EqualRightsAmendment to be fully ratified. Why are you standing in the way of women’s equality? What are you waiting for @POTUS and @VP?! Call the National Archivist and tell her to publish #ERA, @JoeBiden!

  • Write/call/tweet to senators and congressional representatives in support of HJ Res 82 and SJ Res 39, resolutions to urge the publication of the ERA.  Make it clear that you realize that Congress has already done its job in 1972, and it is Joe Biden’s turn to do his by calling the Archivist and instructing her to publish. Let them know they should be pressuring him directly as it is HIS responsibility, not theirs.  No bill extending the deadline is needed either (nor is it valid).

ADDITIONAL ACTIONS:

  • Take a photo of yourself with an ERA sign with the demand “Make the call Joe!” and upload it to https://finalimpact.org.

For more information see the following videos and articles:

https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1mrGmyQqmEVGy or https://t.co/hpWyArF6kn

https://x.com/i/spaces/1jMKgmqrXkyJL

https://www.equalrightsamendment.org/faq/

https://www.americanbar.org/groups/diversity/women/initiatives_awards/era

JOIN US FOR FORUM SAT. SEPT. 14th ON CASS REVIEW: EXPOSING LIES BEHIND CHILD TRANSITION

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Feminists in Struggle presents a forum on the independent Cass Review that is blowing holes in the rationalization for the medical transitioning of gender non- conforming children and youth.

This event will take place  on Zoom on SATURDAY, SEPT. 14th at 11:00 a.m. Pacific time, 2:00 p.m. Eastern.

Tickets on sale now on Eventbrite:  https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cass-review-exposing-the-lies-behind-child-transition-tickets-1001755045307?aff=oddtdtcreator

Dr. Cass conducted an independent systematic review of existing evidence on behalf of the NHS in the U.K. She documented the poor quality of the published studies, and the weak evidence supporting use of puberty suppression and cross sex hormones along with their unknown long-term effects.

Join us for the discussion of Dr. Cass’s findings and recommendations and how to get the word out to stop this harmful sterilizing experiment on children who are different, including future generations of gays and lesbians.

SPEAKERS:

Aaron Kimberly is a Canadian woman born with a rare ovotesticular intersex condition who took testosterone as an adult and lived almost 20 years as a transman. She is a mental health nurse who first blew the whistle on pediatric gender medicine in 2019. In 2001 she cofounded the Gender Dysphoria Alliance to educate about different types of gender dysphoria. In 2023 she cofounded the LGBT Courage coalition with the Missouri whistleblower Jamie Reed, to support other whistleblowers and to protect gender nonconforming children, most of whom are gay/lesbian, from medical harm.

Ann Menasche is a lesbian, radical feminist and socialist, and a life-long activist who is a co-founder and co-coordinator of Feminists in Struggle (FIST). FIST is committed to spreading the word about the Cass Review and challenging the myths used to promote so-called “gender affirming care.” This issue is also personal for Ann. As a girl who aspired to the freedom and privileges of men, she would have likely succumbed to an ideology that said her body was “wrong” and in need of medicalization, were she growing up today.

This forum is a women-only event. It will be video-taped. Men who wish to view it can watch it later for free on FIST’s YouTube channel. Our Forums are interactive events with plenty of time for questions or comments from the audience. Women should check in 10 minutes before the event. Participants are free to close their camera or change their name after they have checked in.

The Zoom link will be sent by email to registrants prior to the event.

FIRST NATIONAL FIST CONFERENCE BOOST TO GRASS ROOTS FEMINIST ORGANIZING

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Thirty-five women representing  a range of ages and backgrounds,  participated in the first national conference of Feminists In Struggle July 5th through 7th.  The beautiful relaxed indoor/outdoor setting with gardens and walkways, and a comfortable breezy conference space, allowed for women to get to know each other face-to-face and to actively participate in growing a multi-issue radical feminist democratically run membership organization.

Aptly named, “Our Radical Roots”, A women’s Liberation Organizing Conference,” both plenaries and workshops provided for plenty of time for  everyone to share questions, thoughts and ideas with the group.  We heard from Ann Menasche, Thistle Pettersen, Christy Hammer, and Denice Traina, women who have been targeted for witch-hunting for their refusal to deny the material reality and importance of sex.  We heard Feminist historian Max Dashu, and Kathie Sarachild, one of the founders of Second Wave feminism, speak  about the radical Leftist roots of the Second Wave; listened to ERA lawyer Wendy Murphy explain the importance of the ERA that would place strong sex based rights in the Constitution and advance the status of women across the board; and held an interactive discussion with Merle Hoffman, founder of the earliest abortion clinics and author of a new book, Choices: A Port-Roe Abortion Rights Manifesto” where she argued that we must learn to love the struggle even in the face of setbacks.   Hilla Kerner from Vancouver Rape Relief shared her perspective on defending women’s spaces and working collectively to build the movement.

