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Dear Vagenda Editors…

October 23, 2012 in white feminism

By Lianne

Dear Vagenda Editors,

You might be surprised to know that a number of us here at Black Feminists were amazed to hear you declare in your latest New Statesman blog that “feminism is, and to an extent always has been, a white, middle class movement”.

We’re not sure the feminists of the Indian Chipko movement in the 1970s or the Southall Black Sisters would agree either.

It seems that you’re most worried about the “issues of race, class, religion, sexuality, politics and privilege…fracturing feminist dialogue,” even if your fantasy universal feminism actively marginalises the experience of anyone who isn’t you.

You play into the damaging myth that feminism is for an elite and narrow group. In reality many people who don’t actively identify as or even distance themselves from the F-word still have feminist views. Similarly many people know how intersectionality affects them and others around them, even if they don’t consider themselves to be intersectional.

In recent weeks intersectionality – or whatever you want to call it – has been deemed irrelevant and literally not worth giving a shit about. Now you’ve kindly told us it’s too academic. If we’re being honest, both come across as excuses to avoid talking about intersectionality itself and dealing with how it affects people. Given recent events, perhaps you can see why many black feminists and others are angry.

Intersectionality may be an academic term that has spilled into common usage among many feminists, but that doesn’t mean that the concept it refers to isn’t real and worthy of discussion. It’s merely shorthand for experiences that many people recognise and talk about – those points where race, gender, sexuality, ability, class and so on come together. And while language is important, most feminists only really use that kind terminology with others who know what it mean.

In obsessing over the use of one word, you not only miss the point (intersectionality could also refer to education), and imply that a vast swathe of people are stupid, but worse still you actively dismiss the views of people of colour and others.

In many respects, intersectionality actually tries to address accessibility, so it’s dishonest to impose a false hierarchy of accessible language first, then maybe followed by dealing with those minor fringe issues of racism, ableism and classism (you know, if we have the time after we’re done having a go at mythical “educated women [who] to want to keep feminism for themselves”).

Being called out isn’t nice, and pretty much everyone experiences it. Most sensitive and aware people would say ‘thanks for your opinions, we’ll take it on board’ or ‘I wasn’t aware that was an issue, I’ll bear it mind in the future’. But not Vagenda, or Caitlin Moran. What we’re seeing is childish foot-stamping and privileged feminists closing ranks to protect each other from criticism from those they are marginalising.

The real accessibility problem is not the use of one word among perhaps more academically-minded feminists, but the closing down of debate by so-called ‘big name feminists’.

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We Need To Talk About Privilege

October 22, 2012 in white feminism

Image courtesy of The Feminist Wire

By Natalie Ntim

So there have a been a couple of articles and ‘Twitterstorms’ about issues affecting feminism over the past few weeks – Caitlin Moran “literally couldn’t give a shit” about Black women’s representation and Medhi Hasan waded into the abortion debate, claiming that pro-choicers “fetishise ‘choice’, selfishness and unbridled individualism”.  Now that the anger has died down, these debates have left me thinking about privilege and conversations about it – why is it so volatile and difficult for people to face up to when they’re called out on it? Why is it that sometimes, calling yourself a ‘feminist’ or ‘left-wing’ or being part of a marginalised group is seen as a get-out-of-jail-free card when you ignore your own privilege and make sweeping statements like Moran and Hasan have?

Privilege clouds people’s judgement on issues like abortion, women’s representation and violence against women. In Caitlin Moran’s case, as a white woman, her privilege means she simply can’t see why a huge group of women not being represented on TV is that big of a deal. Actually, I think that she’s smart enough to recognise her own privilege, but she won’t do anything about it. When she’s brought up on it, she won’t admit it and becomes really defensive. How can we deal with this when other women and men react in a similar way to Moran? How can we deal with this without it turning into a huge row (which is what usually happens to me!)?

The more we talk about how one person can be discriminated against for multiple reasons (e.g. being a Black lesbian disabled woman), the more slippery privilege gets – there are hierarchies within marginalised groups, where privilege is intertwined with marginalisation on a person by person basis. Would it be ok for a white atheist/secularist woman to be critical of Hasan’s Muslim faith during a debate on abortion because as a man, he is arguing about it from a position of privilege?

