29th February 2020 - Women’s Liberation at 50

Capturing a few notes about the Women’s Liberation at 50 conference in Oxford on Saturday. (There are plenty of articulate Women covering the shenanigans that masquerade as liberation politics who are beautifully incisive, and I recommend following them all).

Selina Todd, Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford, was prevented from giving her two-minute opening address at what was supposed to be a celebration of the Women’s Liberation Movement. Those who are following the ongoing de-platforming saga that constitutes a modern day version of the scold’s bridle will be familiar with the modus operandi. Firstly, Women decide to gather to talk about our rights (that tiny amount of space we have carved out within the law). Then saboteurs take it upon themselves to judge who may or may not speak (I’ll give you a clue - it’s almost always Women who are targeted and silenced). The saboteurs begin to contact venues and speakers; threatening some combination of job loss, rape, death, or refusal to participate themselves. Finally, the organisers, who may or may not be in on the game, capitulate.

And that’s what happened to Selina. There’s nothing at all offensive about what Selina was going to say, but that’s not the point. Hers was a crime of association. She had dared to speak at one of the many popular Woman’s Place UK (WPUK) events and that was deemed unforgivable by a small number of individuals.

Redacted

Immediately Feminists heard about the de-platforming they got to work. Flyers were printed, emails sent and arrangements made to meet outside the venue to inform participants. The attendees I spoke to were already aware of the situation and were fully supportive of Selina. The audience was predominantly made up of second wave Feminists, many of whom spent years immersing themselves in consciousness raising and fearsome debates in order to raise awareness and bring about progress. Whether they agreed with Selina’s stance on the topic of Women’s sex-based rights or not seemed secondary to the importance of defending the principles of free speech and debate.

The conference had hardly begun when challenges erupted from the floor. “As someone who has been de-platformed for 16 years because of this nonsense, I’m telling you this is cowardly capitulation” said Julie Bindel to applause. There was an I-am-Spartacus moment when a delegate who had also attended a WPUK event asked the perfectly reasonable question “does that mean that I am not allowed to talk at this event? How many of us are going to be silenced?”

Scold’sBridle

Many more Women joined in, attempting to hold the organisers to account, or at the very least to elicit an explanation.  Noticeable by their absence were the voices of those who had opposed Selina’s participation. They remained silent, presumably knowing that their arguments would not stand up to the scrutiny of a room full of very determined and well-informed Feminists.

“Who do we give in to?” was a startling question from one of the organisers. We know how difficult it is to walk that line. At FiLiA we receive lengthy emails from academics supporting the sex trade and informing us that we are doing it all wrong. We have received threats of violence and one time a credible bomb threat meant that plain clothes police had to join us for the day. A defining moment was when we received two emails within a few hours of each other - one said that FiLiA was too radical and the other that we were too liberal! It is difficult, but I think that the organisers in this case are asking the wrong questions. It’s not about who you give in to (the imbalance in this #nodebate is clear to anyone) and it certainly shouldn’t be about maneuvering to “have the very least possible disruption to the conference” - that didn’t work (!) and since when was the Women’s Liberation Movement about choosing the path of least resistance?! We have liberal feminism for that.

It’s about stepping forward and standing up for principles. It’s about not giving in to the underhand manipulations of those who are holding you over a barrel but are unwilling to speak out themselves. It’s about getting to a point where the cognitive dissonance disappears and you see what is really going on - the same thing that has happened for millennia. The silencing of Women, particularly those who challenge the status quo.

Eventually democracy-under-duress prevailed when an audience member asked “can we have a democratic vote? I would like to ask if everyone who would like her to speak put up their hand” (goodness, we have so much to learn from our 70’s Sisters). The result of the vote was overwhelmingly in favour of Selina and the organisers conceded defeat, but by this time Selina had gone, and who can blame her? Her options up until that point had been to attend without speaking or to pass her allotted time over to a man (really!).

With the vote the democratic process had begun and ended. Time was then spent reading out a lengthy statement from someone who had removed herself from one of the sessions in protest against Selina. The fact that a Women had stepped down in support of Selina was not even acknowledged. Two panel spaces were given to an organisation responsible for the pressure to de-platform Selina. This seems deeply unfair and had the added disadvantage of watering down the discussions quite dramatically.  

As organisers we have a huge responsibility to our speakers and to our attendees. If you want to hold an event that is explicitly pro-sex trade or anti-Women’s sex-based rights, for example, you are entitled to. But be honest about what you are doing so that Women can make an informed decision about whether to attend.  I’ve said many times that we all have to follow our political conscience - make sure that you are following yours and not someone else’s. If a panelist says that they are not going to speak if someone else does - let them go. Never give in to bullies. Ever.

We are sick and tired of being told what we can and can’t do; where we may or may not meet and what we can and cannot say. Increasing numbers of individuals and institutions are stepping forwards to renounce the bullying tactics. Many more will follow.

To quote one of our 70’s Sisters who spoke about second wave graffiti that resonates still: ‘no more penile servitude’. Hear, hear!

By LM