Stop the TERFfest: TERF Archleaders Lierre Keith, Sam Berg To Appear At Portland MichFest

I know PIMC readers are turned off by CAPS and how unreasonable they are, unless they say "FLUORIDE" or "MOSSAD," but Lierre Kieth, at least, has a history of antagonism of the trans community. Particularly, she espouses "Radical Feminism," criticisms of which can sound to those that don't care to read much as blanket condemnations of all feminism, but are anything but.

Essentially this brigade divides male and female people into strict, biological categories which delineate the oppressor/oppressed binary. Proponents of Radical Feminism then posit that trans women are essentially men who want to further victimize women by cloaking themselves in the skin of the oppressed, and can be quite cruel to trans people as a result. They obliquely ignore non-binary explorations of gender (for example its nature as a social construct), and, as you'd imagine, a whole grab-bag of acronyms and terms crop up around these disputes, which cis people think is some made-up "Tumblr shit," or something unimportant or "divisive". I'm sure their most of their intentions are good, but the net effect is the demonization of trans people and the trivializing of their struggles (such as the above commentor, who urges critics to find "drugs" that would make their "boy parts" fall off, which indicates quite well the blinders that this ideology places upon itself, and how vicious they can be at demarcating strict gender norms). Obviously (and here's where it can get confusing), women are subjugated by patriarchy, and no reasonable person would argue otherwise, and it is correct to say men oppress women, but genderqueer, gender non-conforming, and trans people are the target of a lot of that violence, as well. Belittling them because of what is between their legs shows a paucity of understanding, and willful ignorance.

That said, I'm sure this "Michigan Fest" will be nice, and there'll be guitar and Midwest culture and all that. But Kieth, as an author, has been criticized for spreading anti-trans propaganda before, and has, at every turn, doubled down, because she has allies in Leftist, anti-civilization environmentalist communities that protect her, and those movements have been very active and remain influential here. This is not a critique of "radical" thought, or feminism, both of which are quite nice, but only people who are hostile towards trans people, who, bigoted and conservative, or pseudo-Marxist and "radical" can all go fuck off. Some people would want to protest such an odious person with hateful politics coming to town. But then again, some people here see David Irving as an "historian" being "silenced" by "enemies of speech," who are "the real fascists". Just thought I'd try to clarify.

Have a great day, y'all, and fuck patriarchy in all its man-ifestations (hahaha). Ups to the queer resistance. Keep bashing back.

Every time you post a new thing about this, I donate $100 more to the event. Thanks!

TERF is a slur. Plain and simple. To pit Radfems against the trans community is disgraceful and disingenuous. Radfem trans allies aren't brainwashed, they're educated. There is an endless stream of threats made to radical feminists from transfolk, while threats to trans individuals from radfems are virtually nonexistent. TERF is a term to silence women, and as such is misogynistic garbage. I have real work to do, but you can go back to making shit up behind your computer and feeding vulnerable people lies.

"DID YOU KNOW:
At MichFest, effigy of stereotypical Trans Woman was created each year, and the effigy is crucified upside down at night before the end of the Fest, so TERF and TERF-trainees (all MichFest attendees are subject to mandatory "workshops" on how evil Trans Women are and how to eliminate their human rights, it's called Consciousness Raising) would throw rocks and soaked menstral pads/tampons at the effigy until the effigy is half destroyed and smeared with TERF blood, and then the effigy is burned as TERF celebrate another successful MichFest."

o rly?

you sure you are not confusing Michfest with *Burning Man*, or maybe that scene from Borat: Cultural Learning of America to Make Benefit the Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan?

You sound misinformed and mentally ill. You must be out of work and very bored. And also in a lot of pain to want to cause more pain to other humans.

This post has been screencapped and sent to the police. This is the kind of thing that Rodgers posted before killing people with a gun. Every sane person in Portland indymedia should be denouncing this hate and working to get this post taken down.

Screencaps sent to police! Like that means anything? Actually it does. It means once again, the anti-civ Deep Green clowns resort to whining to 'the Man' about nebulous intimations of 'omg violence!' Jensen set a spineless precedent with his fbi adventures. Seriously how are you going to 'overthrow techno-civ' when you are scared of trans-women with 'strap-ons'? I laugh at your ineffectual effete revolution.

