The Feminist Library Has Fallen

[WootMoggie]

...apparently you are not welcome if you believe that trans people present even a mere ‘complication’ to women’s rights.

Oh - and you’re not allowed to discuss this either.

feministlibrary.co.uk/statement-on-transphobia-and-accountability/

[LadyChappers]

@stumbledin

I think in fact the Feminist Library (that was always more grass roots than the Women's Library) is in fact now more "popular" as it isnt just boring old women droning on about liberation, it is all queer politics, and zines, and ...

They weren't leaned on. There was a very nasty period of time when queer activists infiltrated the organising collective, and after sucessfully hounding out women who had put hours of their life into it, just turned into something about them.

That's why I used the word cuckoo.

Apart from anything else, the personal loss and destruction of hours of work by women by these trans activists who rarely set up their own groups, but have become adept at entryism. ie feigning genuine interest is a women's group with the sole intention of corrupting its politics and ousting any women who oppose them.

Who cares if they want to put on vapid events for air heads? But what they should do is give back all the feminist collections that are not theirs by rights.

But seriously. Sorry to say this. But this all happened about 5 or 6 years ago.

Thanks for the background, @stumbledin. You seem to know a good deal about this topic. Is there any recourse here?
I find it genuinely chilling that writings / books etc. donated to the library for public record are now going to be restricted if they fail the test of post-modem critical gender theorists.
I know things need to evolve to survive but this statement seems to be threatening to eviscerate feminist history convicted of wrongthink by a small collective of individuals. They are literally saying they will silence feminists they don't agree with (hiding behind the generic "causing harm" - not defined) and I don't know how this can happen without any ability to save anything consider "not intersectional".
It's also a charity at the end of the day, with certain expectations how it operates. What about all the donations for a broad church feminist library over the years?
Is there anything that can be done?

[Daca]

Seems like this story is also the story of a young woman on the make, Lola Olufemi. (No special insight here, just what’s in the public domain.) Really sad when careerists take over community resources. But live by the sword, die by the sword ...

[Daca]

There is really no point raising the temperature with this statement right now, other than to generate publicity. We’re in lockdown, no one can use the library anyway. It’s political theatre, nothing more. Should Lola be working on that PhD? Yeah, I know, research is tedious ...

[stumbledin]

LadyChappers - I'm old enough to remember when the Feminist Library first started and was called the Women's Research and Resource Centre. But I think like a lot of groups not everyone was prepared to put in the work, or even be an active supporter over the years. And after early years of funding via Ken Livingstone's GLC this tapered off as "women" were no longer a vote catching trend.

And from contact later on with one of the women who worked really hard to keep it going through very bad times. Terrible building, no money, only 2 or 3 women doing anything, having younger more upbeat women seemed like a blessing.

And by the time of any overt difference of opinion, including one of the surviving volunteers who had kept it going being publicly "called out" and demonised as strength (including emotional) to keep going ebbed away.

As well as a sort of pragmatism which was in reality radical feminists hadn't stepped in to save the Library. So it seemed the only way to save a unique collection of old newsletters, conference papers, etc., (ie not glossy published "feminism") from being dispersed or archived (lost) was to accept the cuckoo majority ruling the roost. Not forgetting the local authority funding.

Yes in the past, ie late 70s early 80s I can imagine a group of radical feminists swooping in and liberating the publications given in good faith to the original FL, and talking them to some squat or other, but nowadays cant see anything like that happen.

And the reality is there is no organisation that would implement the conditions on which many personal papers were given. As I said Glasgow Women's Library were entrusted with the Lesbian Archive papers, but are now another hub of queer feminism.

Depressing to think that some who have fought so hard to be part of the take over will no doubt loose interest when a better careeer move turns up and then the Library will probably just vanish as it will not be a priority for either radical or queer feminists.

That's the issue really. You cant relax for a moment.

What might have seemed like a small victory, something achieved and established was never really that. Turn you back for one second, or stop paying attention and it is gone.

And so many women have been personally damaged by the fight and / or publicly denounced that even if there was a callout to reclaim personal papers I think many would say I just cant go through it again.

[Sunkisses]

Didn't the "Feminist" Library also crowdfund £10,000s for the new building under false pretences? They persuaded women to part with their money, thinking they were preserving a feminist archive, something that centred women, only for it to a faux-feminist library that now centred men and actively worked to undermine women's rights. I'd cal that fraud

[Sunkisses]

If I had donated I would be asking for my money back

[RadandMad]

Anyone else ever get that dizzy feeling that your brain is prodding you shouting “It’s only a dream WAKE UP WAKE UP!” I’ve been getting it a lot lately. I feel like the gas is being turned up to full on this issue recently.

Every single day. It's like I've gone through the looking glass into a strange and illogical world where nearly everyone is mad.

