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Women in the Black Bloc
By The Black Women Movement
"Oh so you won't listen to us huh? That's fine. We'll just beat you mercilessly then."
"What's that? Carry your stuff? Sure not problem. We'll just carry it over to the free bin after we beat you mercilessly."
"Your not sexist because you wear a feminist patch? We'll see how you feel after we're done beating you mercilessly."
"None of you want to do anything about our friend getting raped because it's none of your business? Not a big deal. We'll just discuss sexism in the scene and sexual assault with whichever ones of you are still able to carry on conversations after the merciless beating we give you".
We have recently become aware of a lack of female presence in certain tactical groups in the United States, mainly the "infamous" black bloc. All of us writing this believe in Class War and direct confrontation, so hence we tend to migrate and work with the bloc. It has become obvious to us over the past few years, though the movement and militancy of the movement is growing, the amount of women is severely lacking.
Why is that?
Some argue it's the "machismo, testosterone filled attitudes" We disagree. Yes, unfortunately because of the bloc being mainly male, we do see the same men barking out orders, the same pompous air in posing for the "bad ass" picture of the demo (don't get us wrong we like the bad ass pics as much as the next guy), but we feel the black bloc is focused on property destruction and forceful interaction with those attempting to stop and silence us. This is not in any way "male", females are as capable of this sort of thing as men. We, as women must demystify our alleged "passive" nature. It seems to us that fighting is associate with men, well here is the exact opportunity to change it. We do not see fighting and confrontation as a negative characteristic because used as a tactic it is a strong asset. We do not want a world where women cant throw punches or fight in the front lines for freedom, hence we have to get more of us feeling comfortable in the bloc.
We are well aware that many women support, advocate, and participate in direct action, but we are also aware many do not feel comfortable or accepted. Many times we have things to say in these closed meetings prior to actions but often remain silent for the reason that looking around us we see only a handful of other female faces, if that, sometimes you do not see any others. Perhaps it is society's principles that have been subconsciously drilled into us that we become intimidated and silent. The trick is we need to speak up, merely by being a woman with in the bloc, voicing opinions and ideas, we are taking some of the 'power' away from the typical set up of a few male members who tend to dictate the meetings.
This brings us to the second point, the above is up to us to change, we must empower ourselves, but there is some fault with in the males of the bloc.
Recently some of us were very active in the planning of a black bloc. On the day of action, the male reps communicated with a male counter part of the bloc that had just arrived in the city instead of communicating with the women who had done most of the work and organizing. This is typical, and as tempting as it might be to knee these men in the balls, that is not helpful in the long run of the movement, so what to do again? First we must call people on their offensive behavior. We do not mean to make everything that does not go the way we wish it to, to be blamed on sexism etc. Many men are not aware of their offensive behavior and should be made aware of their actions, in some cases repeatedly. Both men and women must get better at working more respectfully of each other.
How can men address this? Make sure that females involved are kept informed and involved, i.e. don`t just talk to the boys club. Many of us women have participated in many actions and have good experience to draw from and offer to strengthen the bloc.
We believe that people should be put in positions in the bloc based on experience and ability. There are a lot of women with both these things, and often we find ourselves and other women pushed out of the way so the men can handle the confrontation and property destructions. Women do not need to be "protected". If we are comfortable in participating in physical confrontation, let us! Most of us can defend ourselves and we appreciate the noble offer of protection, but come on, we'd be much better off if we all fought side by side and protected each other.
A great problem from all this falls back on us, loosing our femininity.
We are all happy to be women, we are proud of our sexuality and ability, and often we see ourselves and other women forced into a-sexual roles to be respected and worked with on an equal level. We are not sure if our sexuality is intimidating or if once again those roots of societal education hint at us that to be strong we cannot be feminine, but either way we must move away from this. Our femininity, just like men's masculinity, is a great asset, it is what makes us all strong and passionate, so why is it women have this pressure not to be women. It seems that once a woman finally breaks into this strange male hierarchy, she must be absent of all emotion and "typical" female traits, or the whole reason for her acceptance is based on her personal relationships at the time with certain males. We are not accusing all men in anarchism of these traits. It is a feeling that many of us, and our fellow female comrades, have experienced. We are amazing. It is up to us to remind those who doubt our ability and strength that we are just as capable. We can be tender, so can men, we can smash a window, so can men, we can cry, so can men, we can throw a brick, so can men. In short we can smash the state in heels if we choose to!
Basically the BWM wants to see more women fucking shit up, more women organizing, and more women in the boys club!
Black Bloc
Not Just For Your Boyfriend
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