Workshops included strategizing on working in mainstream feminist groups such as NOW where many are not yet gender critical, and a discussion led by Arianne of LGB Alliance and Carol, a de-transitioner, on the homophobia of gender affirming care.

A membership meeting was convened Saturday afternoon in which FIST members discussed and voted to approve an action  plan to grow FIST through developing local chapters, planning actions that can gain national media attention, improving our internal functioning, and expanding our coalition work with other feminists.  Areas of focus for the future work of FIST that members approved include participating in the Final Impact Campaign to demand that the Biden Administration instruct the archivist to publish the duly ratified E.R.A. into the U.S. Constitution, promoting the Cass Review in opposition to so-called “gender affirming care” for minors; and defense of women’s spaces including women in prison.

Saturday night we were treated to the feminist folk music of Thistle Pettersen and hilarious stand-up comedy of Francesca de la Pense.  One memorable line from her routine on those who don’t seem to know what a woman is because they are not “biologists”, was: “I don’t know what a brain is, I’m not a neurologist!”

Kathie Sarachild coined the slogan “Sisterhood is Powerful” many decades ago.  Those of us who were fortunate enough to attend FIST’s conference knew what she meant.

 

 

 

 

SISTERHOOD IS POWERFUL!

Check the Feminists In Struggle You-tube channel for videos of portions of the Conference that should be posted soon.

FIST CONGRATULATES ANN MENASCHE FOR REACHING A RESOLUTION OF HER WRONGFUL DISCHARGE CASE

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At the FIST National Conference on July 5, 2024 Ann Menasche, co-founder and co-coordinator of FIST, was one of four speakers at the opening plenary entitled “No More Witch-hunts: Tactics & Strategies for Defending Feminists Jobs, Livelihoods and Public Activism. ”

Ann spoke about the witch-hunt that resulted in her termination from Disability Rights California after twenty years of employment, having been targeted by a trans-identified female with whom she previously had no contact,  and a group of 15 or more  co-workers, mostly supervisory staff.  The group originally went after Ann for asserting  during a diversity training that she is a lesbian (same-sex rather than “same gender” attracted, the new definition imposed by trans extremists that includes males), and began investigating her outside political activities (protected under California Labor Law),

They were  ready to strike when on May 6, 2022,  the Executive Director released a statement on the leaked Dobbs decision  and welcomed staff feedback. The statement mentioned a long list of groups that would be negatively effected by banning abortion, but left out women.  Ann responded, “So glad DRC came up with a statement in defense of Roe! Thank you! Access to safe legal abortion is a life and death necessity for women as a biological sex across the board…and an absolute prerequisite to equal female participation in society.”

In response to this benign statement about the importance of abortion rights to women, she was called a “hate monger” and a TERF”, and the following workday, condemned by her workgroup of civil rights lawyers. She would later learn that that same day 15 people submitted  a petition  to the management team demanding that she be fired.  The petition referenced her statement on abortion, her lesbian sexuality and her outside political activity.  Two days later, without warning, she was terminated.

“The witch-hunt was merciless”, Ann said. My employer denied my unemployment because of my abuse of staff.  I had to wait six months to win it back.  Fortunately, I had started collecting Social Security, had some savings.  If I was a younger person without those things, my liberal employer would have effectively thrown me out onto the streets.”

Ann emphasized the importance of lawsuits, building broad political support and media in fighting back against the witch-hunters.

“Ultimately, the only way to stop a witch-hunt is for enough people to speak out in opposition to it. When more and more people say as Joseph Welch said to McCarthy in 1954, “Have you no sense of decency?,”  it will end…They can’t fire all of us.”

At the end of the presentations, a FIST member from the audience asked about the status of her lawsuit.   Ann replied, “After close to a year and a half of hard fought litigation, the case has been resolved.  I am not at liberty to provide details of the resolution the parties reached.  I will emphasize how important it is to find a good lawyer who understands the issues and is willing to fight for you.  I was very lucky to have found one. Also invaluable was the support I received from other feminists and male allies in the Justice for Ann Committee and the multiple media interviews and coverage that helped get the word out.  It was pretty clear to my former employer that I was not going quietly into the night.”

