Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Some thoughts on the liberation struggle

Anent feminism and the freedom struggle: we learned, as we went through the pain of reconstruction in the '70s, that there is really only one struggle: the struggle for equity and solidarity for all. We learned from the first - and bloodiest - of the late 20th century freedom struggles: ending racial discrimination. Riots across the 'white' world forced governments into action and we learned the methods of the struggle. Some of us learned from such leaders as Martin Luther King, Jr., that the ends must be pursued at every personal cost but never at the expense of personal integrity nor by resort to violence.

Stonewall set the match to the powder train that became Gay Lib. As one of my GL friends said, "Our demos were certainly more colourful - and all in the best possible taste."

Whereas both racial equity and gay liberation could be seen as addressing 'minority' poulations, Women's Lib threatened the whole structure of power that all living men had enjoyed all their lives. It is no wonder that the struggle goes on.

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