I know that as an educated, middle-class, straight, able-bodied Black woman who grew up in Greater London I am already in a position of privilege over others, but I am also still discriminated against and my voice, although heard more loudly than others, is still ignored  by some.  So I have lots of questions, but not many answers.  All I know is that being aware of your own position of privilege isn’t enough. We have to act to tackle how privilege changes our own perception and call out others who aren’t doing the same, whether we are lefties, black feminists or activists in other movements for equality.

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by vicki

Black Feminists to Speak at Kingston University

October 16, 2012 in News and Resources

16/10/12- Black Feminists to Speak at Kingston University

Black Feminists are delighted to announce that we have been invited to speak at Kingston University by Kingston University Feminist Society.

The discussion is taking place as a part of the university’s Black History Week.

The discussion will highlight issues faced by black feminists and aims to encourage all feminists to talk frankly and honestly about the issues at hand.

The talk will take place on Monday 22nd October at 6.30pm in JG3004, Kingston University, Penrhyn Road, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2EE.

We look forward to seeing you there.

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Till Divorce Do Us Part (Quick Guide for Women)

October 16, 2012 in Family & Relationships

By Imanuelae Eke

When we think of marriage we think love, fairy tale weddings and lifelong bonds. Contracts on the other hand we associate with business and services. Contracts bring to mind documents with clearly defined terms and conditions including the consequences of any breaches. We know how long they will last and are given the option to renew or cancel at the end of the term. Marriage and civil partnerships don’t work like this so there’s a tendency to overlook the fact that they are also contracts. They represent a legal union of two people and their assets which is intended to last a lifetime; they also carry serious consequences if terminated prematurely, that is before death.

The increasing rate of divorce attests to the fact that love is often not everlasting. In the space of 60 years, the number of divorces in the UK has quadrupled. Currently the UK has the highest rate in Europe and for every marriage per year, there is also a divorce, this is where the oft quoted “50% of all marriages end in divorce” comes from.

Whether anticipated or not, divorce is painful, no matter how bad things get it’s still difficult to severe the mental and emotional ties. Regardless, it seems that many women are choosing this course as 68% of all divorces are initiated by us. It is very important therefore that we know what to expect so we can limit the damage.  No one says ‘I do’ with the expectation that things may come to an end one day but as cynical as it sounds, maybe we should – while we’re still in love and feeling magnanimus.

It should be noted that in the UK civil partnerships are legally treated the same as marriages so though ‘divorce’ maybe a misnomer in this regard, the principles remain the same.

Divorce Costs

The legal union is created by signing the register; it’s very often quick, easy and relatively cheap. Severing the union is much more involved. It’s a three step process – the submission of the divorce petition, applying for a Decree Nisi and finally applying for the Decree Absolute. These processes costs around £500 but £500 may well end up being a drop in the ocean of total legal fees.

It is estimated that the average cost of a divorce is £13,000. A decent solicitor will cost approximately £250 per hour so it is not surprising that most of this constitutes solicitors fees. It may therefore prove astute to stipulate that the costs are split between both parties at the onset if you can.

Contested Divorce (spouse doesn’t want a divorce)

If your divorce is contested it is highly likely that you will need a solicitor. If you want to avoid the costs associated with a contested divorce you can opt to wait for five years to file. You won’t need your spouse’s consent. But five years is a long time to wait and there is a defense. If your spouse can prove that the divorce will cause him or her financial hardship it will not be granted. You must also be able to prove that you have been separated for the five year duration.

Division of Marital Property

Most contentious and the area that accumulates the most court time is the division of marital property. If you can negotiate a financial agreement with your partner a solicitor can draft this into a ‘Consent Order’ but if the judge deems it unfair it will be rejected. If you cannot reach an agreement then prepare for war.

Also understand that the court will not give a baboon’s shiny pink behind what actions led to the split. Whether your partner was unfaithful or abusive it has no bearing on sharing the marital property equitably. Women naturally assume a person’s behavior will be taken into consideration and it is often seen as a gross injustice that this is not the case. It can leave many of us feeling hard done by.

Spousal Support

Another thing that takes women by surprise is spousal support. If you earn substantially more than your partner the court may decide that you either pay a lump sum upfront or make regular payments towards your spouse’s maintenance. As a feminist I applaud this, however, as a woman I understand that this can often be perceived as an insult added to the injury of whatever grievances led to the divorce in the first place.

