But We’re Victims, Too!
August 25, 2006 – 4:16 pmOne of the cheekiest behaviors exhibits by people in positions of privilege is they yammer on about how they need their space.
Lisa Vogel, of Michigan Women’s Music Festival- is no exception. Apparently she is now marketing her policy of bigotry as "womyn-born womyn" needing their own space.
“I deeply desire healing in our communities, and I can see and feel that you want that too. I would love for you and the other organizers of Camp Trans to find the place in your hearts and politics to support and honor space for womyn who have had the experience of being born and living their life as womyn. I ask that you respect that womon born womon is a valid and honorable gender identity. I also ask that you respect that womyn born womyn deeply need our space – as do all communities who create space to gather, whether that be womyn of color, trans womyn or trans men…." [emphasis mine].
Let’s see. If it weren’t Lisa writing these words but, say, the Grand Wizard of the KKK, methinks Lisa might think he’s full of shit. Which is exactly what I think about Lisa’s palaver. Deeply needing what space? The one free of women they fear and despise?
Please. I’d have more respect for Lisa if she said, "This is my land, and I let on whoever I want." Instead we get privilege whining as victimhood. What-the-fuck-ever! [and thanks to Kerrick for bringing Lisa's press release to my attention.]
17 Responses to “But We’re Victims, Too!”
All too true. And so telling that persons in a position of privilege seem to believe they can define acceptability for the rest of us. F~~~ that noise, and her stupid festival. Many other places where we’re all welcomed as PEOPLE, not as genitals first, or scary cartoon cutout stereotypes.
By Jennifer Gee on Aug 25, 2006
What about mounting a boy/girlcott?
Rumors continue that Festival monetary woes grow each year with declining attendance…
But then to boycott a whole lotta femmenists, fehmuhnists and femmynists would actually have to SUPPORT their trans sisters by refusing to attend the festival.
This is opposite of what we get now where said femyoonists clamoring on about how they are down with trans this and trans that then pull right out of their femminists assholes some free pass to enter Michigan under the claim of needing to be in “women’s space.”
b-i-g-o-t-r-y.
By Jay on Aug 25, 2006
this strikes me as the ugly cousin of legitimate separatist space demands…made by using an artificial language (womyn born womyn) and doing so from a position of relative priviledge. What really burns is that they trump up how they “allow” WOC only space…as if that were the same thing.
By sly civilian on Aug 25, 2006
And I can’t believe it, but same press release is being greeted by one of my favorite Marxist-Leninists as something he should support.
I was like, “Dude, take my word for it. These people would run your Marxist Leninist black male ass right out on a rail because they think Marxist politics are the suckage.”
But, he’s actually going on about their need for space and stuff.
What the fuck ever is right.
But it shall be fun. To work up a defense he said, “but men bring baggage with them.”
I asked him to explain what this baggage was, exactly. I’ll let you know if it turns into Teh Funny — as it just might when people who don’t really know the issues are talking about it.
I love him, but dayum…..
By Bitch | Lab on Aug 25, 2006
Wait a minute … haven’t I heard this “seperate but equal” justification somewhere else? Dang! I wish I could remember … Maybe I could ask Lisa. Nah, she probably doesn’t remember, either.
By Jami on Aug 25, 2006
I thought that we were all boycotting it already?
By shannon on Aug 27, 2006
Trouble is, boycotting the festival by womyn who support the WBW policy and don’t want to see any trans women on the land, even with objections, and boycotting the policy by our trans inclusive allies who attend fest would be indistinguishable at this point. Lisa Vogel is going to keep on hating, but it’s unfair of her to attribute her sentiments to all of Michfest— I hear that many of the women there were really supportive of Lorraine, and that the workshop was extremely well-received. Lisa just seems entrenched and I suspect she’s feeling martyred.
By kerrick on Aug 27, 2006
This is absolutly insanely ridiculous jay. and I agree 100% percent with Sly that it really chaps my fucking ass that they are pulling out the woc card–the major difference here seems to be that woc are *allowed* to be on their lands, and more importantly, obstensivlly, woc *issues* are incorporated into the agenda of radfems who attend the fair. If trans issues are incorporated at ALL into the radfem agenda, it is to lecture trans folks about how dare they commit to a gender, when we should all be working to obliterate our genders.
complete baloney.
By brownfemipower on Aug 27, 2006
jackass comment deleted by Jay.
By Jay on Aug 27, 2006
????!!!!
And just HOW does “uniqueness” come into it?
–IP
By IrrationalPoint on Aug 28, 2006
Ohhhh, I just got that JS are my initials!
Who knew??
By Jay on Aug 28, 2006
kerrick~
at what point to we hold accountable those folks who continue to attend MWMF, even if they do support the objectives of Camp Trans?
I do believe that if every woman who attended MWMF who support ending trans exclusion refused to attend the festival, the financial loss would burden Lisa something fierce.
And as for attributing Lisa’s motives to all attendees, I’m looking at these women’s feet, not their thoughts or feelings.
While I’d love it if I got a free pass from male privilege because I’m trans, what matters are my actions.
What matters is the women attending the festival - however supportive or well-meaning - support through their actions a self-professed transphobic institution.
Well-meaning people change nothing. Give me a cantankerous action-oriented rabble rouser any day.
By Jay on Aug 28, 2006
@sly civilian.
obnoxious all the way around.
By Jay on Aug 28, 2006
Hey, Jay. I agree with you for the most part, but Stacey’s comments here also made me think: Camp Trans needs us!
I think some people probably are going to attend fest and sit on their asses and say they’re “working from within.” (boohiss.) I think others are going to be doing work that the real change— not this bullshit “Am I Policy Or Not?” equivocation— can’t happen without. Yeah, money’s going into Lisa’s pockets. Sometimes the people best positioned to change a corporation’s business practices are concerned shareholders. If it were up to me, no nominally anti-oppression group or event would engage in this capitalist crap; capitalism itself is oppressive and I think you can’t be genuinely anti-oppression and also actively capitalist. But what I hope is that Lisa Vogel and her staunchest allies will eventually step away from organizing fest, and people who step up will have their eyes on creating a real anti-oppression space. The people who will be well-positioned to do that will be people involved with fest already.
At least that’s what I think right now, without a lot of evidence in front of me, without experience on the ground at CampTrans, without ever having been to fest (or even considered going for that matter).
By kerrick on Aug 28, 2006
You know what? As far as I’m concerned the KKK can have their space, too. But it doesn’t make them any less bigoted.
By belledame222 on Sep 7, 2006
>I’d have more respect for Lisa if she said, “This is my land, and I let on whoever I want.”
Exactly. Yeah, me too. And you know: as I said, KKK, whatever: it’s their private hooha, it’s their right. Just be honest about it.
By belledame222 on Sep 7, 2006
and enough with the fucking “womon/womyn” crap already. yes. you are keeping more marginalized people than yourself out of your clubhouse; and you have banned the patriarchal letter from your moniker. go you.
By belledame222 on Sep 7, 2006