Feminist Current

Meghan Murphy speaks with Phyllis Chesler about her new book, Requiem for a Female Serial Killer.

Aileen Wuornos, often labelled America’s “first female serial killer,” was executed by lethal injection in Florida in 2002. Her life was one of endless trauma and abuse, beginning as a child and extending into her adult life, as a prostitute. The men she killed were said to be johns -- she insisted all these murders were done in self-defence.

Phyllis Chesler recently published a book about Wuornos, exploring her life, crimes, and trial. Chesler was heavily involved in Wuornos’ case back in the 90s, viewing her then as “a feminist folk hero of sorts,” responding to threats against her life, and wanted the world to understand the trauma endured by women in prostitution. Chesler saw a potential defense of Wuornos in a version of “battered women’s syndrome” -- something traditionally used to defend women who kill their abusive husbands after years of torture, claiming self-defence.

In November, Chesler published Requiem for a Female Serial Killer, a "psychological crime thriller." She is a retired professor of psychology and women’s studies and the author of numerous books, including Women and Madness and A Politically Incorrect Feminist.

I spoke with her on October 20, 2020, over the phone, from her home in New York.

Meghan Murphy speaks with Keira Bell, the 23-year-old detransitioner who is suing the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust, arguing minors cannot consent to puberty blockers.

In 1979, Janice Raymond published The Transsexual Empire, the first and probably most well-known book articulating a radical feminist analysis of transgenderism. Little did we know, 40 years later, trans activism would become the biggest threat to feminism in decades. She warned us all, early on, and now we are living it: watching women’s sex based right be eroded in order to accommodate gender identity legislation. So much of Raymond’s analysis could have been written today. But it wasn’t

I spoke with Janice recently about the book, how it was received then vs how it is discussed today, the backlash, what we are up against now, and how we can fight back.

Janice is professor emerita of women’s studies and medical ethics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the author of four books, was Co-Executive Director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) from 1994–2007, and served on CATW’s  Board of Directors until recently.

I spoke with her over Skype on September 15, 2020.

On August 16, the Women’s Human Rights Campaign (WHRC) launched its United States chapter. WHRC is an international group of women dedicated to protecting the human rights of women and girls, and opposing the replacement of the category of sex with “gender identity.” The organization is gathering signatures on its Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights, the organization’s founding document.

In the US, feminists are faced with fighting the Equality Act (H.R. 5), passed by a Democratic majority in the House last year. The Equality Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, sex, and gender identity, causing a conflict for the protection of women’s rights.

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Katherine Acosta, recent Co-Chair of the Interim Steering Committee for WHRC USA, and Lauren Levey, a veteran women’s rights activist, and recent member of WHRC USA about the Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights, the Equality Act, and how we might shape law in order to protect the rights of women, as well as the gender non-conforming or trans-identified.

The global women’s movement is a force to be reckoned with. The fight against the sex trade has been particularly successful in Israel, where feminists united to pass The Prohibition of Consumption of Prostitution Services Act, a law that imposes fines for consuming prostitution or attempting to pay for it. The law began being enforced in July, making Israel the tenth country to adopt the Nordic model.

To learn more about the feminist movement in Israel, I spoke with two Israeli activists, Daphna Morell and Luba Fein. Daphna is a libertarian and feminist from Tel Aviv, currently living in Portland. Luba is an anti-sex trade activist living in Israel. She is a member of the Women’s Organization Coalition against Prostitution and Trafficking in Israel, and has worked with various NGOs to implement the Nordic model in Israel. Luba is currently working on a book analyzing the history of the Sex Buyer Law in Israel from the perspective of sex trade survivors.

Susan Hawthorne (Photo: Nick Walton-Healy)

The word “separatism” may lead some to recoil. But what does it really mean, from radical feminist perspective? Susan Hawthorne is co-founder of Spinifex Press, an independent feminist press in Melbourne, Australia, and author of two novels, nine collections of poetry, four non fiction books, and numerous other publications.

She first published In Defense of Separatism in 1976, as an honours thesis, and decided to revisit the subject, publishing it as a book in 2019, considering the revived debate around women’s spaces.

In this episode, I speak with Susan about separatism and her analysis of women’s oppression, today and yesterday.

Susan has a doctorate in Women’s Studies and Political Science from the University of Melbourne, as well as post graduate qualifications in Ancient Greek and Sanskrit and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Philosophy from La Trobe University. Susan won the 2017 Inspire Award, Penguin Random House Best Achievement in Writing for her work as an outstanding lifetime contributor to increasing people’s awareness of disability. In 2015 she received the George Robertson Award for her services to the publishing industry. In 1996 she won the Hall of Fame Award in The Rainbow Awards for contribution to the Gay and Lesbian Community. She is an Adjunct Professor in the Writing Program at James Cook University.

In Defense of Separatism is published with Spinifex Press.

University of Alberta associate professor Kathleen Lowrey was dismissed as associate chair of undergraduate studies in the department of anthropology in March.

Kathleen Lowrey, an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Alberta, was recently dismissed from her role as undergraduate programs chair. She was told students had complained about her views on gender identity ideology.

I spoke with her on Thursday about what happened and about the current culture in academia, in terms of free speech, open debate, and the ability of students and professors alike to discuss the issue of gender identity.

Follow Kathleen on Spinster @kathleenbee.

Credit: Stella Perrett

Stella Perrett was a political cartoonist for the UK’s only socialist daily newspaper, The Morning Star, from 2015 to 2020. She had published cartoons criticizing capitalism, the police, Brexit, the American president, and more. It wasn’t until Stella drew a cartoon called “Endgame,” commenting on the impact of potential changes to the Gender Recognition Act on women’s rights, that she ran into trouble. After complaints from trans activists and leftists like Owen Jones online, who said the cartoon was “transphobic,” The Morning Star pulled the cartoon.

I spoke with Stella on May 11th about her career, her views on censorship, the value of satire, the Charlie Hebdo massacre, why feminists and the left need to stand up for free speech and free expression, and more.

Renate Klein, author of “Surrogacy: A Human Rights Violation”

We hear about surrogacy routinely in the media, almost consistently in a celebratory way — a baby is gifted to a loving and deserving family. Celebrities announce they are “having a baby” via a surrogate and face almost no criticism. But what’s really behind the practice? Why are we so accepting of a clearly unethical and exploitative industry?

In this episode, I speak with Renate Klein to learn more about the multitude of harms caused by this practice around the world. Renate is a feminist health activist, an original signatory to Stop Surrogacy Now,  a founder of FINRRAGE (Feminist International Network of Resistance to Reproductive and Genetic Engineering), co-founder of Spinifex Press, and author of Surrogacy: A Human Rights Violation.