Some Lazy Responses to “Some Questions To Be Addressed Before Milwaukee and the Bay”

  • September 19, 2024 1:51 am

This is a very lazy response to the recent piece “Some Questions To Be Addressed Before Milwaukee and the Bay”. I agree with most of the critiques about scene-iness and the resurgence of Bash Back! etc. What is disappointing about this piece is the criticism of the muay thai smoker,as it is clear that wither the report back from the smoker was not read or disregarded. In the report back from the smoker (https://anon.to/shxgbn), it is stated that the warehouse space that it was held in was squatted (i.e. not reserved). It also explains that the smoker was organized explicitly as not part of Bash Back!, in part due to similiar criticisms addressed in “Some Questions…”. I’m curious if/how this criticism changes with some of the points of critique also being critiques in the same vein. With the additional information presented by the report back in mind, these points fall flat. Of course the critique that the proles did not stroll in some orgy of riotous destruction where we fucked each other in the stench of gasoline atop the ashes of UPenn, falling like snow in the light breeze, as we caught the flickering of flames in the darkness of our comrades eyes… or whatever holds true. The smoker was a different girl tho, those weren’t her desires for that night, she doesn’t even go to UPenn. If one desires Bash Back!(TM), the secret is to really begin 😉

Some Questions To Be Addressed Before Milwaukee and the Bay

  • September 18, 2024 1:18 am

from Bash Back News

If we name a tendency, how do we make that tendency spread like fire? How can we make that tendency escape the dead-ends of liberal identity politics and/or academia and/or activism? How will we find commonality with forms-of-life that bash back? How can we make this world explode?

Is our violence of substance or of image? Are we joking when we write about violence?

What is meant by that picture of beautiful people holding baseball bats and sledge hammers? Is this symbolism? Is it real? Does it mean anything to bash back?

-Some Questions to be Addressed Before the 2010 Bash Back! Convergence in Denver

The return of Bash Back! in the fall of 2023 with its international convergence in Chicago (the first of its kind in roughly fifteen years) excited and drew in many queer anarchists and anti-authoritarians with promises of ‘orgies and riots’; not a mere reunion, but seemingly a return to form for the networktendencyganghoweveryouwanttoconceiveofit. And while, in many cases, Chicago set a good tone for the nature of what Bash Back! was to mean in the new context in which we find ourselves, it is important that we continue to be very clear and intentional about what exactly we mean when we say “Bash Back!” and when we talk about being violent faggots. We must not let ourselves be so overcome with the glamour and excitement of “doing a bash back” that we lose sight of what this means, or rather, what it could (or should?) mean: sheer, unrelenting, anti-social conflictuality. It would be both counterproductive, misleading, and to some, demoralizing, to take on the image of “orgies and riots” and bring forth only parties, dances, and otherwise chill hangs.

We are not inherently subversive simply through our identities as queers, trannies, faggots, anarchists, punks, dykes, or any combination therein. To accept this, even tacitly, is to accept the liberal identity politics of those we supposedly seek to destroy, to simply want our own aesthetically cool and edgy subcultural niche within this industrial death march called civilization and its society. Do our desires begin and end with an endless trawl of “anarchist” dance parties, galas, fashion shows, raves, or private warehouse sex parties (even if they are fun!). If they are indeed present, what of our desires to see this society destroyed and this civilization reduced to ashes under our feet? When will we trade mere subculture for an anti-culture, one foaming at the mouth for war; one that seeks to ravage the social order, one with a wild fuse, seeking to blow itself up at any moment? For how long will we settle merely for campfires on the rave pier while deferring to set them in the streets, the banks, the factories, the prisons? Are we to simply throw parties until the next wave of social unrest comes, or will we be that social unrest?

Before going on, it must be stated clearly: this critique is written with the utmost love, respect, and appreciation to those who organized the Northeastern Bash Back! Regional convergence in Philadelphia this past spring. Taking on organizing a regional Bash Back! convergence is a massive organizational undertaking to say the least, and there is a ton of work that must go into planning and putting on something like that! And for that, many thanks and kudos go out those who made it happen, especially in the short order that it occurred after the Chicago convergence and the proceeding call for regional convergences. However, in the rush, excitement, and stress of putting on something like this and asking the logistical questions of “how, when, who, and what,” it is easy to forget to ask “Why?” Once again, what does it mean for us to “Bash Back!”?

