Month: July 2024

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.