Radical Women - U.S.

10/14/2026

Clara Fraser on the optimism of having a radical perspective.

10/10/2026

RW speaks out against s*xual violence from Ithaca to Palestine!

"Elite institutions like Cornell and its fraternities are training grounds for the largely white and male bastions of wealth and government. Their exclusive boy-clubs breed a destructive male group-think environment.

"The problem is not limited to Cornell or the U.S. or just to individuals. Violence against women in war zones is escalating in recent years. It is part of how soldiers are turned into killing machines that terrorize civilians.

"And the U.S. is directly funding one of the worst offenders – the state of Israel. Israel uses horrific levels of s*xual torture against all genders and ages as it commits genocide in Gaza and the West Bank. It abuses women by denying them access to basic reproductive health care. All feminists need to speak out against Israel’s s*xual violence, which has been thoroughly documented by the Palestinian Feminist Collective in its report “A Predatory State.”

10/08/2026

Reforms don't last -- go for revolution for lasting change!

10/07/2026

Despite a supposed end to active warfare, the genocide in Gaza and attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank continue with impunity. Cut through the Zionist barrage this October 7 and read the real truth of Israel's use of s*xual violence in its attempt to destroy the Palestinian people.

A new report by the Palestinian Feminist Collective, supported by Progressive International, documenting Israel’s systematic use of s*xualized and gendered violence against Palestinians across decades of settler-colonial rule.

10/02/2026

Clara Fraser - a revolutionary woman for all seasons

09/23/2026

In response to the Turkish government's vicious crackdown on LGBTIQA+ organizations, Radical Women in Australia and the US joined 450 organizations in signing this open letter demanding that the criminalization stop and everyone detained to be immediately released.

The letter says: "These actions are part of a broader anti-gender politics rooted in patriarchy, aiming to control bodies, identities, and relationships. The struggles for LGBTI+ and women’s rights are interconnected, confronting the same patriarchal systems, and attacks on one strengthen attacks on all."

See the full statement here: https://wwhr.org/a-joint-international-call-from-more-than-450-organizations-stop-the-criminalisation-of-the-lgbti-movement-in-turkey/

In response to the Turkish government's vicious crackdown on LGBTIQA+ organisations across the country, Radical Women in Australia and the US were among the 450 organisations who signed this open letter demanding that the criminalisation stop and everyone detained to be immediately released.

The letter says: "These actions are part of a broader anti-gender politics rooted in patriarchy, aiming to control bodies, identities, and relationships. The struggles for LGBTI+ and women’s rights are interconnected, confronting the same patriarchal systems, and attacks on one strengthen attacks on all."

See the statement here:
https://wwhr.org/a-joint-international-call-from-more-than-450-organizations-stop-the-criminalisation-of-the-lgbti-movement-in-turkey/

09/10/2026

The Taliban: From Suppressing Protests to Their Official Prohibition – Women’s Resistance Continues

The difficult path of Afghan women toward attaining their fundamental rights has entered a new and more dangerous phase with the official ban on all forms of demonstrations. On August 22, 2026, the Taliban Ministry of Justice published the “Police Law”, Article Fifty of which explicitly states: “Any demonstration within the territory of Afghanistan is prohibited”. Prior to this, the Taliban had always suppressed peaceful protests and women’s demonstrations with gunfire and violence, but now, with this new law, they have declared it an openly prosecutable crime. Organizations such as Human Rights Watch have described this measure as “a ruthless step to suffocate the last remaining civil spaces.” Nevertheless, Afghan women have not abandoned their struggle; rather, they have transformed their tactics—moving from the streets to hidden spaces, from high-risk gatherings to symbolic and virtual actions, without relinquishing their demands.

1. The Taliban’s Narrative on the Ban

Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, in a press conference justifying this anti-democratic law, described demonstrations as “waste of time, damage to property, disorder, and promiscuity,” and emphasized that such actions “belong to societies that have separate laws and democratic systems”. In his view, under the Islamic system, people should directly convey their demands to the government and have no need for street gatherings. This narrative defines any public protest not as a civil right, but as an anomaly against the desired order. Article Fifty of the Police Law effectively removes all dissenting voices from the public sphere, turning the government into one that criminalizes the slightest discord.

2. Women: From the Streets to Hiding

With increasing pressures, holding any gathering in public spaces has become fraught with the risk of arrest, threats, and even death. Nonetheless, women protesters and the Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women (SMAW) have found new paths. They say: “Our protest is not just standing in the streets; we have changed our methods of struggle, but our will has not weakened and our goal has not changed”. They have now turned to smaller gatherings and enclosed spaces; while covering their faces to protect their identities, they hold up protest writings and slogans, and share images and videos on social media.

Alongside these online activities, graffiti on walls and symbolic actions have also become new forms of protest. Although these methods lack the impact of large-scale demonstrations, they show that the will to fight remains unbroken. The SMAW continues to struggle for the right to education, the right to work, the right to freedom of movement, the right to participate in society, the right to make decisions, the right to a future, and the right to a life of dignity without discrimination.

3. The EU Speaking of Human Rights, Yet Cooperating with the Taliban

On the other hand, the conduct of some Western countries stands in glaring contradiction to this grim reality. According to reports, European Union countries, particularly Germany, have intensified the deportation of Afghan asylum seekers, including families, and this year alone Germany has returned more than 200 Afghan refugees to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. This comes at a time when the Taliban continue to impose the harshest restrictions on women, and the protest ban is the latest link in the chain of repression and death.

