Deep Green Resistance has refrained from making any statement in regards to the circumstances under which Aric McBay left the organization to date. This decision was made on the basis that it would be unhelpful to resistance efforts in general and also because DGR did not wish to speak badly of him.
Because he has now chosen to publicly make statements that do not reflect the actual events of his departure, DGR is issuing the following statement.
Aric McBay was part of a small, unsuccessful effort to oust both Lierre Keith and Derrick Jensen from the organization. The entire staff and many of the members resisted this attempt.
DGR's stance on women's spaces was only one issue on the table among others at this time. It was the women of DGR who made the decision to keep women's spaces for women only. It was not decided by Derrick Jensen or Lierre Keith. The assertion that this was policy handed down from them is a lie.
Aric was part of a conference call about this subject and chose to say nothing. He left the organization soon after, taking a large sum of DGR money for work he had not done and which he has yet to pay back. His only comment was that there was a lack of transparency in decision making. Until that point the majority of decisions had been made by himself and a co-coordinator.
It is clear that Aric's departure was for the best. Feminist politics, including the right of women to define their own spaces, is central to our work. Anyone who does not respect the choices of women does not belong in DGR.
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I accept that dgr isn't transphobic but I'm a bit unclear as to what it means when the women in dgr say that women's safe spaces are for women only. Does that mean that trans women can't be part of that? If so my criticism is that surely trans women are also women? I know one of your activists did say that trans women still have male privilege and to be honest I found that stance to be a bit nieve, because I know trans women who still face street harassment, objectification and sexual assult. I was just wondering if there could be more clarification on the things I've mentioned. Thank you for your time.
ReplyDeleteYour definition of a woman is someone who faces "street harassment, objectivization and sexual assault"? I was born female 78 years ago & have faced all those things but am not in any way defined by them. My sense of self as female is my own self, not my clothes, my hairstyle, and especially not my victimhood. Trans"women" choose to be the victims I & my sisters fought against 40 years ago & still refuse to be. Trans"women" embrace sniveling victimhood & women mollycoddle them as women always do sniveling men. Proof positive these trans are men. You'd never coddle a sniveling woman.
DeletePaula