Equality in the Left
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The document discusses gender inequality and violence within radical movements, emphasizing how misogyny and male privilege hinder progress and undermine women's participation. It highlights the experiences of women in leftist organizations, such as the CPP, revealing systemic issues like unequal labor roles and oppressive sexual norms. The text advocates for collective accountability, support for marginalized groups, and a reevaluation of personal and political dynamics to foster inclusive and safe communities.
Equality in the Left
- 1. EQUAL I N T H E LEFT G E N D E R E Q U A L I T Y I N S O C I A L I S M W D 2 2 7 | C A M AYA | G A L U R A
- 2. W H Y M I SOGYNISTS M A KE GREAT I NFORMANTS : H O W G E N D E R V I O L E N C E O N T H E L E F T E N A B L E S S TAT E V I O L E N C E I N R A D I C A L M O V E M E N T S Courtney Desiree Morris (2010)
- 3. 2008 Protests at the Republican National Convention Bradley Crowder & David McKay
- 4. BRANDON DARBY • Prominent activist/leader of Common Ground (relief ops for Hurricane Katrina) • Infiltrated protesting groups at the Texas Republican National Convention—led to the arrest of David McKay and Brandley Crowder • Revealed he was an FBI Informant (but was actually the insinuator of the Molotov explosive attempt. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/05/us/05informant.html
- 5. NOT SURPRISING • Campus police officers spy on radical groups in plain clothes at University of Texas. • FBI does not dismiss political work that can provoke the scrutiny of the state. • “Kill the movement now before it grows.” • Informants + Provocateurs
- 6. INFORMANTS • Establish intimate relationships with activists • Joined American-Indian Movement, Black Panther Party—toppled them • Queer activists experienced intense gender violence
- 7. IGNORING THE SIGNS • Connections between gender violence, male privilege, and strategies that informants use to destabilize radical movements • No serious action against men asserting privilege within movements • “Real issues”/ “serious issues” are racism, police, class inequality (forgetting the rest) • Misogyny is normalized in these spaces, dismissed as “personal”
- 8. DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR • Leadership style shows character—white male privilege/ male privilege • Destructive behaviors that undermine the organization’s work • Movement would not hold the “leaders” (men) accountable because of their work for the group.
- 9. MALE PRIVILEGE IS NOT UNIFORM. • White men and men of color are unequal participants to patriarchy’s benefits (but they can both reproduce gender violence). • Men of color are a target of more violence. • Communities often do not step up on all vulnerable groups’ behalf. • Left offers very little support.
- 10. IRREPLACEABLE “Womyn had to check their critique of his behavior at the door, lest we lose a man of color in the movement.”
- 11. TALKING DOWN • Abusive tone and content • Even for minor mistakes • Women offer meek, diplomatic responses • Taking credit for somebody else’s work
- 12. MISOGYNISTS ARE INADVERTENT AGENTS OF THE STATE. W O M E N ( A N D L G B T ) A R E F O R C E D O U T O F R A D I C A L O R G A N I Z I N G S PA C E S .
- 13. RECOMMENDATIONS • Do not underestimate patriarchal behaviors. Nothing slows down movement building like a misogynist. • We must support queer people and women who have experienced interpersonal violence and engage in a collective process of healing. • We must initiate collective dialogue about how we want our communities to look and how to make them safe for everyone. • We must develop a model for collective accountability that truly treats the personal as political and helps us begin practicing justice in our communities.
- 14. LOVE, S EX ,AND THE FI LIPINO CO MMUNIST C H A P T E R O N S U N N Y / N I K K I L A N S A N G Patricio Abinales (2004)
- 15. INTERVIEWING SUNNY LANSANG = Dr. Sylvia “Guy/ Sunny/ Nikki Lansang” Estrada-Claudio • Talked about her experiences as a feminist health worker and member of the CPP’s legal united front organization, “Bagong Alyansang Makabayan” • Discusses her discontents on gender equality inside the Party
- 16. SUNNY LANSANG • Wrote an essay “Gender Issues in Revolutionary Praxis” • Exposing the movement’s problems in failing to recognize that some issues have no theoretical guidance—like sexism • Motivated by the dissonance during the “election boycott error” in 1986 • Questioned why it is not about violating party rules but who violated them • Bayan National Council could have voted to participate in elections— health sector wanted to participate in the elections • Dissonance: Do I follow democratic centralism? (DemCen) • Party admitted mistake but she was not “rehabilitated”.
- 17. RECRUITMENT TO GABRIELA “I wanted autonomy, both ideologically and politically” —became inactive in the Party but still contributed to its general cause
- 18. LEARNED ACTUAL ISSUES THROUGH IMMERSION • Discovery of women’s issues and sexual relations • Reproductive rights • Reproductive freedom • Issues of sexuality • Family arrangements • Male-female relationships • Raising children • Own experience: living in, forced to get married, separate social (party ideology) and personal life (liberal)
- 19. FRIEDRICH ENGELS “We have to look at both aspects of life—the reproductive and productive aspects— because both actually make up the material base of society.”
- 20. IN CPP SETUP • There is inequality in household chores • Women designated to household labor, political work done by men • Party prescribes monogamous relationships (need for marriage) • No premarital sex • Actual rules parallel that of the patriarchal system in Catholicism • You can only date cadres or candidate members • There are instructions in sexual relations • Population control was considered as an “imperialist ploy”
- 21. “CONFLICT” • Sex is also an area for revolutionary change. • Marxists have always rejoiced the body capacity to labor & reproduce. • “We are not angry that laborers must work, we are angry that class society makes productive labor unpleasurable.” • PH left was not free from issues like sexual harassment, rape, incest, etc. • There is no problematization of what sexuality should be –no theoretical basis even when NDF recently allowed freedom of individuals to their sexual orientation
- 22. TOO MACHO There is a GLAMORIZATION of violent actions (in the Party) –a reiteration of Philippine macho culture.
- 23. REACTION TO THE ESSAY • No reaction from the Party (dismissive?) • No one wanted to challenge it either • Party still considers some sex as “opportunism” • Party continues to stay with the “Mass Line”—para sa masa, thinking that the masses are more conservative than the learned (PATRONIZING)
- 24. “LOOSE MORALS” • Women were considered to have loose morals if they try to challenge the male privilege • Perpetuates division of “men’s work” and “women’s work” • How about raising the children? Party is silent on it. • To the Party, everybody needs to SACRIFICE –but more burden on the women and children especially when father goes “full time”.
- 25. COMMUNIST INTIMACY • Still possible (Claudio) but isn’t it being suppressed by theory (Abinales)? • Claudio: – Patriarchy perpetuates consumerism/capitalist class structures – Women are trapped as “faithful wife” or “slut” – Should move away from parameters that keep capitalism alive – Monogamous sexual relationships kept bourgeoisie marriage— fidelity for married women but other women are prostituted by married men
- 26. THE REVOLUTIONARY FAMILY • Should not have a single model. • “Red base” would be the dream. • Monogamy would be a truly loving choice: –For men, issue is not his polygamy but that he is fooling his wife • We still need ethical guidelines.