Legal news A number of FiLiA volunteers went to hear Prof. Catharine Mackinnon speak at the RSA about her new book, Butterfly Politics In it she argues that small interventions in the legal realm can generate major cultural transformation. FiLiA organised donations to pay for a solicitor to write a legal briefing on the obligations of local authorities in relation to the sex industry. That document is now published and is owned by the Women's Liberation Movement. A copy can be obtained by contacting FiLiA. One of our trustees is also involved in an ongoing legal case in which she is acting pro bono, arguing that there is no clear line between pimping and trafficking for a woman who entered the sex trade through force of circumstances. 2 FiLiA 2017 About FiLiA Where did FiLiA come from and what are our aims? Many of us found feminism by attending a series of conferences called ‘Feminism in London’ started by the London Feminist Network in 2008. When these conferences stopped, a small number of us decided to take up the challenge to keep them going. We were new to organising, and some of us were new to feminism, but personal experience told us how life-changing feminist gatherings could be – both on a personal and a political level. We called ourselves the ‘Thirteen Angry Women’ and set about learning as much as we possibly could about everything and anything to do with organising, women’s history and the Women’s Liberation Movement. We put on our first event in 2015 and we were terrified and excited in equal measure … as well as the logistical complexities came the pressure to position ourselves correctly relative to all the important topics that impact on women and girls … the finding of our political feet. The financial pressure was, and is, hard to bear - we are all volunteers and the huge costs of putting on such an event is scary if we allow ourselves to think about it too much! Since 2015 we have gone from a one-day to a two-day event. Women have contacted us from all over the world to come and share experiences of their work and their lives. 2017 sees us putting on our 4th conference which has been renamed FiLiA, meaning daughter – we are the daughters of our foremothers to whom we owe immeasurable thanks. And we work for the liberation of our daughters, sisters, mothers and all who come after us. We now have 84 volunteers and have been granted charitable status. We believe more than ever that FiLiA has a part to play in the growing Women’s Liberation Movement. Our aim is to continue to provide a space where new women can find feminism and meet those already deeply immersed within it. A place where we can connect, share and learn; where our collective consciousness is raised. A space where women gather, as we always have, in order to continue the hard work to liberate ourselves from patriarchy. Welcome to FiLiA. ‘Failure is Impossible’ Susan B Anthony FiLiA 2017 3 The Women’s Liberation Music Archive The Women’s Liberation Music Archive singers and groups did not make absolute democracy, and an intense documents and celebrates the wealth recordings and operated outside the desire for audience participation. and diversity of the feminist music- commercial, mainstream or alternative Through the intensity of the medium, making of the 1970s and 80s. It circuits – or indeed were oppositional through our bad-ass revolutionary demonstrates its importance in the to them. They were self-funded and poetry, we shouted the news: we can political and social context of that era. As worked on a shoestring and thus unable have a new world, a just and generous in other social movements and political to create lasting material. Despite being world, a world without female suffering struggles, cultural activism was a major a significant and integral part of the or degradation.”The Women’s Liberation part of the Women’s Liberation Movement movement, they are often omitted from Music Archive exists to ensure that this that began in the late 1960s. In a great or marginalised by media reportage and vital part of women’s radical history is burgeoning of creativity, feminists fused feminist histories. not lost, believing these achievements artistic activities with politics to develop should be documented, valued and and express feminist ideas. Women’s Feminist music-making was not purely placed in the cultural and political music, film and theatre groups, art and about providing great entertainment context of the time. theatre proliferated throughout the 1970s but embodied a world-changing and 80s. commitment to putting politics into It hopes to inspire other women as practice. Women sought to do things we are inspired by pioneering women Feminist bands, musicians and related differently, not only in terms of before us. The WLMA is an independent, projects are archived in a collection performance but by providing practical not-for-profit voluntary project. Any of written and oral histories and skill-sharing workshops for women donations are used solely to fund the memorabilia. This includes photographs, and girls, demystifying musicianship running costs and development of the videos, recordings, gig lists, lyrics and and challenging male supremacy, archive. You can make a donation to help musical scores, press clippings, flyers, sexism, heterosexism and stereotyped the archive securely through Paypal. posters, weblinks and manifestos that gender roles in every way possible. testify to the creativity of the Women’s Their work reflected the values of the Just click on the WLM Liberation Movement. Although women movement. As Naomi Weisstein said badge on https:// musicians and bands were a major of the Chicago Women’s Liberation womensliberationmusicarchive. part of the WLM, there has been scant Rock Band, our bands were about co.uk/about/ permanent record of their ground- “conveying celebration and resistance © Frankie Green/ The Women’s breaking activity during this era, and … performances deliberately set up Liberation Music Archive much of it is not widely known. Many a politics of strong, defiant women, comedian, the sort who dared Introducing to have opinions and call your host: Kate herself a feminist. Soon I was being asked to write Smurthwaite columns for magazines and newspapers, appear on shows I've been one of the comperes like The Big Questions and for the Feminism In London Question Time and writing for since the very first conference political comedy shows like Have over a decade ago. I Got News For You and The I'm not there to push a point Revolution Will Be Televised. of view, I'm there to signpost I've built my own YouTube people to the information they channel sponsored by want. I hope to create an generous supporters via atmosphere where it's okay to Patreon (www.patreon.com/ disagree and it's okay not to newsatkate). have all the answers. Later this year I'm hoping Expecting feminists to be to start work on a book as perfect all the time is just well as touring my new solo another way misogynists seek show ForniKATEress about to undermine us. polyamory. I have a mailing I've had a varied career list you can join at www. myself, starting out as a katesmurthwaite.co.uk. 4 FiLiA 2017 Vanessa Olorenshaw is the author of Liberating Motherhood, Birthing the Purplestockings Movement She spoke at the FiLiA 2016 conference about the need for our culture and socio-economic system to recognise the unwaged work of mothers. Women are financially vulnerable when they become mothers if they take time out the workforce: in immediate damage to income; in private relationships; and in their retirement through lack of recognition of caring labour. Vanessa argues that feminism has to recognise the need to support mothers not just to engage in the workforce while they have young children but to decline to do so if that is their need and their wish. She argues for creative policies such as a homecare allowance for the first three years (as seen in Finland), fair tax recognition of family-based care responsibilities to remove the family tax penalty, reinstated universal child benefit, universal basic income or a living wage for carers, removal of discrimination against mothers when we seek to re-enter the workforce or reduce our hours, and a wider examination of the intrusion of the workforce into all our lives. Childcare has its place, but it must be part of the package, not the sole solution to the issue of motherhood. The old feminist truth that the personal is political remains true but needs to remember that the maternal is political too. Brunskell-Evans, H. (2016) The Sexualised Body and the Medical Authority of Pornography: Performing Sexual Liberation. Cambridge Scholars This is an edited collection which examines internet pornography, not as sexual liberation, but as a material practice that eroticises sexual violence and the subordination of women. Dr Heather Brunskell-Evans is a member of FiLiA and spokeswoman for Women’s Equality Party policy on violence against women girls FiLiA 2017 5 Feminist Libraries and Archives Network The story of The FLA begins about a year talked about all this and more. ago, a story about the practicalities, There are many different projects dotted joys and frustrations of running feminist around the country, big and small, archiving libraries and archives. and preserving feminist history. There are From proper buildings and large collections also many that have had to close down like Glasgow and London to university because of the lack of support. But how many affiliated special collections like FAN and people know about them? How many of you FAS, to our small but special library at have been to a feminist library or archive? Nottingham Women’s Centre, our libraries Have you visited the WLMA website? Spent are diverse.