“Is our violence of substance or of image?” When the queer anarchist Muay Thai smoker is happening and at least one hundred of us collectively chant “A-, Anti, Anticapitalista”, “1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Fuck 12!”, and “Death to America, Death to Israel!” between rounds in the safety of the reserved warehouse space, the painfully liberal UPenn encampment sleeps quietly on the university lawn two miles away. What if this clear sense of rage, conviction, and unity of purpose in our chants was channeled into an opportunity for a surprise attack against the university, its presumably vulnerable and unsuspecting police forces, or the upscale businesses surrounding the university? What could it have meant to turn the joy of the fight club into the jouissance of a rampage? This is not to imply that the Philly organizers simply did not care about the conflictual and insurrectionary nature of Bash Back!, and in fact, they probably wanted people to bring said energy. Unfortunately though, this energy is not always as spontaneous as we would like. Moreover, it didn’t help that any nods to these insurrectional desires were literally tacked-on at the back end of the daily schedule. In the information zines handed out at the convergence, listed after every day’s events was the following: “11PM–Late: Autonomously Organized Late Night Fun.” Although the implication and intentionality was somewhat clear, the actualization was far from so. This led many interested parties to confusedly wander around the convergence, asking any Philly BB!ers they could find if there was anything that was actually planned for that night, or even if anyone knew of any particularly relevant or vulnerable targets (which were also notably absent from the distributed zine). Such inqueries were usually met with, “Oh, I think they are just expecting people to go do stuff on their own.” Of course, by this point, it was much too late for anyone from out of town to plan and carry out anything substantial. Regardless of the organizers’ intentions, it seemed that any real conflictuality had taken a backseat to hangouts, parties, dances, and movie screenings. To be clear: to realistically expect out-of-towners, many of whom may have never lived in Philadelphia for any period of time, with comparatively little (or completely nonexistent) knowledge of the political, social, or literal terrain to autonomously organize “late night fun,” is at very best a severe miscalculation and at worst, utter laziness.

Others have guessed that this omission of conflictuality may have been actually been intentional, with some organizers prioritizing a need to “rest and recuperate.” Considering the current political climate, this desire, and others like it that focus on ~building connections~ and networking for bigger, more confrontational (and more importantly, presently imaginary) encounters in the ~future~, seems both confusing and out of touch. There are so many others who continue to courageously and tirelessly fight in the here and now. And far be it from this critique to lay out a measured response to the increasing prevalence of the care-pilled “politics of rest and compassion” that seems to be further creeping into anarchist spaces, it is important to remind ourselves that this moment of re-emergence, especially in the context of all that surrounds us, is a critical one. A moment where it is up to us to decide if this thing will merely be consumed by the narcissistic myopia of subculture, and consequently cynically recuperated liberal identity politicians and grifters parroting lines about “Queers Bashing Back” until they or their audiences tire of the fashion. Or, does it instead take the anti-social turn of a destructive, unnameable, nihilistic queerness that truly destabilizes the nature of identity and the social order, refusing the repackaging of its violence into mere aesthetics, its lust for incendiary jouissance into a social nightlife, its negativity into “mutual aid projects”?

“If we name a tendency, what does it mean to make that tendency spread like fire?”

Philly Fight Night: A Report-back from a recent Anarchist Muay Thai Smoker in the United States

  • May 22, 2024 1:36 am

from Bash Back News

Introduction

On April 27, 2024 during the Northeast Regional Bash Back! Convergence, anarchists with an affinity for Muay Thai held an explicitly anarchist Muay Thai smoker (unsanctioned Muay Thai fight). This smoker was however organized as explicitly separate from Bash Back!

The idea to have an anarchist smoker in Philadelphia has been floating around for at least a few years now. A project that recently went semi-public in the city, Balagoon Boxing club (https://phlanticap.noblogs.org/balagoon-boxing-club-zine/), has interacted with other Muay Thai projects in the U.S. ,Canada, and Mexico which inspired some to host a smoker and get U.S A-team fight culture off the ground. Balagoon Boxing Club was in part galvanized as a counter to the rise of fascist fight culture, and for one thing knew we could put their shitty little smokers to shame
so we did. With people ostensibly coming from out of town to Philly for the BB! Convergence, we put the word out amongst our networks that there would be a smoker that weekend.

 

Bringing some violence to the weekend a crew showed up 2 hrs before the event to prepare a squatted warehouse room for a fight. This involved posing signage and placing glow sticks on the path for people to make their way to the event. It involved some final cleaning tasks, setting up table, chairs, sound and DJ equipment, mats for fighting, lights, etc. The mats we used were puzzle piece mats. The crew who helped put the thing on were so fucking helpful and we’re so thankful for each of their contributions. Fighters started trickling in and assembling in another space, here they could get changed, wrap their hands, and do pad work.

