Womyn's land

Womyn's land is a term which refers to women-only communes organized by women, for women.[1] These communities mainly exist in rural areas where land is bought, and then utilized, to establish a closed-off matriarchal society without the presence of males.[1] They became popular during the 1970s throughout the time of the Radical Feminist movement, however, there are many that still exist today.[2] Womyn's lands practice lesbian separatism; an idea which emerged as a result of the Radical Feminist movement in the late 1960s.[3] Lesbian separatism is based on the idea that women must exist separately from men, socially and politically, in order to achieve a true feminist or lesbian utopia.[4] The Radical Feminist group Cell 16 is often credited for establishing the base of ideas that define lesbian separatism.[3] These separatist communities exist as a way for women to achieve female liberation by separating themselves from mainstream patriarchal society.[4] Men are not allowed to live in, or enter these communities.[2] Most communities go as far as banning male infants and/or male relatives.[2] Womyn's lands, as well as lesbian separatism, have generated a wide range of criticisms. These criticism center around, but are not limited to, the lack of acceptance by many of bisexual and heterosexual women; and the exclusion of transgender and transsexual women for not being biological females.[5][2] Examples of present-day Womyn's lands include Hawk Hill Community Land Trust, HOWL, and Sugar Loaf Women's Village.[6] Today, these communities are facing decline as well as the struggle to connect with younger generations of women.[2]

Background History and Separatist Ideology

Radical Feminism

Radical Feminism advocates for the elimination of female oppression through a call towards social and political transformation of patriarchal society.[7] Radical Feminism grew out of other radical movements during the 1960s such as the Anti-War Movement.[7] Women who took part in these radical movements felt under-represented in comparison to the men, which contributed to the formation of Second Wave Feminism and Radical Feminism.[7]

The ideology of Radical Feminism is different from Feminism because it believes that women's liberation can only be achieved through the re-ordering of patriarchal society, while Feminism seeks liberation within the current system in place.[8] Radical Feminism also focuses on gender as the root of female oppression, as opposed to social class and/or race.[8] Notable Radical Feminist groups and organizations include Cell 16, The Redstockings, The Radical Feminists #28 and The Furies Collective.[9][3][10][4]

Lesbian Separatism and Separatist Spaces

Lesbian separatism is rooted in the idea that women should and must exist separately from men in order to achieve a true feminist utopia.[4] Lesbian separatist ideology has changed over time as the Radical Feminist Movement continued in its development. In the earlier stages of lesbian separatism the term "lesbian separatist" was considered synonymous to the term "radical feminist".[4] However, as each group developed distinct ideologies, tension formed between radical feminists and lesbian separatists.[4] Lesbian separatists used the separatist ideology as a way to "test one's feminist commitment",[4] which resulted in a divide.

An increase in lesbian feminism essays and papers centered around the subject of lesbian separatism, influenced and shaped lesbian separatist ideology as well.[4] Influential works which helped shape lesbian separatism included Lesbian Separatism: Amazon Analysis, the Collective Lesbian International Terrorists Papers, and Cell 16's No More Fun and Games: a Journal of Female Liberation[11][4]

Lesbian separatism is not only practiced and utilized in communal areas such as Womyn's lands; it is also practiced in separatist events and women-only spaces. One example of a lesbian separatist event is the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival.[5] This music festival was held in Michigan every year from 1976 to 2015.[12] It was created by women for the purpose of establishing an annual safe, social space dedicated for lesbians and females alike.[12][5] The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival embraced a separatist ideology by not permitting men, male children, or transgender women to participate in the festival.[5]

Significance to Feminist Thought & Woman-based communities

Feminist ideology maintains that the patriarchal institutions and social norms which make up society are the source of female oppression.[13] Lesbian separatist ideology recognizes the oppression which results from patriarchal society, however, it asserts that the root of oppression derives from men themselves, individually and as a group.[13] Unlike feminism, lesbian separatism views men as the main source of their oppression.[14] Through this ideology, many lesbian separatists consider men as the sole perpetrators of adverse economic, societal, and cultural issues which affect them.[13] As a result, lesbian separatists sought to construct autonomous Womyn's land communities where they could live segregated from men entirely.[13]

Criticisms

Lesbian separatist communities have been criticized for exclusionary policies towards transgender, transsexual, bisexual, and heterosexual women.[5][2] Usually, homosexual females are the only persons permitted to be a member of these communities.[2] Some womyn's lands have also been criticized for excluding women of color and working class lesbians.[15] In the past, lesbian separatist communities were also accused of being a privilege offered solely to the few who could afford the closed-off lifestyle.[15]

Present-day Womyn's Land communities

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Levy, Ariel (March 2, 2009). "Lesbian Nation". The New Yorker. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kershaw, Sarah (January 30, 2009). "My Sister’s Keeper". The New York Times. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 Bess, Gabby (October 13, 2015). "No Man's Land: How to Build a Feminist Utopia". Broadly. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Shugar, Dana R. (1995). Separatism and Women's Community. Lincoln: U of Nebraska. pp. xi–13.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Browne, Kath (2009). "Womyn’s separatist spaces: rethinking spaces of difference and exclusion". Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. 34: 541–556.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Conti, Allie (December 18, 2016). "Who's Killing the Women's Land Movement?". Vice. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 "What Is Radical Feminism?". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  8. 1 2 Echols, Alice (1989). Daring to be Bad. United States of America: University of Minnesota Press. pp. 6–7. ISBN 0-8166-1786-4.
  9. ↑ "Redstockings: Pioneering Radical Feminist Group". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  10. ↑ Thomas, June (2016-05-06). "The National Register of Historic Places Adds Its First Lesbian Landmark". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  11. ↑ Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne. No More Fun and Games: A Journal of Female Liberation (v. 1, No. 1). Duke Digital Collections.
  12. 1 2 King, Lori (August 16, 2015). "Womyn's Rite: Annual Michigan Fest roared for 40 years". The Blade. Retrieved June 29, 2017.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Shugar, Dana R. (1995). Separatism and Women's Community. Lincoln: U of Nebraska. p. 42.
  14. ↑ Frye, Marilyn (1983). "Some Reflections on Separatism and Power." The Politics of Reality: Essays in Feminist Theory. Crossing Press.
  15. 1 2 Shugar, Dana R. (1995). Separatism and Women's Community. Lincoln: U of Nebraska. pp. xi–50.
  16. ↑ "Susan B. Anthony Womyn's Land Trust". SuBAMUH. Retrieved June 29, 2017.

Further reading

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