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August 2008

Transphobia and Carol Adams

Submitted by Ida on Sun, 08/31/2008 - 22:39

Another example of vegetarian-ecofeminist transphobia and cissexism is described in the keynote address presented on June 17, 2005 at Queer Communities and Controversies, the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education's second annual conference in Toronto, Canada, by transsexual, sex worker, and animal liberation activist, Mirha-Soleil Ross. In her keynote address, Ross describes an encounter with Carol Adams that occurred on July 15, 2000 at the World Vegetarian Congress.

Ross talks about Adams' cissexism, starting with trans-interrogation. Adams uses a metaphor about "fish in the water" to invalidate Ross' gender identity. Adams intrusively attempts to force Ross to answer personal questions about her transsexuality, and reduce her to the status of an object. Adams also uses trans-fascimilation to portray Ross as merely imitating a woman by claiming the Ross simply "chooses" to be a woman. (Read more...)

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Transphobia and Feminists for Animal Rights

Submitted by Ida on Sun, 08/31/2008 - 22:37

Most people are aware of the issue of transphobia in the feminist movement by how it is dramatically exhibited through the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival's (MichFest) infamous "women-born-women" policy. The term "women-born-women" is actually a cissexist synonym for a cissexual (non-transsexual) women, and it is used primarily to exclude transsexual women from "women-only" spaces. The term is used as part of a transphobic backlash that employs biological determinism to claim the superiority of cissexual women as "natural" or "real" women while devaluing transsexual women as "unnatural" or "fake."

The now dormant organization Feminists for Animal Rights (FAR), founded by the trans-misogynistic vegetarian-ecofeminist Marti Kheel (who when asked during a panel Q&A what people can do to help trans women, Kheel instead went into a misogynistic, transphobic tirade attacking trans women), also promotes a transphobic "women-born-women" policy. FAR has long been a hub for feminist-vegetarians/ecofeminists closely connected to nonhuman animal advocacy. In fact, while other feminist views exist on the intersection of feminism and anti-speciesism, the discourse is dominated by the FAR clique of feminist-vegetarians/ecofeminists who are featured prominently in books, conferences, and academic journals. (Read more...)

Challenging Feminist Transphobia

Submitted by Ida on Sun, 08/31/2008 - 22:36

White ecofeminism and feminist-vegetarianism is heavily influenced by the reactionary and transphobic writings of some dominant radical culutral feminists. Most notably is Mary Daly and her book Gyn/Ecology, which is filled with transphobia, cissexism, and trans-misogyny directed at transsexual women. A major influence on, as well as of, Daly's transphobia was Janice Raymond, who wrote the transphobic book The Transsexual Empire: The Making of the She-Male. Other transphobic influences on feminist-vegetarians/ecofeminists include Robin Morgan and Sheila Jeffreys. (Read more...)

Being an Ally: Taking a Bullet

Submitted by Ida on Fri, 08/29/2008 - 08:25
I can empathize with people's refusal to accept their privilege. That is, I can understand their situation, feelings, and motives for wanting to hold on to the privileges that come from oppressive systems. I struggle with confronting my own privileges everyday. However, since I feel working to divest ourselves of privilege is so important I have to admit I don't have much sympathy for those situations, feelings, and motives that lead us to believe that giving up privilege is too extreme or impossible. I can't accept excuses for our privileges that need interrogation and intervention.

Anti-Oppression and Law Enforcement

Submitted by Ida on Thu, 08/28/2008 - 23:57

By way of Emily's The Partial Muse, I came across a comment Tim Wise left on Racialicious that backlashes against veganism. Now I think White vegans and other White anti-speciesists can learn a lot from Wise about White privilege and anti-racism. In this respect, I'd recommend people read Wise's work, start with his "Animal Whites" article. However, Wise's comment on Racialicious shows some confusion over anti-oppression work and law enforcement, not to mention a need to learn more about human supremacy and the oppression of nonhuman animals. (Read more...)

The Non-Profit Industrial Complex Will Never Be 'The Movement'

Submitted by Ida on Wed, 08/27/2008 - 18:46
PETA is often confused with "the movement," as is the annual FARM conference. However, it's hard to define what this "movement" actually is. It is not a vegan movment, it is not an animal rights movement, it is not even a "movement" in any meaningful sense of the term. Organizations like PETA, FARM, HSUS, etc. are all part of the Non-Profit Industrial Complex (NPIC).

Why Veganism and Firebombs Don't Mix

Submitted by Ida on Fri, 08/22/2008 - 18:31
In a recent post on her La Chola blog, brownfemipower uses her experience and knowledge of feminism and other social justice movements to explain "why fire bombing will not work." She touches on many of the reasons I don't support the firebombing in particular, and the ALF in general.

Like bfp, I believe that what is needed is cultural and social change, and I agree that this requires a mass movement.

Breeze Harper on Speciesism and Racism

Submitted by Ida on Wed, 08/20/2008 - 05:42
Please listen to Breeze Harper's new podcast on the intersections of racism and speciesism. Breeze reads from "Speciesism: Why We Cannot Fully Eradicate it if We are Unmindful of its Contingency Upon Racism, Racialization, and Normalization of 'Whiteness,'" a chapter she wrote for a new anthology that will be out soon.

Breeze discusses how in the media, "White male youths who kill 'game' animals are heroes. Black male youths who kill a puppy or engage in dogfighting are the anti-hero." She goes on to encourage us to think critically about why that is:

PETA and the (Animal) Right

Submitted by Ida on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 16:44
PETA's "focus solely on promoting animal rights" is not about promoting veganism. As a movement, veganism necessitates honoring the efforts of all anti-oppression movements who are striving to achieve the liberation of human and nonhuman animals alike. Regardless, Rajt betrays PETA's own proclaimed neutrality by evoking Right-wing arguments regarding taxes and health care costs. Nothing in the ad, or PETA's defense of the ad, makes any point for the rights of nonhuman animals. And while in a very narrow sense the ad is "pro-vegetarian," it is also very much anti-vegan.

Animal Whites 2008

Submitted by Ida on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 15:04

A couple months ago I posted about the assumption of universal Whiteness built into the scheduled program for "Animal Rights 2008" (AR2008), a national conference that took place this past weekend. In a blog posting on the conference, Debra Erenberg of Rainforest Action Network wrote about the ways Whiteness played out over the weekend. (Read more...)