Ann was heartily congratulated by her sister FIST members and others attending the conference.

 

 

OPEN LETTER TO DEMOCRACY NOW: COVER THE CASS REPORT ON LACK OF EVIDENCE FOR “GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE” FOR MINORS!

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This letter was sent out on May 9, 2024 to Amy Goodman and Democracy NOW, written by a FIST committee, and approved by FIST’s membership.

Feminists in Struggle (FIST)
Attn: Democracy Now!
RE: Coverage of the Cass Review

May 9, 2024

Dear Amy Goodman and team at Democracy Now!

We are Feminists in Struggle, a national female-only, radical feminist network fighting for women’s liberation from sex-based oppression. Many of our members have been long-time listeners and supporters of Democracy Now! We appreciate your contributions to U.S. journalism over the past several decades – and for the information you continue to disseminate every week.

That said, we are curious about the conspicuous lack of coverage into The Cass Review, an Independent review of gender identity services for children and young people, conducted by British Pediatrician Dr. Hilary Cass, and released on April 9, 2024 to major headlines around the world. The Cass Review constitutes the largest and most comprehensive examination of the evidence base to date for pediatric gender medicine, including 237 papers from 18 countries and 113,269 children and adolescents.

Dr. Hilary Cass was commissioned by the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) to lead this exhaustive, systematic review due to her decades of renowned work as a British pediatrician with research interests including autistic spectrum conditions, cognitive impairments, and the care of children with multiple disabilities. Conducted over a four year period, the Cass Review contains nearly 400 pages and 32 recommendations — with a rather damning commentary about the “lack of an effective evidentiary base” supporting youth gender medicine practices. This includes the effectiveness and safety of prescribing puberty blockers, and emphasizes the importance of using “extreme  caution” when prescribing hormone or other medical interventions for minors due to the risks for causing permanent infertility, chronic medical conditions, and impairment of the permanent infertility, chronic medical conditions, and impairment of the ability to experience sexuality outweighing the possible benefits.

The UK formally closed its pediatric Gender Identity Services (GIDS) on March 24, 2024 and other nations (including Finland, Norway, and Sweden) have also been rolling back their services for youth and favoring a much more conservative approach to treatment
and clinical care with this vulnerable population. The Cass Review specifically highlights the necessity of using comprehensive, “holistic” clinical screenings and assessments in treating minors, as childhood and adolescence are unique developmental stages distinct from adulthood, and require non-medicalized approaches to care.

Additionally, the Cass Review underlines the fact that there is often an extremely high rate of co-occurring mental health conditions in minors seeking gender identity services (including complex post-traumatic stress, major depression, eating disorders, and neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism) that must be considered, addressed, and treated using a bio-psycho-social model, rather than an affirm-and-medicalize approach. Evidence also demonstrates that a significant number of gender confused youth will eventually  “grow out” of their distress – as many are simply gender nonconforming, neurodifferent, and/or bisexual, lesbian, or gay. To medically transition an autistic, gay, lesbian, or bisexual child on the basis of “gender identity” alone constitutes reparative therapy and eugenics as well as what has been long delegitimized and rejected as “conversion therapy.”

The Cass report also raised alarms about the striking, historically unprecedented increase in the number of adolescent girls referred to the UK’s Gender Identity Services (rising from 15 to 1,071) over the seven year period from 2009 – 2016. What, exactly, is driving this entirely new cohort to seek services from gender medicine clinics? Reem Alsalem, the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women and Girls, recently expressed her concern about the “devastating consequences on the human rights of children and girls” being caused by the blind adherence to gender identity ideology over sound, long-established clinical practice.

It is beyond time to bring all of the evidence to light in the discussion of gender identity ideology and to return to the use of unbiased journalistic principles —we’d like to see your fair and unbiased coverage of the Cass Review.

In solidarity with other radical feminists:

● We request a published explanation as to why the Cass Report, taken very seriously in Europe, and covered by all major European media outlets, has not been mentioned at all on Democracy Now!

● We request that Democracy Now! repair this serious omission immediately.

● We request that Democracy Now! differentiate between sex and gender in reporting.

● We request that Democracy Now! cover gender identity issues going forward in compliance with basic rules of journalism — balanced, presenting multiple opinions from multiple sources.