This policy raises fundamental questions: Are these countries genuinely committed to democratic values and women’s rights, or do political interests and migration control take precedence over every moral and humanitarian principle? Deporting asylum seekers to a land where their security and basic rights are clearly violated not only contravenes human rights standards but also effectively lends covert legitimacy to the Taliban. When cooperation with the Taliban on border control expands simultaneously with the suppression of women, the message is clear: Afghan women’s rights have become a tradeable commodity in the face of Western countries’ interests.

4. Women’s Struggle Continues

The Taliban’s ban on demonstrations, although it will severely restrict collective action, can never break the will of Afghanistan’s Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women. They will shift from street protests to covert and underground resistance in order to reclaim their rights. They will use every possible means to raise their voices and protest against the Taliban’s gender apartheid regime, proving that changing methods of struggle never means surrender or abandoning objectives. In this, Afghan women need the solidarity of progressive women around the world and defenders of women’s rights. We call on the EU and the international community to abandon double standards, to stand united against repression, and instead of normalizing relations with the Taliban, to hold them accountable for violating women’s rights. Otherwise, history will judge not only the oppressors but also those who remain silent and those who engage in expedient deals.

The Spontaneous Movement of Afghan Women (SMAW)
Afghanistan
[email protected]

09/09/2026

Democrats and moderate q***r organizations move further and further right and show willingness to throw transgender people under the bus. Unacceptable!!!

Equality Ohio gives Amy Acton a B after calling trans women men. HRC endorses multiple Democratic candidates who have taken major anti-trans votes. EITM investigates.

09/09/2026

A very important message for Labor Day -- remember and honor the leadership of Black women workers! By Triana Arnold James.

By Dr. Triana Arnold James

08/26/2026

On this 106th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that granted suffrage to U.S. women, we celebrate the hard-won gains by sisters of past generations and stand with calls to continue the fight to retain and expand voting rights.

While some may take the vote for granted, this basic requirement for democratic participation was only achieved for most people through sustained collective organized action. After decades of struggle, the 19th Amendment was passed by Congress in 1920, declaring that citizens cannot be disenfranchised from voting on the basis of s*x. In reality, that right was not realized for women of color for many more years. Although the 15th Amendment, which declared voters could not be disenfranchised on the basis of race, was passed decades earlier, that right was suppressed in many states due to racist barriers such as poll taxes, "literacy" tests, and domestic terrorism by groups like the K*K.

It was not until 1965 with passage of the Voting Rights Act (VRA) that many Black voters, including Black women, were finally able to exercise their right to participate in elections. However, it was only in 1975 that an amendment to the VRA specifically guaranteed protections for Latina/o, Asian American, Native American and Native Alaskan voters. The VRA finally reached its full strength in 1982, when Section 2 was amended by Congress to focus on disproportionate effects rather than the stated purpose of state voting laws. This change was vital for helping ensure that voices of color could be heard in the electoral system.

Unsurprisingly, these advances have been intolerable to reactionaries, fascists, and white nationalists. Unequal representation benefits the rich and powerful. And so they have long conspired to seize back gains won by and for the diverse U.S. working class. From the initial passage of the VRA, they have repeatedly challenged it. Under the leadership of Chief Justice John Roberts, the U.S. Supreme Court has been only too willing to weaken the VRA. Through successive rulings, with the most damaging coming earlier this year, the high court has effectively nullified Section 2 of the VRA, allowing partisan gerrymandering to wash out districts with majority Black and brown voters.

Efforts are also underway to restrict or eliminate mail-in voting, which most people use. Mail-in ballots allow voters to make informed choices at times that work best with their schedules. Working people, rural residents, parents, people with disabilities, and elders often face barriers getting to the polls or can’t wait hours in line to cast their vote. Clearly, a forced return to in-person voting is designed to further reduce participation by the less privileged.

Meanwhile, many right-wing think tanks and so-called "edge lords" (who say extreme things as a "joke" to try to move the frame of what is considered acceptable) spout views that women as a whole should no longer be allowed to vote! Others espouse a more "moderate" view that each household should have a single vote rather allowing individual, potentially conflicting, votes! They never clearly define their concept of "household,” which is also concerning since these same reactionary influencers promote patriarchal families and heteros*xual marriage.

SAVE THE VOTE BY MOBILIZING OUTSIDE THE BALLOT BOX

In response to these grave threats, many people are placing their hopes in the outcome of the midterm elections this November – an imprudent strategy, fully promoted by NGOs and moderates. Perhaps they forget that when Democrats controlled the Executive and both chambers of Congress they still failed to pass the John R. Lewis voting rights act in 2021 -- after the right-wing January 6th riots! It is also quite clear that we cannot rely on the courts to preserve voting rights.

What’s the alternative? Feminist activists can take inspiration from our suffragist and civil rights forebears. They found little gain from petitioning representatives, so they moved to organize direct action. Now as then, our voices are not limited to biannual elections -- we can picket, hold sit-ins, strike, and more!

Recall that suffragists were not only upper-crust Victorian women parading down the street in sashes. Women of all backgrounds were part of the movement, and many were involved in other movements as well -- including abolition and workers' rights. The importance of these causes motivated them to fight for the vote. They picketed and some even chained themselves to the fence of the White House to dramatize their resolve.

In this moment more than ever, we need to look to the lessons of the past as we organize for the future. It is not through elected representation alone that we exercise our views. We must organize and fight to make change. To not only protect and expand the right to vote, but to also strengthen and expand the civil rights and liberties under attack. And to create a world where women workers and allies hold the power, not corporate elites and billionaires.