Pre-nup or not?

So, as unromantic as it sounds, before marriage (three months before to be precise) and depending on your assets and potential earnings you may deem it wise to set aside the rose-tinted spectacles in favour of reading glasses. A pre-nuptial agreement can provide financial protection for both parties. Legal professionals must be engaged to ensure that the agreement is fair and enforceable so it does cost money upfront but ultimately may end up saving you tenfold in expenditure and grief. If you’re lucky you will never need it but there’s no harm in being prepared.

Custody

And another thing, women assume that the biological mother will automatically be granted custody of their children. Well, this is simply not true anymore.  I’m not saying that court officials don’t bring traditional views to court but in fact the law itself is rather equitable. It states that custody is awarded based first and foremost on the ‘child’s welfare.’ So, if you’re a busy working mum whose spouse has been more involved with the school runs, the children’s social activities and childcare you may well lose custody in a dispute and in this case you will also be required to pay child support. The best option in this case is to negotiate for joint-custody. Custody and child support matters are one of the few areas that pre-nups cannot cover.

So while we may go into a marriage or civil partnership for love with the conviction that it will last forever the reality may prove to be quite different. The increasing rate of divorce is a fact and we’d be remiss not to plan for every eventuality.

If you do find yourself facing legal costs relating to divorce you may be eligible for legal aid. You can check your eligibility at legalaidcalculator.justice.gov.uk.

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Trust Women and Give Us a Right to Choose – Separate Church and State

October 15, 2012 in Abortion

By Inti Maria Tidball-Binz, leader of Atrévete Hollaback, Buenos Aires, Argentina 

I always appreciate it when other people position themselves when writing, so let me introduce myself. I am Inti Maria, I am 31 years old, I live in Argentina (my place of birth) and I am also a British citizen. I lived in England for 20 years, from 1990 to 2010. I am in the odd situation of being considered a POC in one country and white in another. It gives me a very specific view on race issues because I am very aware of the privilege I have in my country of birth. Whereas in Britain the one drop rule counts, in Argentina lots of people who would in Britain be seen as POC self-assign themselves as white by claiming a European ancestor. So it is mainly people with visibly indigenous features who are most discriminated against in terms of jobs, education, the justice system, and the financial system. An influx of Senegalese immigrants has made them a target for police brutality, marginalisation and acts of racism.

I am very aware that I would never have the job I had in England, and that my living situation is in fact stable in a way it never was in England for the same reason. I am immediately trusted, I face little or no discrimination as an outsider or a foreigner as I did in the UK.

I also have a very special privilege in Argentina which luckily does not apply in the UK, because laws were passed over 45 years ago permitting legal and free abortion. In Argentina, I may have access to a safe clandestine abortion at a backstreet clinic, with a qualified doctor. But I know that I, unlike hundreds of thousands of women who risk their health and lives every year, can pay for one which will not kill me. I will have access to someone who knows where I can discreetly choose to not continue my pregnancy, if I needed to. It would still be illegal. I could still be fined or go to jail, and so could my doctor, but hundreds of poorer women without this privilege are forced into situations which often leave them with lifelong disabilities and health issues, if not death, from backstreet abortions.

I am directly involved with pro-choice activism in Argentina. Only last week, I was involved in a confrontation with anti-abortion Catholics as a demo of 18,000 women reached its final destination in front of the Cathedral of Posadas, Misiones. A week earlier, the same confrontation had taken place in La Plata, Buenos Aires. That’s what I decided to write this blog about, because it bears mentioning as anti-abortionists are strengthening their trenches around the world.

There are two things you need to know about Argentina and abortion. The first is that 10% of the Catholic church’s budget comes from the state, giving the church a say in political decisions. This also politically legitimates anti-abortion arguments and makes the abortion debate an incredibly close fight. The second is that although induced abortion is illegal and in the penal code, there is an exception that states that all women and girls who have been raped have a right to get an abortion. This is called “non punishable abortion” (aborto no punible).

