by Ann E. Menasche
This piece is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Feminists in Struggle as an organization.
Never underestimate the power of words. Words are the weapons of both capitalist patriarchy and radical feminism. Words can challenge the status quo and lead to radical transformation, i.e., be a force for good, or instead change the meaning of our reality – turning it on its head – blinding us to injustices and atrocities of all kinds, and, as George Orwell recognized, bolstering authoritarian regimes and practice
I can think of many examples of the Orwellian use of language. War is often prettified by righteous and lofty sounding names that hide its bloody reality measured in the destroyed lives of civilian populations and the greed and thirst for domination that usually underlies it. The U.S. named its Iran war of choice, “Operation Epic Fury”; Israel named its collective punishment and genocidal destruction of the people of Gaza, “Operation Roaring Lion.”
In the same vein, the City of San Diego, where I live, has set up camps for hundreds of unhoused people, packing them into tents two feet apart. The camps are full of rats and other vermin, offer only two meals a day, with food poisoning commonplace, and residents who stay there months or years at a time – frying in the summer and freezing in the winter – often have no choice but to agree to be placed there or risk jail for violating anti-homeless ordinances. So far, 19 people have died at the camps. The name for these camps? “The Safe-Sleeping Program.” You don’t get any more Orwellian than that.
Then there is the war on women, a war we women of the world live every day even outside an official war zone. The anti-abortion or forced pregnancy movement found a good Orwellian name for itself – “pro-life.” or the “right to life” movement. As feminists would chant at abortion rights marches – “Right to life, your name’s a lie, you don’t care if women die.” And they don’t.
Not to be outdone, another front in the same war on our sex, is the sex denialist/”gender reassignment” industry and its followers. They have been working overtime to change the meaning of everyday language to its opposite. Men/women, female/male no longer refer to sex, which is deemed either not to exist or has become a dirty word, not to be mentioned in polite company. The substitute for actual sex is some amorphous subjective feeling called “gender identity”, basically, where you believe you fit within the spectrum of 1950’s style “masculine” and “feminine” stereotypes – between GI Joe and Barbie.
When women as a distinct category of persons based on our sex are erased, it becomes impossible to name, measure or remedy sexism or male supremacy.
The principal catechism, or article of faith promoted by these fundamentalist ideologues that is beyond questioning or reasoned discourse is “trans women are women.” In other words, some men are women (and vice-a-versa) though we mostly care about the men, of course, since they are, well, men. And it follows that some men are lesbians, which defines out of existence that pesky group of women, a thorn in the side of patriarchy, that have said “no” to males and just want to be with each other.
Though this ideology has parasitically attached itself to the “left” and the LGB movement, there is nothing progressive or pro-gay about it.
Even to refer to someone’s sex, is now treated as a confession of “bigotry” and “hate.” Ask a group like Amnesty International that used to do- and still sometimes does – good work.
But words can trick you. Would anyone not in the know understand that the gentle sounding supposedly “lifesaving” “gender affirming care” for “trans kids” consists of drastic quasi-medical interventions that sterilize them, and remove healthy body parts?
Or understand that “Safe Sleeping” is actually unsafe?
Or that “sex work” refers to the buying and selling of the bodies of women and girls, whose lives are characterized by childhood trauma, poverty, and lack of options, not to some freely chosen though perhaps unfairly maligned profession? Mis-leading language works.
Supporters of “gender identity” are serious about promoting this particular form of insanity and punishing dissidents all over the world. And we should pay attention.
In New South Wales, Australia last year, Kirralie Smith was ordered to pay $95,000 to two trans-identified males for opposing the inclusion of men identifying as “women” in women’s sports and referring to men by their sex. By doing so, the Court found that Kirralie had “incited hatred towards, serious contempt for or severe ridicule of a soccer player for being transgender” and that she had violated Australia’s Anti-discrimination Act. She was ordered to admit her guilt and post her confession on social media. And told of course to shut up and never say such a thing again.
The grand inquisitor of 15th century Spain, Tomas de Torqueda, would have been proud.
Use your words wisely, sisters, but use them.
Tell the truth as you understand it. Don’t let yourselves ever be silenced.