I am a gender critical Radical Feminist. I accept that many people experience conflict with the gender profile assigned to them at birth, but I see the problem as the oppositional and extremist construction of gender.
As a radical feminist I want to see gender and sex role stereotyping completely abolished.
There is no such thing as inherent gender. We are all human beings with the potential to develop various characteristics.
Male supremacy depends on the construction and enforcement of femininity and masculinity. Attempting to swap gender does nothing to undermine this polarity. In fact, the zeal with which many trans embrace the characteristics of the other gender might be seen as blatantly reactionary: reinforcing gender stereotypes.

It is a sad truth that many transexuals are assaulted and attacked. By men. Trans people and their supporters would do well to fight male supremacy rather than constantly attacking women and feminists.

In free and civil society, disagreements are normal and healthy. Why do some people believe that in order to be "progressive" or "radical" or "liberal" you *must* believe in every points of the Queer-positive political platform? It is insane that some extremists, "TERF" (let's stop calling feminists this because it's offensive) and Transgender activists alike, are fighting over this and that minor points of ideology when we all have common hurdles to overcome.

Congressional Republicans and Teabaggers are laughing at us over this kind of in-fighting.

For crying out loud, let the women have their party, and transgenders have their own party. It looks like Portland's NorthWest Gender Alliance is celebrating 35th anniversary and having a big event at Q Center. Instead of crashing other people's party and intimidate attendees, why not celebrate your own community? Trans community is NOT under "systemic genocide," get real. As Portlanders, we have one of the best places IN THE WORLD to be trans, genderqueer, or genderfluid, and it's been so for a very long time. This persecution complex has much in common with white supremacists, religious right extremists (remember "war on Christmas"?) and even the Islamic jihadists.

Let's all learn to coexist peacefully, and learn our place in society. Trans people can build their own social institutions without having to co-opt and invade other people's (gays, lesbians, women, and so forth). As OP writes, Portland is the "Transgender capital of the world." If you think so, you can gather enough Trans people to get some productive tasks done. Stop whining over Michfest (a private event held by a private business on a private land), why not start a Trans-only music festival in Oregon that would exclude everybody else.

The author has obviously never been to MichFest. I have. Their description of MichFest bears no relation to the reality and instead sounds like a poorly made horror movie.

the author of these crazy missives is a male identified male, not a trans person. Haters are turning trans people against their allies.

Also I have known the owner of cotton cloud for over ten years. She is super trans friendly. She welcomes all self identified woman who want to support Michigan to her part. Heck, she supports all self identified women attending fest. She excludes no one, except those trying to cause harms.

Keep it up and you'll have no allies pretty soon. Why shouldn't women born women have a place to heal and celebrate who they are without interference from women born men? If it matters to you that much, set up your own event. You're looking more like Westboro Baptist Church everyday.

Dear "99percent" (Occupy was a bunch of transmisogynist white manarchists.) and "Abe":

You say "Why not start a Trans* [you forgot the asterisk, idiot] only festival"

Were you in Mississippi when Brown v. Board of Education mandated integrated schools? Lots of "Christians" decided to send their kids to "Christian" (white-only) schools rather than to an integrated public school. They said, "why not start a Black-only school?"

Separate but equal? That's no equality, but goddamn segregation.

TERFS want us to have Trans* only bathrooms so CIS scums can feel "safe" from the oppressed minority, just like white men wanted their own bathrooms to feel safe from "them niggers." It's same discriminatory and oppressive attitude, different victims this time around.

Black men were once arrested for merely looking at a white woman. Now TERFS accuse Trans* People for "male gaze" and "autogynephilia" and have people believe that we are rapists just by existing.

Black men were once sent to jail for "loitering" on sidewalks. Now TERFS/SWERFS want the Police to arrest Trans Women of Color and put in men's jail for "loitering" on sidewalks because TERFS/SWERFS think we are all gay prostitutes.

