Reclaiming our rights?

by Devil’s Food Cake

I remember the first Reclaim the Night march I ever went on. It was exhilarating and brilliant and I loved every second of it. We marched from Trafalgar Square to the University of London Union, on streets lined with drunk male chauvinists screaming rape jokes, drowning them out with our chants and our songs. It was powerful. It was a cold, cold night, but something in my warm, feminist heart lit up strong enough that I couldn’t feel a thing.

I also remember the year I stopped going to the Reclaim the Night marches. It was the year I became President of my LGBT and went off to a training conference, where we talked about trans issues. That was the year I found out that despite the fact that everyone, regardless of gender or birth-gender, could be a victim of domestic violence, of rape, of sexual violence, despite the fact that hatred is blind and destroys things indiscriminately, despite the fact that I, as a cis woman, could march through the streets singing and chanting and feeling for one night like the streets were safe for me, certain groups of women were purposely excluded from that march. The crime they committed for this alienation? They were not born physically women.

Now, I consider myself a massive feminist. I go on marches and organize debates and all that (or I did, at least, before I started working). But there’s something to me that’s so inherently wrong about a group discriminating within a group. I really feel that by having a policy that specifically targets a group of us, we’re in no way making the rest of us safer – instead, we’re splintering a group that should be standing together. Two years ago, witnesses reported two trans women being assaulted at the Oxford Reclaim the Night march – but it’s no surprise that even at an anti-violence protest, in an atmosphere where trans women are told they are not wanted and not welcome, that violence would be resorted to. Besides, fostering an attitude that appears to condone transphobia only serves to send the message that to be transphobic is okay. And it’s not.

And don’t get me started on the rest of it. The organizer’s policy of excluding men entirely is another thing I find slightly appalling (like, what? Women don’t get violent? There’s no violence in LBT women’s relationships? And how can we exclude the very group of people whose minds we’re trying to change?).

Now the organizers have their reasons. In the words of a friend and fellow activist, by actively rejecting trans inclusion they risk upsetting progressive feminists, but if they openly say the march is trans inclusive they know they might put off some radical feminists who are very much opposed to the idea. As such, they’ve not *explicitly* excluded trans women for the past few years, but have been extremely agnostic when challenged on the issue.

Needless to say, I haven’t marched with Reclaim the Night for a very long time. But this year’s march, on the 21st of November, may be different. For one, according to Ruth Pearce and Elly James, two members of the NUS Women’s Committee, the NUS Women’s Campaign has only agreed to link up with the march organizers this year if they can advertise the event as being trans-inclusive and there are no transphobic speakers at the rally after the march. And also, from what I understand, a wonderful group of trans women (and trans men?) will be marching as well – regardless of the fact that they have been refused explicit  permission to march. I know where I’ll be.

Have you marched with Reclaim the Night? What do you think about the organizer’s policy towards trans women?

If you’re interested in going to the march, see details here.

And if you need something fun and inclusive to do after, don’t forget The Most Cake launch is after the march, starting at 9 pm. Details here.