Brief Report Back 12.6 Saturday “Anti-Racism, ‘Liberal Feminism’, ‘Radical Feminism’ – What is the Problem? What Will White Womyn Do To End Racism?”

Checking in, we welcomed two new members and shared our recent work combating racism: from the personal engaging with family members and social media contacts, to contributing to the work of womyn of color. We also shared resources and spoke of their influence upon our personal understanding of racism. 

We talked about how white womyn must acknowledge the racism inherent in feminism – how the ‘white’ is understood in feminism, as it is understood/the norm in everyfuckinthing. One solution is for white womyn to call themselves “anti-racist feminists”. Another is to be aware of the true roots of feminism and familiar with the herstory of feminists (including white feminists) and how both societal racism has erased the early founders and contributions of Black and brown womyn because that is what racism does; and the fact that all white womyn bring racism into anything we participate in, thereby colluding in the white-washing of ‘feminism’.

When white womyn accuse womyn-centric feminists of being racist for centering womyn and not being ‘inclusive’ of men who ‘identify’ as women, we discussed many options springing from the centering of womyn. The definition of feminism is the centering of womyn; inclusivity is a misogynist demand on females but we have the human right to be exclusive as we are a class of humans subjected to oppression and domination.

Centering womyn does not mean we’re transphobic – although if transphobic is defined as centering womyn and not men who identify as women, then we need to change the definition of transphobic. Violence against transgendered people does exist: recognizing the violence does not mean we have to stop centering womyn.

We can not allow the ‘problem’ of violence towards trans people to be characterized as the centering of womyn but as the male violence as it is. Challenging the concept that men who identify as women are the most oppressed, most violated, the recipients of most violence is typical male behavior in claiming their issues greater than anyone else’s, especially womyn. Not denying trans people are targets of male violence, especially sexual partner violence, this is violence womyn have/had/do always face all around the world.

Men who identify as trans probably do face the most violence of all men who face violence, especially Black male trans people, although gay men might argue the point, at least historically before the transing of the dead.

We discussed the money behind the medical establishment’s support of transing men as well as the homophobia and misogyny. It can cost up to 1.3 million to trans one person – plus the lifelong continued dependency on drugs in order to stay ‘transed’.

We role played very successfully options for challenging white womyn who do not want to center womyn. Next week we will practice ways to engage in conversation with Black womyn who point out racism in feminism and call white womyn who center womyn as racist.

Resources:

“White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo

“Pose” a Netflix series

Some of Jennifer Bilek’s blogs https://www.the11thhourblog.com/

WHRC Women’s Human Rights Campaign weekly panel of womyn from around the world www.womensdeclaration.com

And as always the Anti-Racism daily actions to dismantle white supremacy

https://www.antiracismdaily.com/