We Trans* People are not your niggers, TERFS. We demand EQUAL places in society. Enough with this sanitized and white-washed bigotry. We will destroy the Cotton Ceiling, we will climb higher and higher. Note our words. We won't sit back quietly while TERFS (white, middle-class women with college degrees and six-figure income) give political contributions to Republicans who promise to pass anti-Trans* legislation.

Your bigotry and hatred stench like Germaine Greer's cunt just like this "Mitch Fest" is. Be ashamed of your selves.

Sincerely,

Angry and Pissed Off Trans* Fag

Dear "queer girl" (you cannot be queer and transphobic),

If the owner of Cotton Cloud Futon really supports Trans* inclusion in Mitch Fest, then she should be boycotting that event. If enough justice-minded "womyn" voted with their dollars Mitch Fest will collapse and will become history. Hypocrites such as her and other "open-minded" "progressive" "womyn" attending Mitch Fest ignoring or refusing to accept its HATE-based roots ("the Intention") are enabling Lisa Vogel to use Mitch Fest as a training camp for anti-Trans* genocide.

I hear that Mitch Fest enforces its anti-Trans* policy by installing open showers outdoors so every "womon" can be seen completely nude. While TERFS accuse Trans* Women of being "perverts" they should clean up THEIR OWN house first. How many older lesbians are ogling at young teenage girls or kids in showers?

"GenderAngel" mentions of the traitors.

Aufie Hart is a college professor in Vancouver BC that teaches radical feminist ideology, after defecting from Trans* activism. Now Aufie misgenders and deadnames Trans* Women (this is common among Truscums) and helps with hate groups Gender Identity Watch. TERFS love Aufie because she is docile and parrots everything a TERF wants to hear from "men."

Miranda Yarley is a British musician who writes inflammatory articles (lies) about Trans* people and how evil Trans* people are, of course, EXCEPT FOR Miranda, who is a model TERF slave.

These people do not liberate Trans* folks. They are Uncle Toms, happy with segregation and discrimination as long as they can feel superior to other Trans* people who are not Truscums. Truscums want access to Trans* healthcare reduced and eliminated, of course, except for theirs. They are self-centered and self-loathing psychopaths. We need to stop listening to them.

* Insisting upon breaking the boundaries of women is RAPIST MENtality; in other words, it is the mentality of male privilege.

* Men who "identify as trans" making demands to be given access to women-only spaces are not being "transmisogynized" when they are told NO; in order to experience misogyny, one must be a woman, NOT an entitled prick with a fetish for practicing submissive "feminine" gender roles.

* No man can "feel like a woman"; WOMAN is NOT a "feeling". There is no universal "feeling" that all women experience in common. The only thing that is universal for all women is the biological reality of 2 X chromosomes.

* Biological sex is not imbued with naturally occurring gender roles; these sex-specific gender roles are learned behaviors that are the result of indoctrination into the patriarchal culture.

* Trans/queer theory is as sexist as religious right extremists who believe that homosexuals are damned and that a woman's place is in the home because it demands that men and women conform to the same sexual stereotypes, but in reverse; this essentially turns human beings into caricatures rather than allowing them to express their full range of potential.

* Radical feminists are for the abolition of this gender hierarchy that names men as superior and women as inferior, and is totally dependant upon the enforcement of sex-specific gender roles. Comparing radical feminists to conservatives (or even worse, saying that the two are allies) is blatant disinformation, and a ridiculous attempt at that.

* Feminism is for the liberation of ALL women and girls, NOT to be co-opted and destroyed by men whose extreme misogyny compells them to masquerade as women and make a mockery of our struggle.

I'm gender-critical myself, but this OP and "supportive" comments read like some sort of 4chan "Operation Lollipop" fake-SJW sort of thing. The frequently misspelled words, the obscure GenderTrender comment section in-jokes just laid out there un-self-consciously word for word... The whole thing reads like super trying-too-hard.

But you know, whatever. Have fun yelling at some obviously fake "trans activist".

Can someone please take down the last two comments. I think we can agree that "ho" and "homophobic African" probably go beyond community standards, although this whole thread is a clusterfuck.