There were 10 fighters, so 5 fights. 8 fighters were local and 2 were from out of town. One of the out of town fighters was a last minute replacement, so we want to give a special thanks to them for stepping up and fighting hard. Organizationally, we aimed for each fighter to have 2 corners, one with more fight knowledge and one to give them water. We had a referee (who did a great job), a DJ (who also did a great job), a timekeeper (who did a great job, as well) with a sick custom bell, and a phenomenal announcer in a balaclava and bright orange suit. There was some rave lighting setting the mood. A black anarchist flag hung on the wall, as did a trans pirate cat flag. Each fighter was announced and walked out to a song of their choosing. Each fight consisted of three 3 minute rounds. It was so cute, incredibly fun, and the energy was fucking HIGH. There were about 100 people in attendance, people were crammed in and standing on the window sills. The crowd was screaming their heads off, heckling, chanting anti- police chants, it was so cute. The fights were all phenomenal, everyone did such a great job with their fights. Unfortunately, one person did get injured, thankfully our wonderful medical person was able to help them out. All in all, the event went better than expected, it was amazing. Afterwards, we cleaned up and left no trace that we were there.

To get a different angle on the fight, we had people write their perspectives on the smoker as attendees from outta town, fighters, members of Balagoon Boxing Gym, organizers and observers. These quotes are inspiring and speak to the energy at the event as well as broader theoretical and practical considerations for anarchists.

Some Perspectives on the Smoker

“The smoker was probably the highest energy I’ve felt at an anarchist event that wasn’t a protest or riot. I came away with a new sense of what it means to respect someone in a competitive setting. It was refreshing to switch things up after so many bookfairs. I was surprised at how nervous I initially felt waiting to fight. I’m looking forward to whenever the next one is!” – S, Philly

“The smoker was easily the highlight of bb weekend for me. As a fighter, it’s rare to get to be in martial arts or combat spaces where I don’t have to question my safety, and it was such a joy to be sharing that space with other people. Since lockdown, I’ve been grieving a specific category of social space– being alone with other people in dark spaces (think: live music, movie theatres, etc). The smoker was that space at its very best: here was a group of fucking freaks and weirdos expressing and appreciating aggression together, from the fighters giving their all on the mats or folks hootin’ and hollerin’ out from the very packed, standing-room-only crowd. It was beautiful to get to witness and celebrate other fighters that night. You could see how much work and consideration had gone into things to cultivate that night– you could see it in the boxing bell and the walk-on music and the extremely sick shirt designs, but also in the on-call medics, and the pride and care the fighters had for each other. You could see the hours spent building relationships with each other, you could hear the hard conversations folks had on consent and conflict, you could smell the sweat getting cleaned off the mats and gear and bags after every practice session. As an anarchist, these are the kinds of disciplines and commitments and socialities we need to be practicing all the time, and the smoker was such a fucking fun way to remember how to do it.” – m, chi

“The smoker was incredibly rewarding for me. Both because the event was a huge success in itself but also because it felt like the culmination of over a decade of growth in the radical fight training community in Philly. There was a time when @ fight training was 2 or 3 people in a park or lava with some gloves and maybe a set of pads. It was irregular and unfocused and that was reflected in our capacity (or lack thereof) in the streets. Now in Philly there are several independent clubs and training crews and of course our gym and that feels amazing. Hope that momentum continues here and in other places” – T, Philly

“I thought that the Philly smoker was incredibly invigorating. The night ended with an immeasurable high, and I’m glad I took part in it. I hadn’t intended to; when the event was announced, I considered it, but didn’t feel that my year of training was enough to feel confident in taking a fight with such a spectacle around it. But when someone canceled day-of, I decided to take a fight anyway. I’m not a boxer, and my sparse Muay Thai training, while strike-dominant, did not prepare me for a boxing match. Some of the technical skills of Muay Thai actually put me at a disadvantage for a boxing fight.

