the ‘left’ and ‘right’ are not equal. if you think they are, that means racists are equivalent to anti-racists, working class is equivalent to exploiters. when the ‘left’ hates lesbians and all women it’s a flaw and an obstacle to unity/revolution, when the ‘right’ hates us it’s core to their program.
wish more women would read The Creation of Patriarchy by Gerda Lerner and anything else that helps to make sense of these connections. for some of us it’s not optional, and i’d even go so far as to say it’s white/christian privilege (or aspiration to it, i know there are exceptions) to think it’s unproblematic to make alliances with the right wing. and it’s a politics of seeking male protection that is anti-feminist, i can’t see it any other way.
we’re also in a period of time where this matters more. alliances that seemed pragmatic like the disability movement working ‘both sides of aisle’ have now become something different.
feminists have a tough road to walk when what’s called the ‘left’ (but really is mostly ‘centrist’ neoliberals, true ‘left’ space in the US is negligible) endorse the dismantling of our liberation movement and even meaningful reforms for the advancement of women and girls through gender-identity laws that prioritize male demands over our boundaries. and when they endorse the selling of women’s sexual power and reproductive power (prostitution, pornography and surrogacy). and when leftist men mansplain, rape, sexually harass, exploit/expect our unpaid menial and emotional labor, and more. but who are *we* ourselves and what do we stand for, as feminists? it’s more than a list of issues, it’s the overthrow of male domination of females and all the other forms of domination that this enables.
we can’t allow problems with male leftists and centrist neoliberals to drive us into the arms of those whose entire agenda is destruction of our liberation movement and sending lesbians back into the closet and all women subordinated to and controlled by men at every level.
for US feminists who want to join with like minded women please check out FIST- Feminists in Struggle.
and in the UK, https://womansplaceuk.org is doing amazing work.
I do not think left and right are equal, but I think I disagree with this, they are both racist, homophobic and sexist, maybe not “equally so”, but it IS central to the way leftists think.
They certainly can be, and in the case of transgender ideology, the Left has abandoned feminism and a long tradition of recognizing sex-based oppression in favor of gender identity.
QUOTE: “wish more women would read The Creation of Patriarchy by Gerda Lerner and anything else that helps to make sense of these connections. for some of us it’s not optional, and i’d even go so far as to say it’s white/christian privilege (or aspiration to it, i know there are exceptions) to think it’s unproblematic to make alliances with the right wing. and it’s a politics of seeking male protection that is anti-feminist, i can’t see it any other way.”
I see an ADDITIONAL way…. That is that it’s classic gender inculcated behavior on women’s part. Women are all too often seduced by patriarchy’s power, privilege, wealth and reach.
I’ve seen it happen time and again…. Women get an idea to build or create something on a grassroots self-funded basis. It could be anything: a woman’s herstorical archive; a mini press; a women’s studies course; an art collective or sports team; a soup kitchen; a woman’s homeless or DV shelter, etc.. They put herculean time and effort into it. As soon as the endeavor wobbles to its feet and looks viable, they reach out to patriarchy for some sort of support. It could be via inclusion into an art or cultural studies curricular at a local college, funding from local church groups for a soup kitchen, inclusion of men on a woman’s sports team, or a government grant for a homeless or DV shelter. From that point on, patriarchy OWNS them.
OH, patriarchy may stay in the background while the women do all the day-to-day grunt work, but patriarchy is always there imposing guidelines and pulling funding and organizational strings. (Think Vancouver Rape Relief & Women’s Shelter.) Invariably, the Feminist focus of the organization is lost. This is how patriarchy works to co-opt women’s time and energies, indeed, their souls.
The collaboration with the Heritage Foundation and other ultraRight Wing Organizations is just another iteration of this pattern. It’s classic gender based logic and behavior.
Agreed. I do not want to.promote right wing mags, ideology or agendas by making alliances with the enemy. As a Dyke, a Jew, A Witch, An AmazonWarrior, a Female or as a Womon!!!!. There is NOTHING the rightwing or Heritage Foundation does for me….