Again, we thank you for the valuable work you do and look forward to your future reporting on the important findings of the Cass Review.

Sincerely,

FIST

EXCITING PROGRAM PLANNED FOR FIRST NATIONAL FIST CONFERENCE July 5th to 7th 2024

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THIS JULY, DECLARE YOUR INDEPENDENCE FROM THE PATRIARCHY!

Registration Open Now

OUR RADICAL ROOTS:
A Women’s Liberation Organizing Conference

July 5th to 7th 2024 in a beautiful location with gardens, walkways, good food, comfy beds and swimming pool approx. one hour from San Diego

The Program starts Friday night with a plenary on “No More Witch-hunts: Tactics & Strategies for Defending Feminists Jobs, Livelihoods and Public Activism.”  The panel consists of four speakers, Ann Menasche (founding member of FIST), Thistle Pettersen (singer-songwriter & founder of Women’s Liberation Radio News) , Christy Hammer (Univ. of So. Maine professor of Education) and Denise Traina (co-chair of the Georgia Green Party & Green Alliance for Sex-Based rights) who have lost jobs and/or have been subjected to harassment or witch-hunting including within the Left because they recognize that sex exists and support the rights of women based on sex and the rights of lesbians based on sexual orientation. We will discuss strategies for how to fight back successfully against these misogynistic and homophobic attacks.

On Saturday morning after a short walk, we will participate in a plenary “Our Radical Roots: Taking Back the Left for Feminism” with presentations by Max Dashu (feminist historian) Fran Luck (host of WBAI Joy of Resistance multicultural feminist programming), and Kathie Sarachild (one of the founding mothers of Second Wave Radical Feminism).   This will be followed by two workshops to choose from, one on working with other feminists who are not yet gender critical on core feminist issues (led by Dena from FIST), and the second one on Guerilla Strategies led by Jessika Gonzalez, (TERF Collective).

After lunch, there will be a brief presentation on feminist strategy by Hilla Kerner (Vancouver Rape Relief), and then FIST members will  participate in a discuss and vote on a proposal outlining plans for our future work, “Looking Forward;   Proposal for Growing FIST and building a multi-issue radical feminist movement.”  We will then take a two hour break to swim, socialize with our sisters, take a nap, or whatever we’d like to do.  Before dinner we will break up into regional causes to discuss how to carry out the Looking Forward proposal in our local and regional areas.

Saturday night should be great fun. We will begin with an inspiring pre-recorded talk about the importance of the Equal Rights Amendment by ERA attorney Wendy Murphy.  We will then be treated to a concert by Thistle Pettersen performing her original feminist folk music, followed by dancing and socializing.

Sunday, after breakfast, there will be a second set of workshops, one on “Transing Away the Lesbian: Strategies for Ending the Homophobic Practice of Gender Affirming Care”  led by Carol (a detransitioner), and Arianne (LBG Alliance USA); and the second on Defending Women’s Spaces let by Hilla Kerner (Vancouver Rape Relief) and Amie Ichikawa (Women II Women).  There will then be a plenary presentation and discussion on “Strategies for winning back abortion rights”  led by abortion rights pioneer and author Merle Hoffman,  Merle is a founder of one of the earliest abortion clinics in New York, a founder of the National Abortion Federation, a leader of Rise Up for Abortion Rights https://merlehoffman.com/and recently authored a book,  Choices: A Post-Roe Abortion Rights Manifesto. The final plenary will be a participatory exercise in envisioning a future of women’s liberation.  We will enjoy a final meal together and may stay after lunch for a final swim.

Throughout the conference, presentations will be short to allow plenty of time for discussion and sharing of ideas.  We are building a movement and all of our voices and energies our needed.

Sign-up soon as there are limited spaces at the venue.  Deadline for registration is May 31, 2024.  Payment is due on or before June 15, 2024.  Any last minute requests to register after the deadline, please contact us at admin@feministstruggle.org and we’ll check with the venue.

ALSO, HELP WITH OUR FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO FUND SCHOLARSHIPS AND SPEAKERS’ TRAVEL EXPENSES FOR THE CONFERENCE!  You can donate here: https://feministstruggle.org/donate/. Please indicate in the notes that it is for the Conference. We aim to raise $5,000 before June 15, 2024.  Individuals, male or female, are encouraged to donate, but we do not take money from right wing groups or corporations. 

SISTERHOOD IS POWERFUL!