I’ve been training consistently about 2 days a week for a year, in a similar type of gym space as the Philly boxing club. I had tried in spurts in the past to train at a commercial gym, and with comrades, but it was inconsistent and short-lived. The commercial gym was far too expensive, and I rarely had the energy to attend consistently enough to make it worth it, as I was doing a lot of manual/domestic labor for work at the time. I think this is one of many reasons why a comrade gym is so important: most of us are broke and/or busy with a lot of other projects. But if we can eliminate the cost of maintaining a gym membership, it opens up a lot of space. Contributing to a comrade gym does take a lot of time and energy, but it can be a lot more rewarding than throwing money at or spending a lot of your time in a commercial gym that, at its best, can still be full of a lot of toxicity

I chose to fight last minute because I wanted to contribute to an event that friends/comrades had put a lot of work into-I wanted it to be as brimming as possible. It felt ridiculous and scary-I knew I was not going to ‘win’ by any measure of the word, and that it would be mostly a game of trying to leave the fight without a horrible concussion. I also chose to do it for personal reasons, mostly that an intense perfectionist mindset kept me from training martial arts for years before I started. I think that being visible being bad at something is a deep challenge for a lot of people, and something that is especially ripe in anarchist spaces. But we only learn by doing! And I think that confronting fear, anxiety and an uncertainty about one’s capabilities is an important skill and experience to expose ourselves to. I also think that egos really negatively impact radical spaces, and it’s important to constantly tamp down on our egos getting out of control. It’s good to take ourselves seriously a lot of the time, to understand the stakes of what we’re up against in this world, and the weight of it all, and also it’s sometimes useful to not take ourselves too seriously, to be able to laugh at ourselves and not be too beholden to maintaining a image or mystique of seriousness, militancy, whatever.

Learning to fight together is a great way to build friendships, trust, and potentially relationships of affinity. It’s definitely different to fight people you care about, because you have to learn a lot of control and calm to walk the line of proficiency and skill while also not going ham trying to destroy your friend. I definitely found myself having some chaotic preservation moments where I forgot my striking skills and was instead just trying to get my opponent the fuck away from me. And that happens sometimes in sparring but it went a lot more sloppy in the public fight (cool). It’s always way different than a street fight where anything goes; you have rules and the vibe isn’t destruction but skillfulness.

I’ve found that it’s actually way more difficult to be bad at things in front of my friends than it is total strangers. For that reason, a commercial gym is slightly appealing, but that appeal disintegrates when I’m exposed to the fat phobia, ableism and toxic masculinity of many commercial gyms. I like to create spaces where we can learn our limits and take breaks, but also try and push our limits a bit. Everyone is different, has different bodies and things that come up with exercise, fighting, social spaces, etc so I think it’s important to try to make a space that is as open as possible to being different. Sometimes we have to get over our own shit and just do the thing if we want to, or not. Not everyone is going to train and I think that’s totally fine. But it’s cool to open up the option as much a possible and it is a very important skill as this hell world grows worse. And sometimes it’s worth inspecting our internal world and seeing if it’s ego, fear or social anxiety that is keeping us from training, because hopefully that’s something we could try to work through a bit more. I think finding out what staying ‘fit’ or active means for our own bodies is worthwhile, and I think that exercise can be a generally positive way to manage difficult mental health struggles. Also, as a zine recently asserted, the downtime during waves of intensity can be really strange to navigate and keeping ourselves sharp and our relationships with one another connected as much as we can, is really wise.

For the most part the audience was very enthusiastic and supportive. People recognized that this is a very challenging thing to get up in front of people and do. And I saw intention put into encouraging both fighters during the match. Some of the people that were jerks were challenged and I think that’s tight. Before you talk shit, ask yourself if you would get into the ring. Ultimately, we are trying to craft a very different space than mainstream fight sports, so we always have to carry that with us. Maybe getting fixated on ‘dominating’ a friend/acquaintance in a fight, or trying to knock them out is worth challenging, while also understanding this is meant to be a test of training, and that it’s better to know our weaknesses in friendly company rather than on the street with our enemies.

I hope people’s excitement around the event can bolster enthusiasm for gathering with intention. Socializing can be nice, but I also think that building relationships through projects and skill building is really vital. Maybe not everyone is trying to fight train, but this can be a moment to recognize the effort that goes into these types of projects, and that if this isn’t your jam, that’s cool, but perhaps thinking about what it would be like to self-organize and create the type of project or event you want to see happening. I’m also really proud of my friends for their consistency in building the gym space, and seeing people put a bunch of time and energy into training, and to watch them put up such competitive fights; it was beautiful and inspiring.” – Paint Huffer, Indiana

“I walked into the smoker with some ambivalence and walked out with hella hope in my heart. I hate talking about hope because it feels manufactured sometimes and also pacifist but the type of hope I felt after the smoker was one that felt embodied. Literally. The smoker was a dope way to encourage relationship to bodily defense for anarchist and other radicals in the crowd. More smokers in more cities please!” – twig, Harlem

