We’re Moving
The Occupy Patriarchy website is moving to a new server. That means that the site will be a bit dysfunctional for a few days. If you want to add a comment to a post, please hold off until the move is completed (which I’ll post about when it is all done) or go to our Facebook page and comment there instead in the meantime. Thanks for your patience!
Update: The good folks at Iglou.com tell me you are free to add comments over the weekend, the actual downtime will take place on Monday.
The Global Occupation Of Patriarchy
The struggle against patriarchy is a global one. And the recent awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee, Tawakkol Karman reminds us that women’s activism is crucial. But as women in the Middle East who have participated so fearlessly in the uprisings of the Arab Spring have discovered, the success of progressive and revolutionary movements does not guarantee gains in women rights. And so women everywhere continue to rise up and to insist upon those rights and calls to occupy patriarchy are being heard around the globe.
On Nov. 25, The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Italian women marched to call attention to austerity as a form of violence against women, citing policies that “de facto” require women to work multiple jobs, paid and unpaid. Marchers also were protesting Italy’s very restrictive abortion rights policies. And in the Philippines, women recently decided to “Occupy RH” (reproductive health) to push for passage of crucial reproductive health legislation with chants of, “RH delay, 11 deaths every day”.
Women also marched in Barcelona, Spain on Nov. 25th:
In England, numerous actions have taken place. In Exeter, women raised awareness about patriarchy with art. And in Bristol, women experimented with “Carrying Our Safe Space With Us” in order to empower women at General Assemblies (the daily organizing meetings that are held in most Occupy locations). Feminists Occupy London has a Facebook page here and women at Occupy Warwick put up an Occupy Patriarchy tent!
The aim of the Occupy Patriarchy tent was to provide an anti-sexist space for students to talk about gender, the impact of the cuts on women and the role of feminism in the anti-cuts movement.
The Organization for Women’s Freedom In Iraq, whose members have been beaten by the police for their participation in Arab Spring actions in Iraq, issued a statement supporting Occupy Wall Street pointing out the connection between the cause of the 99% and U.S. imperialism in the Middle East and the Arab Spring.
Slovenian activist Tea Hvala offers us this thoughtful analysis. From Slovakia comes this commentary (easily translated via Google Translate). And from New Zealand:
But there are other risks associated with this movement, internal rather than external threats. Reports of rape in Cleveland and Glasgow circulate online. Occupiers in Wellington debate how to react to the presence of fascists in the city, and potentially at the occupation itself. It’s become increasingly obvious that by including those who behave oppressively, we automatically exclude others.
This de facto exclusion, particularly of women and those on the trans* spectrum, limits the development of Occupy politics.
The global call to end patriarchal control both within movements for change and the world as a whole have never been louder. It is time to heed those calls. If you know of other actions and commentary from outside the U.S. that should be included here, please add links in the comments section.
Occupying Patriarchy Throughout The U.S.
Talking about the need to confront patriarchy and insist that women’s voices be heard and women’s needs be met within the context of Occupy or any radical or progressive movement can feel like a lonely pursuit, but the good news is that actually a whole lot of people are working to do exactly that. All around the U.S. and throughout the world there have been a number of very empowering actions and statements. Here is a wrap up of some of the things that have been happening in the U.S. and later this week, I’ll do another post that links to actions in other countries. If you know of something that should be added to this, please do so in the comments.
The Occupy Boston Women’s Caucus issued a statement for the November 18th Occupy Boston General Assembly that began,
We, the women of Occupy Boston, are here to tell you that two months is far too long to have occupied without a feminist perspective.
In New York, WOW (Women Occupying Wall Street) worked on an amendment to the Occupy Wall Street Declaration of Independence to address issues such a trafficking, violence and reproductive freedom.
In Boston, a women’s march was held on December 4th, declaring in this musical invite, “We’re not all white males”.
OccupyDC’s Gender Equality Group held a teach-in on abortion.
The Women’s Caucus of Occupy Philly issued a statement calling out the Mayor and police and well as the media in Philadelphia for their statements regarding the safety of women at Occupy Philly,
The recent demonizing and vilifying of the Occupy movement in the media is a scape-goating of the problems and violence that plague our communities and cities daily. Rape happens every day, murder happens every day and Suicide happens every day. These tragedies are not symptoms or creations of the Occupy Movement, nor are they exclusive to the Occupy Movement; they are realities of our society and of our everyday lives.
