User:Bonnbury/sandbox

History
The Leeds Revolutionary Feminists grew out of the Second Wave feminist movement in the UK in the late 70s.

The movement provided a natural home for lesbian feminists, who experienced homophobia within the Women's Liberation Movement (see: NOW or Redstockings LINK) and sexism within the Gay Liberation Movement. Revolutionary Feminism was first proposed by Sheila Jeffreys in her paper for the 1977 Women's Liberation Movement Conference, A Need for Revolutionary Feminism. In it, Jeffreys argued that lesbianism was being systemically suppressed within the movement by both homo and heterosexual women as a vie for respectability, downplaying the threat of women rejecting patriarchy and sexism LINK. She felt that _________.

One of the main social catalysts for revolutionary feminism was the Yorkshire Ripper's murder of 13 women between 1975 and 1980 LINK. Police messages to women at the time were to refrain from going out at night unless absolutely necessary and only if accompanied by a male known to the woman LINK. The imposed climate of fear and repression led Leeds women to stage a march in opposition. _. One of the first actions of the LRFs, in response to the Yorkshire Ripper, was to organize a Reclaim the Night march. Following Jeffrey’s paper, RevoFem groups sprang up around the country and held several conferences to develop the theory and ideology. The main tenet was that male supremacy is maintained through VAW, which included all heterosexual sex, and dismantling male supremacy critically required political lesbianism and radical action.

Separatist Feminism
The first influencer is arguably Separatist feminism which branched from radical feminism in the 1960s Separatist feminism advocates cutting ties with men and reinvesting energy in women and girls. The idea behind separatism is that patriarchy can best be challenged through the exclusive focus on women and girls and a deliberate separation from men and male-dominated or masculinist institutions, activities, and ways of thinking. However, separatist feminism is only seen as a ‘first step’ in abolishing patriarchy, but not meant to be a permanent separation from men. Cell 16 in the USA is an example of separatist feminism that focused on self-defense training for women and advocated periods of celibacy

Political Lesbianism and Lesbian Separatism
Adopts the separatist feminist theory that patriarchy is best challenged through separation from men and exclusive focus of energy, passions, and creativity on relationships between and for women. But, it takes separatist feminist theory further by arguing that sexual orientation is a political choice. Within this new framework lesbianism became a positive alternative to heterosexuality that can be strategically adopted as a political tool to disrupt partriarchy; Whereas separatist feminism focused on breaking bonds with men, Political lesbianism focuses on actively creating bonds with women

Within this camp, we have The Feminists, The Furies, and LRFs.

LRF Politcal Views
LRFs advocated strict political lesbianism, stating in their YEAR paper Love Your Enemy: ___ "quote about taking your politics seriously."

LRF actions were notably militant;

Jeffreys Calls for a constructive and revolutionary theory: “Revolutionary politics is about power. It involves the determination to wrest power from the ruling group (men) to end their domination. It requires the identification of the ruling group (men), it’s power base (control over reproduction, the institution of heterosexuality), its methods of control (sex and violence, or threat thereof), its interests (maintaining power), its historical development (patriarchal oppression), its weaknesses (critically depends on women’s submissive complicity) and the best methods to destroy its power (separatism and brazen revolutionary activism)”

Like radical feminism, revolutionary feminism centers on women-led, women-serving organization and space. Both schools of feminism also centered theory and practice on male VAW as the cornerstone of women’s oppression BUT RevoFem diverges from radical feminism in its focus on revolutionary action. In “the need for revolutionary feminism” Jeffreys critiques the WLM as being hijacked by liberalism, lacking cohesive theory and thus failing to iterate strategies for resistance, as well as for believing that reformism would solve women’s oppression. Jeffreys proposed that ‘Positive’ shifts in sex roles and the sexual revolution were simply tools of patriarchy engineered to pacify women and quash destabilizing dissent. Nigel washing the dishes while women are out gaining equality in the workforce doesn’t go far enough in disrupting male supremacy. Jeffreys felt that feminism risked losing the momentum of women’s liberation and thus the revolutionary feminist movement called for more militant action. Whereas the Women’s movement was originally based on anger and hate for all men, Jeffreys now saw the WLM as employing politics of respectability at their own expense..