“After training for several years without having the intention of taking a fight, I jumped at the chance to do a smoker with friends and comrades. It felt like a relatively safe opportunity with a low barrier to entry that increased the accessibility, much like the gym spaces we respectively (and collectively) run. It was another opportunity to level up and grow together, after putting in a lot of work to increase our skills, and therefore having more to share with our collectives. The event itself was exciting, challenging, and a lot of fun to be a part of — and I hope it inspires more anarchists to train in combat sports. Doing difficult and somewhat dangerous things together is intimidating, but we are usually better for it, forging further trust and strength together — in addition to the potential practical application learning to physically fight affords us.” – C, Bloomington

“I think I really enjoyed the smoker because I think it gave me a goal to train and push myself for. I was also able to show everyone how much I improved when I fought. I think it was an important moment for anarchists in the United States culturally because it was an event that largely was attended by people from philly who aren’t coming exclusively from a niche anarchist subculture. Martial arts are widely practiced and super popular so there’s no reasons anarchists shouldn’t be doing them. I think co-training and a culture of fighting in anarchist spaces can lead us to having more confidence when it comes to confronting the police or other enemies. I think a smoker attracts a different group of people than a punk show or a reading group (not that those things are bad) so as someone who comes to anarchy not through subculture but through political and ethical utility for black struggle, this event felt really good. One of the best anarchist community events I’ve ever been to
maybe the best honestly. Like amazing contagious energy. We need these everywhere.” – A, West Philly

“I started doing muay thai with the boxing club in late summer of 2023; coinciding with witnessing the most documented genocide(s) of my lifetime and my exposure to insurrectionary anarchist spaces in Philly.

The potential for catatonic overwhelm and dissociation during this time is ripe; it’s become crucial for me to stay as grounded and responsive as capable. Over the past 9 months, my mentality towards strength and self defense has shifted significantly, along with the self-awareness to scale the intensity of my training while also knowing my limits. Though daunting at first, I’ve found a groove that works for me and have noticed many parallels between co-training in muay thai and insurrectionary anarchism.

Taking immediate action, practicing autonomy by defining my objectives, using unpredictable strategies while finding and creating openings in my opponent not only prepare me for a smoker, but also a potential conflict with an enemy. I’m grateful for the big nerds I’ve had a pleasure training with and proud of how well the smoker showcased what we have going on. S/O to all the hot trans fighters on gay tuesday ;)” – ~~~ philadelphia

“I’ve been thinking a lot about the smoker and what it means for anarchy/radical world, and while it was extremely beautiful to see everyone’s skills come to the front and to be able to showcase them, what really struck me was the way people threw down to make the actual event happen and how excited everyone was, in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. Like friends jumping in to make signs, be timekeeper with no experience, grab ice from the corner store, corner and making sure fighters were safe, take care of injuries with medic skills, help clean up after, make zines and tshirts to drop at the same time as the fight, etc. etc.. The excitement about doing something together was so palpable and makes me think a lot about how martial arts – while extremely transformative to learn as an art and practice on a personal level – can be so much more powerful as a social and interconnected activity that teaches us to look out for each other and also move/attack together. To me that deeply separates what we’re doing from a type of training that prioritizes a hyper-individualistic regimen of gains or individual strength or clout or whatever the fuck people train for. We’re learning to swarm dangerously.” – Temporary Muay Thai Autonomous Zone, Lenapehoking/Philly

“Attending the smoker was inspiring on multiple fronts. It was great seeing the fruits of years of peoples labor running the gym, training, and building with the local community. It’s rare to witness such tangible representations of people’s dedication and hard work and this was one of those moments. This felt especially important in light of the principles of the project. An anarchist project grounded in self defense and training up is neccesary for the work we want to do and one that also prioritizes queer and trans people is all the better. The project itself is incredible replicable and the zine they had available made this even more true.