In Providence, RI, an Occupy the Night event was held, “An evening of feminist and queer action, conversation and community. Because the fight against corporate power and inequality is hollow until all forms of oppression are raised to the center of the struggle. ”
In Los Angeles:
November 25th in New York City:
Gender Discrimination: Gender harassment and discrimination at Medgar Evers College have reached an all-time high under the leadership of President Pollard and Provost Johnson. Complaints are mounting. Women are filing complaints with the Equal Opportunity Commission, hiring attorneys and allegedly taking this present administration to court for charges of gender discrimination and sexual harassment . CUNY Chancellor has yet to call this administration to task and hold it accountable for its campaign of intimidation against women. More must be done to validate and protect women against these attacks by the administration and their confederates other than to hold a Zero Violence Seminar.OccupyMedgar says: Stop the Violence! Stop the campaign of intimidation against women at Medgar Evers College and restore those women who have been removed from their positions of leadership to their rightful place.
In Oakland:
Robin Morgan Talks About Feminism And Occupying Patriarchy On The First Episode Of Feminist Peace Network Radio
On the inaugural episode of Feminist Peace Network Radio, I had the pleasure of talking with feminist shero Robin Morgan about feminism and the role it plays in the Occupy movement and as Robin so aptly pointed out, the role Occupy should play in the feminist movement. You can listen to it here.
My great thanks to Allie McNeil of A World of Progress Radio (AWOP) for helping with the chat room and providing much needed support for my pre-first show jitters and to everyone who listened in. For those of you who are wondering, yes there will be more shows after the first of the year, stay tuned!
Lucinda Marshall Talking About Feminism And The Occupy Movement Nov. 30th On Feminist Magazine
Feminist Peace Network Director and Occupy Patriarchy co-author Lucinda Marshall will be a guest on KPFK’s Feminist Magazine, Tuesday November 30th between 7:00-8:00 pm pst talking about how feminism fits in the Occupy movement and how Occupy fits with feminism along with Alternet’s Sarah Seltzer and Occupy LA activists Dava Juno, Sheila Nicholls, Alex Banks, and Regina Quetzel Quinones. You can listen to the program here.
Feminism Now Podcast Features A Discussion About Occupy Patriarchy
Dear Readers,
I’m delighted to announce the premiere episode of Feminism Now, a new podcast co-produced by Becca Wilkerson, Catherine Barbarits and myself. On this first episode Lucinda Marshall and I engage in a dialogue about Occupy Patriarchy. We also talk to a feminist activist at Occupy Houston who has a poignant and fiery story to tell about sexual politics at that site. We interview long-time Filipina feminist and transnational activist Ninotchka Rosca. Finally, Becca Wilkerson introduces our regular feature The Feminist Commentator. Check out the web-site where Becca’s commentary and my own “Manifesto: installment 1” for the podcast is also published in print.
This is the press release sent to us by the coalition that is organizing this event.
Facebook Event: http://on.fb.me/sHzun8
Twitter: #WomensAssemblyOWS
WOMEN TAKE LIBERTY: STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Women’s Assembly, Speak-Out & Rally at Foley Square, March to Liberty Plaza
November 25, 2011, New York, NY: Boycott Black Friday! March Instead of Shop! On Black Friday, November 25th at 1pm women from across New York City will gather at Foley Square for a Women’s Assembly, Speak-Out and Rally to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, then “Take Liberty,” marching to Liberty Plaza (Zuccotti Park), making the connection that the unregulated exploitation on Wall Street is violence against women. Clear Action for/by Women (CLAW), the organizing coalition comprised of several women’s organizations and unaffiliated women organizers, calls for the elimination of all types of violence against women and demands respect, equity, compassion, peace, security and healing for women, our children, our communities and our world.
Everyday around the world women-identified persons survive different forms of violence. Physical violence leaves women with traumatic scars. Economic violence causes women to struggle to feed their families. Sexual violence in our homes and on our streets causes women to feel shame. Political violence silences the power of women’s voices to make decisions in society. Military violence divides nations of women who want peace. Women’s bodies are regularly disrespected with street and workplace harassment, rape, and other forms of physical and sexual violence. One in 6 American women has been a victim of attempted or completed rape (RAINN). Media corporations make billions with music and films that disgrace women’s bodies, minds and spirits. Women do two-thirds of the world’s work, earn 10% of the world’s income, and own only 1% of the world’s wealth, according to a 2010 UN report. Corporations get nearly 70% of their profit from women workers who earn $2 a day, and women of color are 70% of the global poor. In the U.S., women make as low as $0.52 for every dollar a man makes.
