thoughts on privilege: using less oxygen in the room
Many years ago, at one of our wmtc parties, I was chatting with a new guest, the spouse of a friend. We had never met before, and they didn’t know…
Feminism
rotd: feminism is an endeavor to change
Revolutionary thought of the day: Feminism is an endeavor to change something very old, widespread, and deeply rooted in many, perhaps most, cultures around the world, innumerable institutions, and most…
the end of roe: a day we expected for so long still has the power to shock and stun us
We’ve been expecting this for 20 years. More than forty years of anti-abortion legislation, escalating every year and every decade, then Trump, then finally, the leaked draft. So I thought…
rotd: the actual status of the poorest woman is the possible status of every woman
Revolutionary thought of the day: “The actual status of the poorest and most unfortunate woman in society determines the possible status of every woman.” From the mission statement of the…
rebecca traister, 2019: "our fury over abortion was dismissed for decades as hysterical"
Rebecca Traister, writing in New York magazine in 2019: Which is why I am almost as mad at many on the left, theoretically on the side of reproductive rights and…
the end of roe and how we got here
With the unprecedented leak of the SCOTUS draft brief, and official confirmation of the politicization of the Court, we see the final nails pounded in Roe v. Wade — a…
December 6th: it’s been two generations
I confess to being at loss for words this year as I commemorate the 1989 massacre at École Polytechnique in Montréal. So much stuff — so many incidents of male…
December 6th: it’s been two generations
I confess to being at loss for words this year as I commemorate the 1989 massacre at École Polytechnique in Montréal. So much stuff — so many incidents of male…
the concept of intersectionality: what it is, what it’s not, why we need it
Women Friendly Cities Challenge After the recent, horrific murders in Atlanta of eight people, six of whom were Asian or Asian-American spa workers, there was a lot of discussion online…
Kenney vs Freeland: National Child Care
“…this is going to be the most powerful step change in the Canadian economy since we did the NAFTA deal. It will really drive our economic productivity, our growth.” –…
Thursday Morning Links
This and that for your Thursday reading. – Steven Lewis writes that the Saskatchewan Party’s mealy-mouthed messaging around the coronavirus looks to be a calculated political choice which is having…
NEW RELEASE: Remembering the Armed Struggle: My Time with the Red Army Faction
Available for pre-order. Shipping in late March. Margrit Schiller was an early member of the Red Army Faction, the West German urban guerrilla group. In 1971 she was captured and…
THE COSTS OF CARING AND THE ERASURE OF ITS EXISTENCE
Last week I happened to read a fascinating article by Jordan Kisner in the New York Times Magazine about 78 year old feminist and scholar, Silvia Federici. I kept thinking…
further to rebecca solnit: angry men attack me online
I recently completed three booklists for library customers, part of a system-wide readers’ advisory project. The lists use good gender balance, and a strong representation of people of colour and…
first celebrate, then organize: good things that happened in the 2020 u.s. election
United States Vice Presidents After the positive result in the US election, so many of my fellow leftists refuse to find joy in the occasion. They seem determined to not…
international safe abortion day: abortion is healthcare
September 28 is International Safe Abortion Day, a day to reflect on how many women around the world do not have control over their reproduction — that is, do not…
ruth bader ginsburg, rest in power
These highlights of Ginsburg’s decisions and dissents on the SCOTUS are a joy to read. I used two sources, and decided to keep the overlap. Many highlight the reason she…
A review of a review: Joining the conversation with Petronella and Butch on Fascism, Anti-Fascism, and the Role of White Women in Struggle, by Veronica L.
available from leftwingbooks.net see also: On Reading Petronella Lee’s Anti-Fascism Against Machismo: gender politics and the struggle against fascism (Review by Butch Lee) I finally got a chance to sit…
The bad faith “debate” about trans human rights
Recently, the National Post published a discussion that I engaged in with Jonathan Kay. I participated in that because it was an opportunity to provide a counterpoint for readers who…
On Reading Petronella Lee’s Anti-Fascism Against Machismo: gender politics and the struggle against fascism (Review by Butch Lee)
available from leftwingbooks.net This is exciting. Because it starts to break away from the once fresh but increasingly dead end of what had become macho antifa. There’s not only false…