Why GC?

These are the main reasons for me. Perhaps others will surface as I think about this more.

• I’m autistic. It’s difficult to generalise about autistics, but it’s safe to say we are legendary for having little tolerance of things which make no sense to us. That is certainly the case with me & gender.

• I hate injustice. I grew up in a fairly shitty environment. The continual injustice I was subjected to seared into me a glowing hatred of it by the age of eleven or twelve. I could see then that I was still pretty far back in the queue when the powerful were handing out shit. Women and girls nearly always had it worse whether or not they could conform to gender expectations. I tried but couldn’t: the result was violence. As I was being beaten or ostracised by other males, they would hurl slurs at me: queer, woman. As a teenager I got into punk and started reading animal rights, antiracist, anarchist, gay and radical feminist authors. They all helped me to understand my own situation and history: seeing how others’ sexism harmed me directly, and how it had poisoned me while still a child as I learned to imitate the oppressor. The simple justice of radical feminist analysis and demands was/is obvious.

• I owe my existence to women. Not just the chain of foremothers stretching back to our species' beginning: women contributed most to who I am today. They gave me birth, worked to feed, clothe and shelter me, educated and loved me. Showed me how to do better at my job, often while apologising for helping me. Made me laugh and think. Set examples. Tolerated (mostly) my unthinking sexism, saw my cowardice when I failed to speak up for them. None of them are perfect: some have hurt me. But every one of them has suffered at the hands of sexist men. So much avoidable pain, untended talent, thankless labour, broken health and early death, so much injustice.

Why are you here?