Earlier this year, in March, it was clarified that there should be no exceptions to this. Before this, there was so much confusion as to possible exceptions that judicial processes took months, making abortions more dangerous and therefore often dismissed. In March this year, it was also clarified that girls of 14 and over need no parental permission for this procedure. There is also an exception which allows an abortion in the case of severe health problems in the mother or the foetus, which can be resolved in no other way.

Last week, just as I was attending the yearly women’s national encounter in Posadas, Misiones, next to thousands of women who congregate to meet in non-hierarchical workshops, a case for a non-punishable abortion was blocked in the courts of the capital due to pressure from a pro-life NGO.

The story started earlier this month when a motion was passed for reglamentation of non-punishable abortion to be approved in the autonomous capital of Buenos Aires. It was passed by one vote. The mayor of Buenos Aires, Mauricio Macri, is famous for his exercise of the right to veto. He has vetoed over 100 laws since he has come into the role of mayor. Knowing he would likely veto the reglamentation, we started a twitter campaign #noalveto, through the local women’s listserv red informative de mujeres en Argentina (RIMA). Many women’s rights NGOs released statements to campaign against the coming veto. One such campaign received signatures from most of the legislators that passed the reglamentation, as well as famous pop stars, Amnesty International, renowned journalists and more, and was published in a national newspaper, Tiempo Argentino.

All this and more was not enough to stop the coming veto. However, not only did Mauricio Macri veto the reglamentation, he also released information to the press about an upcoming abortion by a victim of human trafficking, giving the time and the place when the abortion would take place. This incited confusion in the press, because at first, it seemed that he was citing an example where the appropriate judicial processes had been implemented and an abortion was able to take place, regardless of the veto. The paper which published the piece almost made him seem ‘pro-choice’. It is speculated he manipulated the media to create confusion as to the meaning of the veto, while at the same time giving anti-abortion protesters the chance to harass the victim and lobby the courts.

Before you ask, no, he will not be tried for releasing information which is legally protected by the patient-doctor confidentiality agreement, although a statement was released by the People’s Defense (Defensoría del Pueblo) saying that he had violated the law by releasing private information.

The judge that took the case, Myriam C. Rustan de Estrada, cited human rights legislation, and highlighted the Argentine constitution which considers a human life to start at conception. She denied the victim of human trafficking, who had been repeatedly raped and denied her freedom, an abortion, on the basis of the right to life of “the unborn child“.

Two days later, the supreme court took her off the case and ruled in favour of the abortion.  But the damage has been done. This woman’s identity was revealed in an act of selfish manipulation and self-interest by a politician, and her life will now be plagued by harassment at the hands of anti-abortionists, adding to the trauma she has already lived through.

The process of being denied and later permitted access to abortion is a particularly traumatising situation for the victim, and Amnesty International has rightly called it a type of torture.

On the positive side, the courts are now investigating judges who have previously blocked abortions in the case of rape, including a judge who in 2010 blocked an abortion for a12 year old girl.

In Argentina 500,000 abortions are practiced every year, most of them clandestine. We cannot know exactly how many women are dying because, being illegal, they go unregistered. Registered deaths from illegal abortions are around 100 a year, but we know it is much more than that. Not to mentions those that suffer lifelong health complications as a result of unsafe conditions.

Although we have made some progress in the last year, there is such a long way to go. It should not be enough to have access to abortion in the case of rape and ill health. There should be access to integral sexual education for children and adults, there should be free access to contraceptives and free information in clinics. And there should be free, safe and legal access to abortions so that women and girls STOP DYING. How many more have to die before we start to take this issue more seriously? We need global support, and visible voices.

Right now, there are many women working to this end in Argentina. The collective of Feminists and Lesbians for Legal Abortion have published an info booklet called “How to have an abortion with [over the counter] pills” making safe abortion available to anyone able to get hold of the pills, something which has become more and more difficult.  There is a national campaign for legal abortions. There are regular marches and meetings. There are groups, men and women, fighting for the right of women to have sovereignty over their bodies.

I, like many, believe we need to separate the church and the state, and give women back the right to choose over their bodies. We need to stop paying the church, and take the church out of school and out of politics. We need to outreach into communities with tools for sexual educate and autonomy. We need to stop giving a platform to people who hate women. As the popular chant says, the church needs to “remove their rosaries from our ovaries”. We need to trust women.

