[Wamvan] Walking for Rape Relief

Mon May 16 18:24:06 PDT 2011

Hi Cynthia,
A thought: 
I think the problem here might be that a classic problematic kind of argument was made - the one that goes like this: "I once heard a member of your group say X and so now I can use this to support my point." It looks like this "You can't tell me feminists arent man haters because I once heard a feminist say that men are useless." Or. "I once heard an Indigenous person call themselves an 'Indian' so it is ok for me to." Or, "I knew this person who admitted to lying to get on disability welfare, so clearly we need a massive, expensive, punitive hunt to find all those people taking advantage of the welfare system." Or ...ad nauseum...  This type of argument puts the target in a no-win situation - wondering first if the example ever really happened, or if it did, wondering how to confront the massive stereotyping, oppressive, overgeneralization that has taken place. So perhaps rather than spending our time critiquing how someone who has been targeted by this kind of argument has responded to that no-win situation, we should take a step back and ask why the target ever had to deal with that sort of argument in the first place.

Kalamity

From: cyn.khoo at gmail.com
To: wamvan at lists.resist.ca
Date: Mon, 16 May 2011 18:02:21 -0700
Subject: Re: [Wamvan] Walking for Rape Relief

Hi Tami,
I have not read enough about or given enough thought to this issue to state an opinion for any particular view, but I was wondering if it's okay to say something like "worst example of a trans person"? Doesn't that imply there's a certain "appropriate" way to be a trans person? (Unless you mean she did something terrible, that I'm currently unaware of, that makes all trans people look bad?)
Thanks very much, Cynthia

Date: Mon, 16 May 2011 17:30:02 -0700
From: tamistarlight at gmail.com
To: wamvan at lists.resist.ca
Subject: Re: [Wamvan] Walking for Rape Relief

And I disagree greatly.

Your original message speaks loudly.
About how you choose to ignore the outward and obvious oppression of an organization.

I surely do not believe this is the place for such a discussion and I am very uninterested in your pandering me.

You minimize the oppression by your analogy.
Your reference to Jamie Lee Hamilton is terrible. She is one of the worst examples of a trans person I have ever met. Many agree - inside and outside the community. I will not spend any more time on that.

I can see we will not agree and you seem quite fine with your oppressive views.

Telling me I am the one to change these organizations and somehow your not "responsible"?

How sad indeed.

The change happens from within and without and WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE.

Peace out - time to speak about more oppression at a indigenous gathering.
Tami

On Mon, May 16, 2011 at 4:49 PM, Frieda Werden <frieda.werden at gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Tami, et al.

I would like to see the battle for trans inclusion fought directly against the patriarchy, with feminist allies, instead of being fought primarily against feminist groups, with patriarchal allies. The fact that feminists are already stigmatized and hated by so many people makes it so easy to mount a damaging campaign against them - it's like shooting fish in a barrel.  All kinds of services for women are under daily attack. The very dailiness of their struggle makes them invisible to media. Violence against women and their children in their homes, discrimination against immigrant women who depend on a violent husband for the food for their children, the roof over their head, their status in the country, all that is just another dog bites man story. When a trans person or group attacks a feminist organization - oh, boy!  Girlfight!  The juicy hateful rumours go far and wide in the media and in the gossip stream, and people have one more reason to diss feminists and diminish the huge commitment and sacrifice of women like the ones who volunteer their souls at Rape Relief or at the Vancouver Women's Health Collective.

Last year, I sat with Jamie Lee Hamilton at a Liberal Party women's event as she gloated about how even though the Vancouver Women's Health Collective had, through direct negotiations, changed its policy with respect to opening the DTES Women's Pharmacy to trans persons, the group "didn't apologize," so "nobody in the community will support it" and so she believed it wouldn't survive.  It didn't survive (although the VWH is still trans-inclusive now).

Tami, you are a dedicated grassroots journalist, you are living the commitment to social change.  Please recognize these traits in your sisters. even if you don't agree with everything that has gone on. If you want to negotiate change in feminist organizations, please do it directly, and with all the patience, reason and respect that are at your command - just please don't get caught up in the legendary circular firing squads that keep activists picking off each other.

Yours sincerely,

Frieda

On Mon, May 16, 2011 at 3:48 PM, Tami Starlight <tamistarlight at gmail.com> wrote:

Terribly offensive!!

Minimize organizational oppression is NOT OK.

http://dawn.thot.net/nixon_v_vrr.html

This is but one example of oppression that continues with many of us - including me.

The idea that organizations are ok because they help women but oppress others?

That a select few oppressive types within the organization wish people would forget they did that and have that as their policy. Of course, many at VRR have no fucking idea - and those in positions of privilege and power within the organization like that.

Truth is free but freedom is earned with a lot of vigilance. 
Tami

On Mon, May 16, 2011 at 3:36 PM, Farida Hussain <faridahussain1 at gmail.com> wrote:

Hello Peeps, I'm walking to raise money for the Vancouver Rape Relief and Women's Shelter. I know that some of us have trouble with their exclusivity, but the bottom line is that they offer a safe space for women escaping violence. We can't deny that this is a valuable resource. 

I'm willing to bus/bike out to wherever you are to collect money for my pledge. Just tell me when and where, and I'll be there -  even if it is for a small sum. 
You can email me separately at faridahussain1 at gmail.com, or use the listserve - both are fine by me. If you have any comments/questions/objections, I want to hear them.

Peace,Farida

Ps. The walk is on May 29 2011. Info here: http://www.rapereliefshelter.bc.ca/learn/resources/walkathon

-- 
Farida HussainStudent, JournalistUBC Graduate School of Journalism

Phone: 604 649 8619

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Meegwetch/Thank you/MerciTami M. StarlightVancouver, Canadatamistarlight at gmail.com

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604-200-2445home604-790-9943cell

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WINGS: Women's International News Gathering Service www.wings.org

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