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Womyn's Land

Womyn's land is a term that refers to self-sufficient, female-based communities, which are organized by, and for women only[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 men.[1] These types of communities were most popular during in the1970s throughout the time of the Radical Feminist movement, however, there are many that still exist today.[2] These communities 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 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, or enter these communities.[2] Most communities go as far as banning male infants, and/or relatives.[2] Womyn's lands, as well as lesbian separatism, have generated a wide range of criticisms. These criticisms include, but are not limited to, lack of inclusion for transgender, bisexual, transsexual, and heterosexual women.[5][2] Today, these communities are facing decline, as well as the struggle to connect with younger generations of women. [2]

Background History and Lesbian Separatism

Radical Feminism

Radical Feminism calls for the elimination of female oppression and advocates for social and political transformation of patriarchal society [6]. Radical Feminism grew out of other radical movements during the 1960s such as the Anti-War Movement[6]. 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.[6]

Radical Feminism is different from Feminism because it believes that women's liberation can only be achieved through the re-ordering of patriarchal society. Feminism seeks liberation within the current "male-dominated" system in place.[7] Radical Feminism also focuses on gender as the root of female oppression, as opposed to social class and/or race.[7] Some of the first Radical Feminist groups and organizations included Cell 16, The Redstockings, The Radical Feminists #28, The Gutter Dyke Collective and The Furies Collective. [8][3][9][4]

Lesbian Separatism and Separatist Spaces

Lesbian separatist ideology is rooted in the idea that women should, and must, exist separately from men in order to achieve a true feminist utopia[4]. A feminist utopia, according to lesbian separatist ideology, is a social reconstruction of reality where women have power over access and the ability to define their vision of the world.[10]Lesbian-separatist ideology has changed over time as the Radical Feminist Movement continued with 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 grew 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 between the two groups[4]. An increase of essays and papers which focused on the subject of lesbian separatism influenced and shaped lesbian separatist ideology as well[4]. Influential works which helped shape lesbian-separatist ideology 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 not only practiced and utilized in areas such as Womyn's lands; it is also practiced in separatist events and/or 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[5]. It was created by women for the purpose of creating a space dedicated for females and lesbians alike[5]. The Michigan Womyn's Music Festival embraced a separatist ideology in the way that it did not permit men, male children, or transgender women to participate in the festival.[5]

Significance to Feminist Thought & Woman Based Communities

Feminism argues that the patriarchal institutions and norms which make up society are the reason for female oppression.[4]Lesbian separatist ideology recognizes the oppression which results from the social institutions rooted in patriarchal society, however, they believe the root of their oppression comes from men themselves.[4] Unlike Feminism, lesbian separatism sees men as the main source of their oppression.[10] Through this ideology, many lesbian separatists saw men as the the sole reason for every issue or problem that existed.[4] As a result, lesbian separatists sought out to construct Womyn's land communities where they would be separate from men entirely. [4]

Criticisms

Lesbian separatist communities have been criticized for exclusionary policies towards transgender, bisexual, transsexual, and heterosexual women.[5][2] Usually, lesbian women are the only people permitted to be a part of these communities.[2] Womyn's lands have also been criticized for excluding women of color, and working-class lesbians.[4] In the past critics have outlined lesbian separatist communities as a privilege for the few who could afford the closed-off lifestyle[4].

Present Day Womyn's Land Communities

  • Hawk Hill Community Land Trust[12]
  • HOWL[12]
  • Sugar Loaf Women's Village[12]
  • Alapine[2]
  • Camp Sister Spirit[2]

See Also

References

  1. ^ a b Levy, Ariel (March 2, 2009). "Lesbian Nation". The New Yorker. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Kershaw, Sarah (2009-01-30). "Lesbian Communities Struggle to Stay Vital to a New Generation". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  3. ^ a b c Bess, Gabby (October 13, 2015). "No Man's Land: How to Build a Feminist Utopia". Broadly. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Shugar, Dana R. (1995). Separatism and Women's Community. Lincoln: U of Nebraska. pp. xi-50.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Browne, Kath (2009). "Womyn's separatist spaces: rethinking spaces of difference and exclusion". Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. 34 (4): 541–556. doi:10.1111/j.1475-5661.2009.00361.x. JSTOR 40270736.
  6. ^ a b c "What Is Radical Feminism?". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
  7. ^ a b Echols, Alice (1989). Daring to be Bad. United States of America: University of Minnesota Press. pp. 6–7. ISBN 0-8166-1786-4.
  8. ^ "Redstockings: Pioneering Radical Feminist Group". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  9. ^ Thomas, June (2016-05-06). "The National Register of Historic Places Adds Its First Lesbian Landmark". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  10. ^ a b Frye, Marilyn (1983). "Some Reflections on Separatism and Power." The Politics of Reality: Essays in Feminist Theory. Crossing Press.
  11. ^ Dunbar-Ortiz, Roxanne. “No More Fun and Games: A Journal of Female Liberation (v. 1, No. 1).” Duke Digital Collections.
  12. ^ a b c "Who's Killing the Women's Land Movement?". Vice. Retrieved 2017-04-27.
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