ZOMBIE LAWS AND ZOMBIE STRATEGIES

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by Ann Menasche

The opinion below is that of the author and does not necessarily represent those of Feminists in Struggle.

The contemporary anti-feminist backlash is reaching far back into our nation’s history – the mid to late 19th century – to revive horrible misogynist laws that should have been long dead and buried.  These laws arose during an earlier backlash against the First Wave of Feminism, in response to women organizing against our oppression.  That was a time when women still didn’t have the vote, and could not own property.  However, the birthrate for white women had fallen to 3.5 child per couple from seven in 1800, with abortion commonplace and performed by women.  This was of great concern to the white fathers running the country including those of the medical establishment just consolidating their power.

One such “zombie law” is Arizona’s draconian anti-abortion law which outlaws virtually all abortions, recently upheld by the Arizona Supreme Court.   Under this law passed in 1864 anyone who provides supplies or administers an abortion or abortion drugs can be charged with a crime and if convicted, receive between 2 and 5 years in prison.  The only exception is when the abortion is necessary to save the life of the woman.

Another “zombie law” is the 1873 Comstock Act against obscenity, a law that bans the use of mail to transport “lewd” materials.  This law was used to imprison and deport lesbian Jewish radical leftist Eve Adams in the early twentieth Century for authoring a book containing lesbian love stories. She ended up dying in the Holocaust. The Comstock Act’s anti-abortion provisions are being resurrected by the Christian Right in the case against the FDA currently pending before the Supreme Court aimed at stopping the distribution of the abortion drug, mifepristone.

But it gets worse.  The current backlash is impeding the ability to fight back effectively against this attack.  The strongest argument for abortion rights especially post-Dobbs is the equality argument, i.e., that abortion bans and restrictions discriminate against women as a sex.  This was recognized by Justice Ginsberg decades ago when she wrote, “Legal challenges to undue restrictions on abortion procedures do not seek to vindicate some generalized notion of privacy; rather they center on a woman’s autonomy to determine her life’s course and thus to enjoy equal citizenship stature.”  It has been successfully argued in states that have state ERAs such as Pennsylvania where that state’s Supreme Court opined that pregnancy is a sex based condition and abortion restrictions impact women’s status.  The sex equality approach to abortion rights would be even stronger if abortion advocates argued that the fully ratified national ERA should be treated as the law of the land and a strict scrutiny test utilized to challenge anti abortion laws as discriminatory against women.

Yet, abortion rights groups like Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Federation and Trust Women are helping the enemy by disappearing women from the picture, talking about “pregnant people” and “birthing bodies.”  To make matters worse, Trust Women recently force- teamed abortion rights with access to so-called “gender affirming care” the euphemism for the sterilization and mutilation of lesbian/gay and gender non-conforming adolescents and young people  through puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, double mastectomies, and genital surgeries.   This is a kiss of death to the abortion rights struggle.  As the Cass Report issued by the National Health Service in the UK documented, child transition is without a basis in scientific evidence and is far more harmful than helpful.  It is causing untold harm to a generation of mostly lesbian and gay youth who have been indoctrinated to believe their body is “wrong” and in need of these drastic medical interventions to be themselves. “Gender affirming care” has nothing to do with the right to safe legal abortion which is essential for women’s freedom and is shown to save women’s lives.

Abortion is about the fundamental right of WOMEN to decide if and when they will bear a child.  A feminist struggle is what won abortion rights to begin with and it is the only force that can win it back.

FEMINISTS IN STRUGGLE’S FIRST NATIONAL CONFERENCE

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Welcome to

Feminists in Struggle’s
FIRST NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Registration Open Now

OUR RADICAL ROOTS:
A Women’s Liberation Organizing Conference

July 5th to 7th 2024

in a beautiful location with gardens, walkways, and swimming pool
approx. one hour from San Diego

FEATURING:

  • Max Dashu (remote, feminist historian & author)
  • Ann Menasche (FIST)
  • Christy Hammer (FIST)
  • Thistle Pettersen (folk musician & founder of WLRN)
  • Hilla Kerner (Vancouver Rape Relief)
  • Carol (de-transitioner)
  • Amie Ichikawa (Woman to Woman, advocacy group for women in prison)
  • Wendy Murphy (remote, ERA activist & attorney)
  • Dr. Suzanne Vierling (FIST)
  • Arianne (LGB Alliance USA)

Schedule still being finalized.

The Conference is Women-only.

Register Now