Taken from “Women-Only Spaces: An Alternative To Patriarchy”, (Formerly published at QuestioningTransgender.org) #
One part of the magic is the feeling of safety. With no men on the acres of land there is a lifting of the constant, subliminal fear of rape and harassment that I walk with all the other days of the year. In my everyday life, I rarely feel the effect of the constant worry or fear, yet I am immersed in it and it is part of me. When I walk my dog at night near my home I am worried. I look twice into the shadows by the school building. I listen for footsteps behind me. But at the festival, I often walk down the path or road in the dark with no flashlight, surrounded by moon shadows that contain no danger. Footsteps mean women are approaching, and I look forward to a friendly greeting. The tension that I had become inured to at home releases its grip on my chest and shoulders, and in its absence I finally feel free.
What makes a feminist space? One characteristic is the empowerment of women to work and make decisions in an egalitarian environment. Another is the acceptance of women’s bodies in all shapes, ages, sizes, and abilities. Feminist and feminist-related values must also be shared by the majority of people there: fair sharing of workloads and types of work, valuing nurturance and cooperation over aggression and competition, and working against sexism, racism, heterosexism, ageism, and classism.
From Feminist Reprise, by Jennie Ruby
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