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Caitlin Moran and Lena Dunham – ‘Girls’ I’m all too familiar with

October 12, 2012 in media representation of black women, white feminism

By Leslie O’Neil

Everyone now knows about the brouhaha regarding celebrity feminist and cultural commentator Caitlin Moran’s tweet regarding Lena Dunham’s “groundbreaking” television show Girls.

If you are unfamiliar with the show, it’s like every other “groundbreaking” television show about women– they are white, live in New York and are wealthy. They have problems that Every Woman In Their Age Group has. No ethnic minority women exist as main characters or indeed as supporting characters other than the most crude of stereotypes. Black men are hot sex partners, scary looking hip teens who turn out to be nice, or grandfatherly old men.

Caitlin Moran’s frankly crass tweet pissed me off, but it didn’t surprise me. Feminism has always excluded black women. I remember when I started going to feminist groups 15 years ago that my issues and struggles weren’t important to them. (When I think about it, they were the most cartoony feminists I’d ever seen. Seriously, it was all lumberjack shirts, Ani DiFranco albums and cats. There was also the requisite feminist man there with his vegan food and sensitive ponytail.)

Read the rest of this entry →

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How To Be A RESPONSIBLE Woman

October 9, 2012 in media representation of black women, white feminism

By Stephanie Phillips

So every feminist and her mother have been talking about the Caitlin Moran / Lena Dunham furore. If you haven’t heard Dunham has come under fire for the lack of diversity in her new show Girls, which is set in New York and has be sold as a representation of modern young womens lives. A Twitter user asked Moran if she asked Dunham about the lack of diversity in Dunham’s show when she interviewed her for a piece in The Times. Moran, somewhat unprofessionally replied “I literally couldn’t give a shit about it”.

Before we move on I’ll just say now that I haven’t seen Girls. I don’t know if it is what people say and I won’t be arguing that in the piece. What I will say that as a journalist if I knew that people were concerned about issues of visibility with other races in the show I would research it and bring it up in the interview, not just dismiss it as a non-issue.

Note to the white women reading this that may think they’re liberal and open minded and listen to Bob Marley ’cause they’re cultured; if someone tells you that they are concerned that some shit is racist then believe that some shit is racist. Why would they lie? At least open your mind to the concept that this thing you may enjoy watching, saying, doing could offend another human being and then, here’s the tricky part, ask them what you can do to not offend them. Simple innit but its true. Studies have shown that the most effective way to stop people constantly being offended by things you do is to not do them anymore.

The accusations made about Girls needed to at least be acknowledged by Moran but instead she, like many people when confronted with race, became defensive and suggested people were over reacting. The whole ‘political correctness gone mad’ and ‘we’re all one race the human race’ argument is the same that is used in the liberal community by men when women start pointing out that sexism still exists in the left.

No one is asking Girls to represent all of womenhood. The question that was directed at Moran was to ask whether she asked Lena Dunham about the lack of diversity on the show. That was an apt question and white feminists can’t just go straight to defensive when the ‘R’ word pops up in the conversation. The reality is that there is a HUGE problem with diversity and representation in media. You can’t expect black women to be quiet about our concerns because white women don’t want to talk about the issue.

You don’t need a “token” woman of colour on the show. Is it that hard to believe that a black person could be a best friend, love interest, friendly teacher. We exist in many forms in the real world so it shouldn’t take a leap of faith to recreate us in the fictional world.

Moran’s dismissive comment blew up because it represented how women of colour felt mainstream feminists thought and we’ve had enough of it.

I’ve decided that I’m tired of this whole pretense that issues of race in the feminist community don’t matter any more because “we’re over that”. No. We’re not. Me and you are not on the same path and until a whole lot of privilege on everyone’s part is recognised we never will be.

To start I believe that white feminists have to understand just what kind of racism black women deal with on a daily basis and how we feel about our position in the movement. I’m opening up the floor if you want to know what it’s like to be a black woman in society today ask in the comments section and I will reply honestly.

I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes or startle anyone that was comfortable with their views but I’m tired of the dismissive remarks, the constant lack of recognition, the lack of focus on issues that affect black women and every feminist conference that claim the only reason they always have all white panels and workshops is just because they couldn’t find anyone who knew about that stuff. I’m tired of it all, so let’s sort it out now, honestly, respectfully and peacefully.

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