I think this article misses the point. We all know the grandstanding by TRAs trying to outdo each other in the trans positivity stake.
What this is about is the fact that the feminist library (note the word library) holds a unique collection of grassroots WLM papers. Some of those papers are the personal papers of women given to the Library on the understanding that they would only be made available to other women.
They had a fundraiser to try and save the Library because of the value and historical signigance because of this collection.
So lets forget keyboard warriorism
This is about colonising and appropriating the work of women. This is about acting against the aims and objectives of the organisation.
This is a classic tactic of entryism that allows political poseurs to comandeer the work of others and by privitising it then attempt to own it.
So enough with the lengthy articles. What we should be doing is checking the constitution of the organisation. Contacting their funders and making sure that this blatant act of occupation is ended.
If they want to run a Queer Library then they should get up off their back sides and do it.
And if they dont respect feminism and the politics of the WLM then they should:
1) Contact all the women who have donated papers and ask them if they want them returned.
2) Contact all those who dontated to the fundraiser and ask if they feel that the new statement about the FL contravenes the stated purpose of the fund raising.
But make not mistake if currrent feminist aren't prepared to come out from behind their keyboards and do actual work, then organisations like the Feminist Library will always be at the mercy of those who network and coordinate to be there.
The co-founder of FL was writing approvingly about postmodernism back in 1975 - the faux feminist rot goes a long way back. So contacting funders etc will not help. I regret my small donation - donated as my friend was friends with one of the volunteers and I wanted to help her and only found out they were in bed with genderists later. Unless they get public funds, which would oblige them to welcome everyone, they will continue on this path to, ultimately, self-destruction or a complete takeover and rebranding as LGBTQ+ or Queer Library.
Sorry - when what was originally the Women's Research and Resource Centre was set up, before becoming the Feminist Library that fact that one woman had a set of views, did not alter the fact that if was fully part of Women's Liberation whose basis is that women are oppressed as a sex class. Some random academic is of little importance to the grass roots activism that the Library set out to preserve the record of. That is why it played such an important part as it was the only Library that offered to accept and respect those women who gave their personal papers to be available to other women.
Many women worked long and hard to keep the Library going based on this integrity and it is insulting for you to deny their work because someone, somewhere on the internet though quoting one woman was somehow reflective of group activism.
Academic feminism has little or nothing to do with day to day feminism and it practice. And if fact has been as damaging to Women's Liberation as the nonsense of media feminism. In both instance the feminism approved by men. And the problem with this is that the women who men chose are rarely the women that women chose to represent them.
Yes, I know that many women worked long and hard there - I know one of them personally. Doesn’t change the fact that Diana Leonard wasn’t just some random academic - she was a co-founder in 1975. It did great work nevertheless, but it is now been years since they’ve lost their way and become Fauxfeminist Library. I don’t need a lecture on academic feminism, either, thanks. I don’t know why you assume I need it.
Its this emphasis on individualism. The Women's Resource centre was a collective project and even if a single member had a point of view the committement was to become a resource of the range of feminist ideas. It derails the issue by focusing on a lone person as though they somehow overwhelmed every thing else. Particularly when they were a signatory to this.
Forbidden Discourse: The Silencing of Feminist Criticism of “Gender”
**Applauds**. This is excellent. There is also this article on the same subject. May there be more and Fauxminist Library rethink who they are actually centering.
The Suffragists and Suffragettes of the early 20th century and the many women before them who paved the way, must be turning in their graves.
The original feminist library piece sounds like a Borg script from a Star Trek movie. But, seriously, they have so lost their way. Thank god for the Zara's, the Germaine Greer's and the JK Rowlings ... but alarmingly that is the old guard: this new batch: wow. Giving up all the gains voluntarily.
Briliant piece Zara....says it all so eloquently but in the strongest way! Thank you on behalf of women everywhere. This library needs to change its name immediately because their name is a lie!
Perfect Zara. They don't know what the origin of our oppression is and it's not important to look for it.....They are either children or liars. Absolutely mental.
I think this article misses the point. We all know the grandstanding by TRAs trying to outdo each other in the trans positivity stake.
What this is about is the fact that the feminist library (note the word library) holds a unique collection of grassroots WLM papers. Some of those papers are the personal papers of women given to the Library on the understanding that they would only be made available to other women.
