<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hello all-<div><br></div><div>This is a draft of the piece I am hoping to post on the Flying Brick blog. Please give me any feedback, (constructive) criticism, and suggestions! I won't post it until I get a general sense of approval :)</div><div><br></div><div>xoxoxo</div><div>Ramey</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>
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<!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman"">A month or so ago, a group called Deep Green
Resistance asked to come speak at the Flying Brick Library. We ultimately decided not
to host them, and since it is rare that we turn down events or touring groups,
we thought that we owed an explanation to our volunteers, friends, and comrades.
<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman"">Deep Green Resistance describes themselves as a
group whose goal “is to deprive the rich of their ability to steal from the
poor and the powerful of their ability to destroy the planet. This will require
defending and rebuilding just and sustainable human communities nestled inside
repaired and restored landbases. This is a vast undertaking but it needs to be
said: it can be done. Industrial civilization can be stopped” (from the “About”
section on deepgreenresistance.org).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman"">Based on this description, many of us were
extremely excited, as it seemed directly related to our interests and passions regarding environmental and anti-civilization work. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman"">However, after we sent the request out over the
list-serve for feedback and approval, we were dismayed and disappointed by the
reaction. There were several responses that brought up issues of transphobia,
transmisogyny, classism, and racism within the organization– specifically, this
following passage, part of an email written by Lierre Keith, co-author of the
DGR book (may be triggering for some, particularly due to transphobic remarks) : <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0.5in; "><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Try
this on. I am a rich person stuck in a poor person’s body. I’ve always enjoyed
champagne rather than beer, and always knew I belonged in first class not
economy, and it just feels right when people wait on me. My insurance company
should give me a million dollars to cure my Economic Dysphoria.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0.5in; "><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0.5in; "><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">Or
how about this. I am really Native American. How do I know? I’ve always felt a
special connection to animals, and started building tee pees in the backyard as
soon as I was old enough. I insisted on wearing moccasins to school even though
the other kids made fun of me and my parents punished me for it. I read
everything I could on native people, started going to pow wows and sweat lodges
as soon as I was old enough, and I knew that was the real me. And if you
bio-Indians don’t accept us trans-Indians, then you are just as genocidal and
oppressive as the Europeans.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0.5in; "><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0.5in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0.5in; "><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">Gender
is no different. It is a class condition created by a brutal arrangement of
power. I can’t fathom how mutilating people’s bodies to fit an oppressive power
arrangement is frankly anything but a human rights violation. And men insisting
that they are women is insulting and absurd.”<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">When
we responded to DGR, we made it clear that we were willing to host them as a
group – as long as they were willing to discuss these issues and how environmental
and anti-civ work are intrinsic to resisting gender oppression – and vice
versa. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">Deep
Green Resistance, in response, made it clear that they are not willing to let
anybody but themselves guide the conversation, and that if we insisted on such,
that we are not ready to fight the (so-called) “real fight”. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">We
find it necessary, in return, to make something perfectly clear: </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">The Flying
Brick Library is intended as a safe space. </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><br></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">Transphobia and transmisogyny are
not welcome in this space any more than racism, classism, sexism, homophobia,
ableism, sizeism, or other oppressive or hierarchical viewpoints. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">As
such, we reserve the right to choose whether to host – or not to host – any
group, person, band, etc. at our own discretion. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">This
is a space for building knowledge. </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">This is a space for building support. </span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">This
is a space for building alliances across issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">This
is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">not</b> a space for people to come
proselytize to others without welcoming input, constructive criticism, or
differing opinions. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">And
this is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">not</b> a space where people can
refuse to accept that our struggles are all connected. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><o:p> </o:p></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0.1pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.1pt; margin-left: 0in; "><span style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"">If
these are the viewpoints that you feel the need to spread, then take them
elsewhere – they are not welcome here. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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