[RadandMad]

@MissLucyEyelesbarrow Yeah, I've often thought it's only when this really hits men that we'll get the kind of pushback we need to defeat this ideology.

[Wandawomble]

We mustn’t give up.
We teach our daughters to spot doublethink when they see it.
I wonder when they will shut down this forum?
We will still find a way to communicate with each other. Witches always have done.

[SmallPug]

Not just our daughters! Important that boys also understand the importance of facts, biology etc.

[Lynnikins]

A truth known to anthropologists & archaeologists..

[dawejoke]

Absolutely appalled that second wave feminists who collected, donated, volunteered, campaigned, preserved, catalogued and often WROTE these materials are having all their work destroyed by women who believe men can turn into women. It is like the destruction of the library at Alexandria. Wondering if we can offer to take all the dreadful feminist literature that they dont want and make a new Feminist Library!!! This has been coming a long time mind, and we are all terrified of speaking out about it.

[SmallPug]

I agree. Can we do something? They are a charity and haven’t reported their finances, so there is that issue. Then there’s the idea of people who don’t share their views ‘not being welcome’ - surely that’s against what libraries and charities stand for? Then there’s the books and materials themselves - how do we ensure they’re not lost?

[dawejoke]

OH and think someone praised the LSE (sic) Women's Library. Actually the Women's Library was a purpose designed building in Whitechapel with a cafe, reading rooms, welcome for kids, used by loads of local organisations, wonderful exhibitions, circular meeting room. It was BRILLIANT!! THen London Met: the freeholder decided they would rather like the space for themselves and did a sneaky deal giving all the materials to LSE. Who dont allow children under 12, charge to visit on occasion, keep most of the stuff hidden away in a basement. We mounted a huge campaign with major national and international figures supporting us. But LOST. Tragedy. This was the impetus for setting up //www.roomsofourown.org.uk

[Flapjak]

Does this mean they wont be holding any books that dont agree that trans wo'men' are women? Sex is constructed? Like to see how it can be deconstructed without the help of surgery and hormones 🤣

[Laurank]

Good point @Daca about TRA posturing being 'political theatre' when FL isn't even open anyway. There is something about indefinite LD, with its keyboard warrior-ism and impossibility of IRL resolution, that just seems to encourage extreme sabre rattling like this.
It makes me wonder what it would be like, when it reopens, to visit, perhaps with a few women, to see what it's like, chat to the collective. And to see whether (or how) they'd eject us if we ventured a GC opinion.

[Daca]

Occupy ... the Feminist Library

[ThePonderer]

we believe that there is not a singular, universal origin point for all women’s oppression across the globe nor should we attempt to find one

What's the point of feminism then? That means we're just a disparate group of people who are having bad experiences which we want to change.

No way to define us. No problems in common. No solutions which will apply to us all.

How could anybody benefit from visiting this library?

[Ftumch]

we believe that there is not a singular, universal origin point for all women’s oppression across the globe nor should we attempt to find one

This is MRA speak. It's the polar opposite of feminism!

[Thelnebriati]

What will happen to the material they dont like?

[Thelnebriati]

I want to rephrase that - what will they do with the material they dont like?

[SmallPug]

That’s what I want to know @Thelnebriati. It’s pretty concerning. Why put a statement out now when no one can go? Also, nothing wrong with them having a collection of feminist literature that covers all different kinds of feminism, including trans feminism and radical feminism and just being a library! Letting anyone come and read the literature and - Oo, I don’t know - having their own thoughts!

[katmarie]

Surely the point of libraries is to provide literature and materials which allow people to learn and discover. I have never met a librarian yet who would willingly remove books from a library's collection, most librarians want to share knowledge and help people discover new perspectives, surely. To restrict materials or access to them based on an ideology feels like it goes against some kind of librarians code or something. Which just tells me that this isn't about running a library, it's about making a point.

[nepeta]

@Ftumch

we believe that there is not a singular, universal origin point for all women’s oppression across the globe nor should we attempt to find one

This is MRA speak. It's the polar opposite of feminism!

Indeed.

It is also nonsensical. Women are oppressed, to begin with, because women are smaller and weaker than men and because women have the ability to create the next generation. If you ignore biology then of course you will be unable to see the universal origin of women's oppression. Because it is in biology, but then spread into general sexism and misogyny.

[EvenleyWitch]

@Laurank

Good point *@Daca* about TRA posturing being 'political theatre' when FL isn't even open anyway. There is something about indefinite LD, with its keyboard warrior-ism and impossibility of IRL resolution, that just seems to encourage extreme sabre rattling like this.
It makes me wonder what it would be like, when it reopens, to visit, perhaps with a few women, to see what it's like, chat to the collective. And to see whether (or how) they'd eject us if we ventured a GC opinion.

I'm up for that. Very interested.