NO TO NO PLATFORMING – YES TO OPEN DISCUSSION IN THE MOVEMENT

By Ann Menasche

This piece represents the views of the author and does not necessarily represent those of FIST as an organization.

I just learned that Julia Beck was prevented from leading a workshop on compulsory heterosexuality at the Filia Women’s Rights Conference because she spoke at a forum on gender identity at the Heritage Foundation back in 2019.  As someone who was critical of the decision by some feminists to participate in this far Right stridently anti-feminist venue (as were many other FIST members), I believe that “no platforming” someone within the feminist movement is not the way to go.  We need more discussion and debate, not less.

Ironically, Julia has rethought many of her views on this issue and is now a lot closer to my own way of thinking, which has also undergone some evolution.  See Julia’s substack essay, Public Statement on working with the right, part 2: Critique and analysis. At that time, I saw two problems with close collaboration with the Right and felt that participation at the Heritage Foundation event held far more negatives than positives for feminists.  One problem is that it discredited our movement, feeding into the idea that being critical of gender identity ideology is inherently “Right-wing.”  Second, is that these alliances disoriented and disarmed feminists into thinking those in the Right are our friends, and led to minimizing the importance of fundamental feminist issues like abortion rights, the Equal Rights Amendments and lesbian rights (which the Right opposes), and that of the movement being anti-racist, anti-imperialist, etc.   My position on this hasn’t changed. Clearly, feminists have two organized and powerful enemies, not one.  Both support and shore-up patriarchy.

Part of the problem, and here Julia and I somewhat disagree, is considering the Democratic Party as “the Left” when it is nothing of the kind.  I have rejected “lesser evilism” most of my life. With so many feminists and progressives following the lead of the Democratic Party – the Party of war and austerity, like the Republicans – has led to allowing the Democratic Party leadership to set the agenda and define for us what it means to be “on the Left.”   That led to the widespread acceptance by progressives of a regressive ideology that denies sex, pushes women and gays and lesbians back, and does permanent physical harm to gender non-conforming and traumatized children.

Moreover, supporting the “lesser evil” has led those focused on the single issue of gender identity to support Trump, and ignore the dangers of Project 2025 for the status of women.  Feminism cannot be restricted to single issue, because the oppression of women is complex and multi-faceted.  Just recognizing that sex exists, as essential as that is to be able to organize and fight for our rights as a sex-class, hardly solves the problem.  The Taliban knows what a woman is.

But I agree with Julia that rigid dogmatism is not the answer.  I have attended and spoken at an event opposing child “gender transition” which had Right wing participation, though I wouldn’t characterize the protest itself as “Right”.  I spoke openly as a member of FIST and a socialist.  I would likewise participate in actions and support bills to stop U.S. support for the Israeli genocide against the people of Gaza though Marjorie Taylor Green, whose politics I generally despise, has also taken such a stand or may be co-sponsoring such bills.   I decide my position on issues and bills on their own merits.

Most importantly, our movement must remain democratic and open to a range of views on these issues.  All of us learn and grow from discussion and debate.  No-platforming feminists, even where we strongly disagree with them on issues of tactics and strategy, is an authoritarian method that has no place in the feminist movement.