{"id":16890,"date":"2013-03-08T20:49:08","date_gmt":"2013-03-09T01:49:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theredphoenixapl.org\/?p=16890"},"modified":"2013-03-08T20:49:08","modified_gmt":"2013-03-09T01:49:08","slug":"the-american-party-of-labor-celebrates-international-womens-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redphoenix.news\/es\/2013\/03\/the-american-party-of-labor-celebrates-international-womens-day\/","title":{"rendered":"The American Party of Labor Celebrates International Women\u2019s Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Comrades around the world!<\/span><\/p>\n

Today we celebrate March 8th, International Women\u2019s Day. We reaffirm that the link between women\u2019s liberation and total human emancipation from exploitation is unbreakable, and that we cannot have one without the other. To speak about revolution and the creation of a new society while ignoring the oppression of women is to march into battle at less than half strength.<\/span><\/p>\n

Why is it so important that we make this affirmation on this day? In recent years many women have been justifiably put off by what shall hereby be referred to as the \u201cleft,\u201d including some self-proclaimed socialist or communist organizations, due to numerous failures to demonstrate a proper attitude towards women\u2019s liberation and proper behavior towards female comrades. In some cases, female activists have reported being marginalized and objectified, while in the more severe cases reports of sexual assaults have been inexcusably suppressed and victims intimidated, all for the sake of maintaining the integrity of the organization, as if an organization which ignores sexual harassment and even assault in its ranks could ever truly have the integrity that a revolution would inevitably require.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this shameful series of failures on the part of self-proclaimed progressive forces, many groups and organizations have taken up a line on prostitution which only serves to justify and perpetuate patriarchy, as well as enrich the worst among capitalists. No matter how many reasoned arguments are made to refute their claims that prostitution is not \u201cwork like any other form of work,\u201d and no matter how much evidence is mustered to show that legalized prostitution has failed to improve the lives of prostituted women while encouraging men to use women as they see fit, these \u201cleftists\u201d continue to insist that legalization of prostitution is the only possible road.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the major causes of these problems stems from what is an unfortunately very popular and vulgar belief, namely the idea that issues like women\u2019s liberation must be put on hold until after the revolution, after the overthrow of capitalism. While it is true that the full liberation of women cannot be achieved so long as society is divided into hostile classes, this does not mean that revolutionaries, and in particular male revolutionaries, have no responsibility to wage a daily struggle against the oppression of women. If nowhere else, any woman should be able to find respite from a hostile world within the ranks of the workers\u2019 movement. Once again, the primary burden of responsibility must inevitably fall on the shoulders of men in this regard. When we speak of women being oppressed, we must ask by whom are they oppressed, and the answer is men. This is not to be taken as a \u201cdivisive\u201d statement accusing men but rather an objective fact. And it is for this reason that male revolutionaries must constantly be mindful of their behavior and call out sexism and misogynistic behavior or ideas whenever they might appear, and more importantly resolutely sweep them out of our organizations and coalitions.<\/span><\/p>\n

On this day, International Women\u2019s Day, the American Party of Labor publicly proclaims its support for the following:<\/span><\/p>\n