They had a fundraiser to try and save the Library because of the value and historical signigance because of this collection.
So lets forget keyboard warriorism
This is about colonising and appropriating the work of women. This is about acting against the aims and objectives of the organisation.
This is a classic tactic of entryism that allows political poseurs to comandeer the work of others and by privitising it then attempt to own it.
So enough with the lengthy articles. What we should be doing is checking the constitution of the organisation. Contacting their funders and making sure that this blatant act of occupation is ended.
If they want to run a Queer Library then they should get up off their back sides and do it.
And if they dont respect feminism and the politics of the WLM then they should:
1) Contact all the women who have donated papers and ask them if they want them returned.
2) Contact all those who dontated to the fundraiser and ask if they feel that the new statement about the FL contravenes the stated purpose of the fund raising.
But make not mistake if currrent feminist aren't prepared to come out from behind their keyboards and do actual work, then organisations like the Feminist Library will always be at the mercy of those who network and coordinate to be there.
See thread on mumsnet https://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/4149340-The-Feminist-Library-Has-Fallen
The co-founder of FL was writing approvingly about postmodernism back in 1975 - the faux feminist rot goes a long way back. So contacting funders etc will not help. I regret my small donation - donated as my friend was friends with one of the volunteers and I wanted to help her and only found out they were in bed with genderists later. Unless they get public funds, which would oblige them to welcome everyone, they will continue on this path to, ultimately, self-destruction or a complete takeover and rebranding as LGBTQ+ or Queer Library.
Sorry - when what was originally the Women's Research and Resource Centre was set up, before becoming the Feminist Library that fact that one woman had a set of views, did not alter the fact that if was fully part of Women's Liberation whose basis is that women are oppressed as a sex class. Some random academic is of little importance to the grass roots activism that the Library set out to preserve the record of. That is why it played such an important part as it was the only Library that offered to accept and respect those women who gave their personal papers to be available to other women.
Many women worked long and hard to keep the Library going based on this integrity and it is insulting for you to deny their work because someone, somewhere on the internet though quoting one woman was somehow reflective of group activism.
Academic feminism has little or nothing to do with day to day feminism and it practice. And if fact has been as damaging to Women's Liberation as the nonsense of media feminism. In both instance the feminism approved by men. And the problem with this is that the women who men chose are rarely the women that women chose to represent them.
Yes, I know that many women worked long and hard there - I know one of them personally. Doesn’t change the fact that Diana Leonard wasn’t just some random academic - she was a co-founder in 1975. It did great work nevertheless, but it is now been years since they’ve lost their way and become Fauxfeminist Library. I don’t need a lecture on academic feminism, either, thanks. I don’t know why you assume I need it.
Its this emphasis on individualism. The Women's Resource centre was a collective project and even if a single member had a point of view the committement was to become a resource of the range of feminist ideas. It derails the issue by focusing on a lone person as though they somehow overwhelmed every thing else. Particularly when they were a signatory to this.
Forbidden Discourse: The Silencing of Feminist Criticism of “Gender”
http://meetinggroundonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/GENDER-Statement-InterActive-930.pdf
**Applauds**. This is excellent. There is also this article on the same subject. May there be more and Fauxminist Library rethink who they are actually centering.
The Suffragists and Suffragettes of the early 20th century and the many women before them who paved the way, must be turning in their graves.
https://grahamlinehan.substack.com/p/a-feminist-library-with-a-difference
The original feminist library piece sounds like a Borg script from a Star Trek movie. But, seriously, they have so lost their way. Thank god for the Zara's, the Germaine Greer's and the JK Rowlings ... but alarmingly that is the old guard: this new batch: wow. Giving up all the gains voluntarily.
Briliant piece Zara....says it all so eloquently but in the strongest way! Thank you on behalf of women everywhere. This library needs to change its name immediately because their name is a lie!
This is a good analysis, thank you. I’m so glad we have a new genuinely feminist voice in the debate. I’ve subscribed.
Good stuff. Did I not read somewhere the library is funded by some rich guy?
Perfect Zara. They don't know what the origin of our oppression is and it's not important to look for it.....They are either children or liars. Absolutely mental.
Zara, this is brilliant. I can't wait to read more from you.
Well done.
Janet