This shit rad fems have with trans people is tiresome. Women shouldn't be threatened and harassed by anyone, ever, but this blanket assertion that trans people represent a threat, and that their rights should be curtailed as a result is beyond ironic, and it is bigoted. It wasn't trans people that created patriarchy, and while I do agree that gender norms are ultimately destructive (and the ideas which underpin them bankrupt), denying the agency of others and imputing ulterior motives collectively to people, who, like yourselves, want to exist in a male-dominated world without fear and as equals to everyone else, is disgusting. There is no "transgenderist agenda" like their is no "homosexual agenda," etc. If rad fems have been personally threatened, then that's wrong, but people have to be called out on their politics if they ultimately serve hate. Purposefully misgendering others, and acting as if trans existence is an existential threat, is wrong.

No one should ever lose sight of the routine brutality that our society treats women with, but the idea that trans rights is some crypto-patriarchal poisoned pill that men are making women swallow is impossible to believe. Has there been any thought put into the assertion that gender could be constructed, some day, as so amorphous that the traditionally-constructed "male" and "female" gender, and the positions within hierarchies that they translate to could disappear? All I see is trans women (we never talk about trans men) being told, on one hand, that they're not men (by men), and on the other, that they'll never be women. I'm honestly curious. I can see a rebuttal that says that this is essentially a liberal position, trusting in systems of dominance to reform or corrode (with that corrosion leaving something better in its place), but I'm not asserting that patriarchy should be left to its own devices. It should be attacked, daily, always, on the regular. It seems, though, that this anti-trans position undermines the very analysis that seeks to describe the power dynamic, and that this critique is just more gender enforcement.

The Transgender rights movement's demands and women's liberation movement's demands directly conflict with each other because of competing claims to rights. Women need a safe space away from males (or, penis-possessing humans) because many women have been subjected to sexual violence. Transgenders need a sense of social acceptance and validation, which is hard to come by because they (as hard as they may try) cannot be seen as females by the majority of society and accordingly subjected to homophobic violence. "Transphobia" does not exist; it is in fact a form of homophobia that affects men who are insecure about their own masculinity. Almost all murder and violence cases against transgenders are committed by homophobic men, not women who are reasonably wary of a male presence.

No other civil rights movement has promoted itself at the expense of other oppressed people's rights. Transgender movement however seeks to advance itself by putting women and children at risk.

Transgender activists need to be fighting homophobic men and educating their fellow males to be more tolerant of gender non-conformation. There are a few such transgender activists, such as this:  https://miriamafloat.wordpress.com/2014/08/17/the-restroom-revolution-vanguard/

Last year's New Narratives conference was a good start.

So I guess calling someone a "homophobic African" is okay on PIMC? You removed the comment calling someone a "ho," but you left the racist one?

I know that moderating this site takes a lot of work, and that it is often thankless. If y'all want to leave up the above comment where someone accuses another commentor of "sound[ing] like a homophobic African," can you please explain why this meets standards? How can anyone infer someone else's race or ethnicity from the way they write? When does somebody "sound" African? Is it okay to accuse someone of being a certain race or ethnicity when they say something you find offensive? Shit is racist.

I think this thread shows that there is still a vocal band of anti-trans feminists who are still organizing and espousing their beliefs, and that their discourse is welcome here. That sucks. But I can't continue to visit this site if racial slurs are allowed to be posted here.

Thanks for your attention.

no name

I got it

Thank you.

Transwomen and "cis"women all experience oppression-we all have complex power dynamics, you may be trans, but lived and passed as a straight white professional male for many years, and yes you have priveledgedness endgrained deeper than (from an early age) an obviously gender non conforming straight transwoman of color who has had to deal with men, homophobia and racism. You may be socialized as female and lesbian and white and upper middle class from a loving family but protected from the crap and violence that working class straight women dealing with domestic with put up with every day. Im gay and female and I feel way more priveledged than poor straight women.

priveledge is complex and changes with scenery. essentially, trans women should have been welcomed at michigan and those of us with priveledge should be real about it and grow up