One of the more visible and lasting contributions of revolutionary feminism was the Reclaim the Night march organized by Al Garthwaite. The march resisted social and state pressure for women to stay locked up indoors or to rely on men for safety and protection as well as a resistance to the general intimidation and harassment that women face in public spaces In total, 8 cities marched on November 12 1977, under encouragement and leadership from Leeds feminists Characteristically revolutionary feminism in tactic: visible, borderline militant resistance with women carrying torches and chanting. RevoFem combined separatism with activism in opposition to what they saw as strictly separatist radical feminism. Vocally placed men as a sex class at the center of women’s oppression as opposed to radical feminists who maybe adopted this theory but in practice rarely engaged in these kinds of conversations. RevoFem said THIS IS WAR ON MEN

In LYE, the Leeds RevoFems make several claims (Hetero)sexuality is: - Fundamentally oppressive; “Attached to ALL forms of sexual behaviour are meanings of dominance and submission, power and powerlessness, conquest and humiliation” (5) - Enforcing women’s submission, powerlessness and humiliation - An invasion, a conquest, a colonisation of the body

By extension, the heterosexual couple: - Is the fundamental cornerstone of men’s dominance over women; the tool through which dominance and power is maintained - Following in Firestone’s line of thinking, love and romance blind women from seeing the realities of their oppression and maintain the systems of oppression - If women were permitted or forced to band together (i.e. in segregated ghettos or camps) they’d realize that their oppression stems from women and revolt. Therefore, individual oppression through heterosexual coupling must be maintained - Now enlightened by the LRFs as to the oppressive nature of heterosexuality, women who engage in hetero relationships are complicit Penetration: - Penetration by penis is unnecessary for sexual pleasure (for both women and men). Void of a pleasure function it becomes clear that penetration serves a political function - Hypersexualization is becoming more rampant in society; as women gain more economic and social independence sex is reinforced as the primary site of men’s control over women. The sexual revolution has effectively blinded women into submission - Women who are penetratable are tamed, broken in, robbed of energy and strength - Men are actually WORSE at sensual activities than women so you might as well be a lesbian (7). - Lesbians are fed up with hetero feminists who use women’s support resources ‘as a fuelling station’ (8) – these women are making LRFs complicit in male supremacy too - Bottom line: - The personal is political; unite it by being a lesbian feminist Now that you’re enlightened, if you engage in these acts, you are fueling the strength and power of men at the expense of ALL women - “Giving up fucking for a feminist is about taking your politics seriously” (8) … happily we not need not have political qualms about buying cape apples, though you should be concerned about your ecological footprint

Notable Publications

 * A Need for Revolutionary Feminism, Sheila Jeffreys 1977 LINK
 *  Love Your Enemy?, Leeds Revolutionary Feminists 1979?? LINK
 * LRFs were also associated with OnlyWomen Press

Notable Members
Sheila Jeffreys Al Garthwaite Julie Bindel

Negative
“ALL of the good work that heterosexual feminist sisters do for women is undermined by the counter-revolutionary activity they engage in with men” (7). “radical feminists need to look at why women do what they do, respect women’s strength and try to add to it” (12) sophie laws
 * Biologically determinist; constructivist approach to patriarchy and sex suggesting that it’s impossible to have sex with a man that is not based on domination and humiliation due to deeply entrenched male supremacy -- ALL men are the enemy by virtue of possessing a penis LINK By extension, women will also always be oppressed because of their biological vulnerability to the weapon of penises
 * No direct link between political lesbianism and an end to heterosexual privileges, described as “male approval, more safety from physical attack, ease in dealing with authorities, financial advantages etc.” (8)
 * Essentialist; Revolutionary Feminism relies on binary definitions of gender, sex, and sexuality that place all men in opposition to all women while neglecting gender non-conformity as well as bi- and a-sexuality
 * By advocating for a framework in which sexuality is a political choice Revolutionary Feminism and political lesbianism in general negates or minimizes lesbianism as a fundamental element of social and political identity as well as sexual desire for women by women (See Pittman “those of us who were lesbians – and suffered all the guilt, hiding, oppression, struggle to come out without the support of a women’s movement – before we were feminists have good reason to be angry at this denial of what it means to us to be lesbians” (Joy Pitman 44).
 * Revolutionary Feminism's political lesbianism deviates from the original meaning of political lesbianism, which was not defined in terms of women’s absence of sexual relations to men but rather emphasised women's relationships with women
 * Vanguardist; feminist hierarchy, exclusionary, stifles discussion and negates the work and contributions of hetero feminists
 * Non-intersectional; Ignores intersections of race and class, which can drastically alter one’s experience of lesbianism by changing the social politics of coming out, economic fallouts from this, and potential safety and legal recourse for injustice can be altered based on one’s racial or class position. (Ex. Combahee River Collective

Positive

 * The power of naming; Lesbians are FORCED to deeply consider their sexuality as a result of compulsory heterosexuality. The paper served as a catalyst for hetero women to consider this ... “Our stengths challenge their weaknesses, and the control that men have over them. This is why the Furies wrote that Heterosexuality is the cornerstone of male supremacy” (Marlene Packwood 28).
 * Positive visibility for lesbians; Declaring lesbianism was a bold move, let alone publicly, and as the only option