Walking into the space felt like getting an instant snapshot into some of the amazing work happening in Philly. The energy at the actual smoker was electric. It was more high energy than some actions I’ve attended. There were chants in between rounds. The crowd was living for the fights. It felt like an honor to be there. It revealed something special about the capacity for anarchist social life.” – sangria, chicago

“The anarchist Muay Thai smoker in Philadelphia felt unprecedented. The energy in the room was electric, unlike any anarchist event I’ve personally been too in the States. People were chanting, cheering, absolutely overwhelmed with excitement. I’ve been to other radical fight gyms and combat sports events, I attended Friendly Fire Fight Club (FFFC) in Zurich, Switzerland. Despite there being twice as many people there than at the event in Philly, the Philly smoker had just as much of not more energy at times than in Zurich within the crowd. It’s relieving to see anarchists and community members enjoy each-other’s company and each-other’s violence. It’s a break from the monotony of endless workshops and seminars that accompany most regional anarchist assemblies, and a strong reminder of who we are by principle, fighters. I think these events are critical to further embrase a more physical practice within radical/militant spaces which I personally feel lack in their importance in the American context. Training is an absolute necessity (underline that shit!) and Philly demonstrated how it can bring us all together with more enthusiasm than endless and mostly useless conversations and semantics.” – Uzi, Raleigh North Carolina

“Between the pay to play model and the culture of gambling and placing bets on fighters, underground Muay Thai culture is usually heavily influenced by money. The underground space for the sport is historically so illegal bets can take place. On the other hand, sanctioned fights here in the West are unfamiliar territory to a lot of people. The training is long, fight camps and weight cuts are exhausting, and the amount of money you have to spend just to fight almost makes it not worth it.

There’s plenty of people who train Muay Thai here in Philly, wether at a “legit” gym or at Balagoon, who would have either never had the opportunity to fight, or wouldn’t want to put in the dedication needed for that experience. A lot of the anarchists here don’t train because of a love for the sport, they train for a variety of reasons that mostly have to do with just being more skilled at it than the Nazis and other white supremacists. (Not a hard task) – As one of the organizers and as the ref, I’m extremely impressed with all of the fighters, especially those who have only ever trained at Balagoon, which is just a bunch of anarchists getting together and sharing knowledge and experience, drilling and sparring. It’s proof that you can learn a combat sport outside of the coach to student model. Hosting a free smoker that felt that legit, and was that highly attended, I am so floored by. I saw so many faces I didn’t expect to see, that didn’t just come from the niche subculture of agro queer anarchists that were in town for Bash Back. This would have been a major success even if we didn’t host it on Bash Back weekend.
​​​​​​​
The energy in that room was electric. Reffing what was impressively clean Muay Thai, in a room full of outside agitators screaming anti capitalist and fuck 12 chants, felt like a movie. This was by far one of my favorite memories to date. I’m excited for the next one we put on, and for the future of the Anarchist Muay Thai scene. In Philadelphia and elsewhere.” – Meadow, West Philly

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“I’ve generally been skeptical of the resurgence of Bash Back!, both as a convergence and a tendency. The resurgence has seemed aesthetically performative in both communication and practice. My understanding of these convergences has been that they feed the scenes cannibalistic nature for drama and couple that with hangoutism and hedonism. Not knocking hanging out or hedonism, I just don’t understand why it needs to be linked to this largely performative politics. This just reproduces cliqueyness often brought up in critiques of insurrrectionary anarchism, rather than extending the Bash Back! Tendency into a meaningful space of practice. The cliqueyness wouldn’t be so egregious if the tendency was actually bashing back, but without the practice, the whole thing lands flat.

The smoker during the BB! convergence was in part a criticism by example. The event was explicitly not a part of Bash Back! As an insurrectionary gender glitch who trains Muay Thai, in part towards a capacity to do violence in the street, I was interested in a display of what that looks in contrast to the rhetorical performativity about it abound in the philly scene. If one is serious in their desire to act against civilization, the state, etc., from my perspective it is important to take appreciable steps toward being more prepared to do that. This could involve martial arts training, fire arms training, trauma medicine training, wilderness skills, etc. Training in these ways with people increases our collective ability to act against our enemies, building trust between comrades and trust in our own capabilities.

The smoker brought some insurrectionary queer violence to the weekend in spectacular fashion. It was incredibly satisfying to both bring an event like this into existence and to participate in it as a fighter. As an environment, we wanted the space to be what it was, a rowdy underground anarchist fight night, and it was just that in the most beautiful way. As a fighter, it was overwhelming, I basically went from running around setting up and cornering other fighters right into my fight without a warm up or anything. I was very pleased with my fight, my opponent was great and tough, it was a good skill match up and really pushed me to my limits. The energy of the event was really great, all of the other fighters did great, it was so nice to have seen people progress so much in their skills and have the confidence to display those skills in a very public way. Its an extraordinary pleasure to train with people at Balagoon, that space is one of the most consistent comfortable spaces in my life. We were hoping that more fighters from out of town would participate, those who did were friends from a gym Balagoon has a relationship with, which demonstrated the importance of our networks in making things happen. The event would not have been possible without our out of town friends. The energy in the space was amazing, the aesthetic plus the actual event came together in a really satisfying way. It was one of the most unique and satisfying anarchists events I have ever participated in or attended. I’ve fought in anarchist smokers elsewhere and the grittiness and aesthetic of the event here put on display what can be so novel and interesting in the anarchist space in Philly.