Boycott Black Friday by refusing to shop at corporations that commit acts of violence against women, whether by using physically violent factories abroad or failing to provide health care to workers or paying unlivable wages around the world. We raise our voices to promote a fair and just economic system! March Instead of Shop!
Assemble at Foley Square on November 25, 2011, 1:00 pm
CLAW Coalition Members: AF3IRM/GabNet, ANSWER, Black Women’s Blueprint, Feminism Now Podcast, SisterSong NYC, Trust Black Women, and several unaffiliated organizers
Facebook Event: http://on.fb.me/sHzun8 Twitter: #WomensAssemblyOWS
Why Feminism Should Be A Part Of The Occupy Movement
Feminism has a lot to offer the Occupy movement and I am very grateful to the Women’s Media Center for asking me to write about this and explain why we started the Occupy Patriarchy website. Here is an excerpt from my essay which appears in its entirety on their website:
As the clarion call of Occupy Wall Street has spread throughout the United States and the world, many feminists have greeted the movement with enthusiasm and the hope that it will be a substantial opportunity to advance many of the issues that we have been working on for so many years. Affordable childcare and unequal paychecks, for example, are most certainly economic issues and reproductive injustice and the commodification of women’s bodies in the sex trafficking and pornography industries have huge economic ramifications.
Put bluntly, the harms experienced by women as a result of global and national economic policies are, in aggregate, different and often far worse than those experienced by men…
…For any real economic justice to be gained for the 99 percent, those issues certainly need to be addressed as an integral part of the Occupy agenda.
Unfortunately, logical as that might be, those who seek to address these topics and insist that they be part of the Occupy agenda are finding themselves confronting many of the same obstacles that women often face outside of the Occupy movement—such issues as safety, sexism, misogynist power structures and a lack of gendered analysis.
Please click here to read the essay in its entirety.
Whistles
A lot of our mail asks about strategies and ways of dealing with overt sexism when we encounter it at Occupy gatherings. For the last few weeks, the word “whistle” as in the kind coaches use to get the team’s attention not the catcall variety, has been on my mind and today ShielaG wrote a comment to one of our earlier posts that picked up on the idea and offered a great example of how it might be used:
What we used to do back in the day in college classes where male professors made sexist comments… we brought whistles to class, and every time the man said “girl” or made a demeaning “nice” comment about women, we literally blew the whistle.
In a theology class, every time the male professor used “he” as the pronoun for god, we blew our whistles. It took about a week for these men to stop the sexist words. No shouting needed, just 20 plus women with whistles, plus handing out leaflets explaining the use of the whistles.
Women need to participate in large groups (100 plus), with whistles and stop watches to time male vs. female speech. Women interrupted by other men — whistles could blow loudly while he talked.
It was amazing to see how nervous those male teachers were when the women came in with whistles around their necks. And we poured on the pressure by blowing them if the male made a “joke” to deal with the women standing up against sexism in the classroom. Interestingly enough, no other male students supported this action, and often confused sexist speech with freedom of speech. Heaven forbid that men would loose the power of freedom of speech to call women names, grab mics away from women, and threaten women with harm for speaking up against male supremacy.
Anyone inspired to make a run to the nearest sporting goods store and stock up?
Oh Maybelline
Well it had to happen, but if ever there was something too ironic for corporate cause-branding, it would be the Occupy movement. The irony however is apparently lost on Maybelline, which wants to make sure you have on the right shade of lipstick before you go to jail:
Yup, no doubt about it, we want jobs, healthcare, no more foreclosures and oh yeah, lip balm we can believe in. Actually, not a bad idea, but Maybelline Go Currant 440 might not be the one smack your lips on. According the the Environmental Working Group, other than a few concerns like neurotoxicity and endochrine disruption, no worries:
EWG also has data on numerous other not so safe cosmetics.
Memo to Maybelline–companies that sell toxic harmful products and resist full disclosure of their ingredients to consumers are not the 99%. Please take some of your makeup remover and wipe off your comically obnoxious cause-branding.
h/t Greg Mitchell at The Nation for pointing to the ad,
Our friend at Bag News, Michael Shaw, with a great look at likely attempts to turn Occupy into a reference in major commercials, starting here with Maybelline lip balm. At the site he does creative job of contrasting scenes in the video with actual photos from yesterday’s protests, especially woman getting pepper-sprayed on the….lips. Video below, as Madison Ave is Occupied (sort of). Paging Don Draper! Note: This “making of” video was shot a year ago but the commercial just started airing last month (often in movie theaters).
Occupy Patriarchy 