Unfortunately, I did not feel like I was able to appreciate the event as it was happening, doing all the other tasks during the event was distracting. However, it seems like people had a lot of fun and were really impressed by the event. The whole thing went way better than I could have expected and I can’t wait until the next one. I’m incredibly thankful towards everyone who made it happen.” – Anal Terror, Filthy

“The Muay Thai smoker was my most anticipated events from the Bash Back! weekend. The smoker was invigorating. The energy from the crowd, fighters, DJ, referee, and timekeeper was bouncing off the walls you could almost see it. It was one of the few events that weekend that felt like it had a strong projectality. Many events, workshops, and discussions at Bash Back! felt surface level and not grounded in the fact that anarchist should equip themselves with skills to be able to destory empire and the state. With a spotlight on combat, the smoker pushed the idea that anarchism should involve a form of consistent collective training, whether that’s muay thai, boxing, jiu-jitsu, fire arms, medical, or intellectually. As someone who use to train muay thai consistently, it inspired me to work on a collective fighting project with comrades in my city. I’m excited about an anarchist future where combat is a shared political project in more cities in the u.s.”

– Griot, The Dirty South

Closing

Culturally, we wanted to this event to be explicitly anarchist, so we did not invite fighters from a broader Muay Thai community to participate. Ideally, we would like more fighters from out of town to participate next time as well, events like this can add some flare to regional convergences or be ones in and of themselves. This event was really fun to put on in several ways. Training together and preparing each other for the fight was a great way to build comradery and trust amongst comrades. The mood of the space can be cultivated, we went with a squatted warehouse fight club aesthetic, the walk-ons were equal parts cute and hard, the announcing a mix of kayfabe kitschyness and stadium seriousness. The fights were real and serious. Such an event is amorphous, the shape it takes on is the sum of those putting it on and the directions in which they want to take it. Collective excitement has the potential to create moments and shift culture towards activity, hopefully this event will inspire more people to train in whatever skills they desire to have, whether that be martial arts or something else. Deviations from the reading group/skillshare/book fair ways that anarchists gather with each other can introduce new and interesting directions into the projectuality of anarchist culture.

Letter-writing for Marius Mason

  • April 23, 2024 1:35 am
from Philly ABC
marius-mason-letter-writing-2024.jpg

Join us on Monday April 29th, 6:30pm at Wooden Shoe Books as we complement the 2024 NE Bash Back Convergence in Philly with a letter writing for incarcerated transgender anarchist, environmentalist, and animal rights activist Marius Mason. Marius is currently serving an almost 22-year sentence for property damage conducted in defense of the planet.

After years of aboveground organizing for social movements in Indiana and Michigan, Marius embarked on a Earth Liberation Front sabotage campaign in the late 90s. In 1999, he set fire to a lab at the University of Michigan that researched genetically modified organisms (GMO) for Monsanto. Threatened with a life sentence, lacking financial stability, and wary of dragging his family into a costly legal battle, Marius pled guilty in 2009. At sentencing, the judge applied a terrorism enhancement, makng Marius’s sentence the harshest punishment levied on anyone convicted of environmental sabotage in the US to date. No one was ever harmed in any of his actions.

Marius lived and worked in the Detroit area for most of his life. Like the late Earth First! (EF!) organizer Judi Bari, he was part of a generation of radicals who worked to link the environmental and labor movements, and was jointly active in both EF! and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW). This alliance contributed vastly to the initial successes of the anti-globalization movement, including the 1999 anti-WTO demonstration in Seattle. Mason was an editor of the the Industrial Worker, and is also a musician. In 1999, he recorded “Not For Profit,” a neo-folk album with EF! comrade Darryl Cherney.

If you can’t join us in person this month, you can still write to Marius at the address below. Please review his current mail restrictions before drafting your letter.

Marius Mason -061
FMC Fort Worth
P.O. Box 15330
Fort Worth, TX 76119

We’ll also sign and send birthday cards to U.S.-held political prisoners with birthdays in May: Xinachtli (May 11th) and Kojo Bomani Sababu (May 27th).

Beautiful Boxer Screening Benefit for Balagoon Boxing Club 4/14

  • April 8, 2024 1:46 am

Submission


“Beautiful Boxer (2004), directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham, is the biopic of Muay Thai boxer Parinya Charoenphol, who pursued the sport to pay for her gender reassignment surgery.”

zine: Queer Voices from the Fight for Palestinian Liberation

  • November 24, 2023 1:34 am

from breaking patterns

This is a compilation of articles and other writings that I put together very quickly, because I needed a zine that explained pinkwashing and pushed back against the narrative that queer and trans people are invisible or nonexistent in the Palestinian struggle for liberation. Thank you again to those who suggested the articles, poetry, and resources.

contents:

A Liberatory Demand from Queers in Palestine

Gay Travel (or Music Makes the People Come Together)

Beyond Propaganda: Pinkwashing as Colonial Violence

Pride Month Is Isolating for Me as Silence About Violence in Palestine Continues

Moving towards Home

with anonymous stories from Queering the Map

READ ONLINE

PRINT

Calling on USians to Memorialize Jennifer Laude and call for American withdrawal from the Philippines

  • September 20, 2023 1:50 am

Submission

An Urgent Plea from the Philippines

Anonymous

To the brave comrades of Turtle Island:

Last year, we asked antifascists in the U.S. to act for us in commemorating our slain sister Jennifer Laude, killed by an American soldier. While there was some commemoration and remembrance of Jennifer Laude, this was done after her death anniversary on October 11 because the initial open letter calling for the commemoration initially fell on deaf ears. Earlier, Filipino/a/x autonomists, anarchists, and abolitionists in the so-called Philippines and its diasporas wrote an open letter asking US anti-fascists to resist the return of the murderer of Jennifer Laude to the United States, but his return was not resisted, and we received no report of any action protesting his return.

Let us review the facts for our comrades in Turtle Island:

Joseph Scott Pemberton committed a heinous hate crime by brutally murdering Jennifer Laude on October 11, 2014. Jennifer was murdered precisely because she was transgender, with Pemberton’s legal team even trying the so-called “trans panic” defense as a justification for her murder. The Philippine state appears to have sided with Pemberton’s excuse that Jennifer’s identity was a provocation in itself, inducing Pemberton to kill her. This defense frames Pemberton as the victim and sets a dangerous precedent for trans women in the archipelago and beyond.

Jennifer Laude is fondly remembered as a beautiful person who was confident in her identity and sexuality. She was well-loved by her family and friends and her nickname was “Ganda” meaning “beautiful.” However, Pemberton did not care for Jennifer Laude as a human being. He was unrepentant at his trial, even going so far as to dehumanize Jennifer Laude by referring to her as “it.”

Pemberton’s case was discussed again when the Philippine government considered him for an early release due to “good conduct” in early September, a charge that the Laude family questioned on the grounds that Pemberton could not have proved good behavior. Indeed, how could Pemberton have proven his “good conduct” if he had not interacted with any prisoner in his specially-designed cell?

The point is now moot, as Pemberton has received an absolute pardon from then-president Rodrigo Duterte. He can now walk free, absolved of any criminal liability. We have no doubt that the government of the United States has had a hand in Duterte’s granting of absolute pardon unto Pemberton.

As anti-fascists, we know all too well how the state employs a double standard in its policing between the privileged and the dispossessed. Pemberton’s whiteness protected him from facing any meaningful consequences, just as whiteness protected countless murderers in the so-called United States. His case has been rife with special treatment from the beginning, and his pardon from Duterte only confirms that. This murderer has known nothing but lenience and special treatment in his trial and during his imprisonment. He was detained separately during his trial and was the only occupant of a Camp Aguinaldo detainment facility that was specially constructed for him after his conviction. As the pandemic ripped through overcrowded prisons, the state in the Philippines dragged its feet on releasing non-violent offenders and condemned countless prisoners to a slow death by COVID-19. Yet the white man, the U.S. national, the violent offender, and a prisoner at no risk of contracting COVID-19 was the one prioritized for release. Upon his return to the so-called United States, the U.S. government went on record stating that the murderer would not face court-martial in the country.

The reason Pemberton’s whiteness protected him was due to the imperialized position of the Philippines in the U.S. empire. Since the U.S. invasion of the so-called Philippines in 1898, U.S. troops have enjoyed free rein in the archipelago. Pemberton was in the Philippines due to Balikatan, annual military exercises between U.S. and Philippine armed forces — a recurring program established following the ratification of the 1999 Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

The VFA is a reminder of the neocolonial presence of the United States in the Philippines. It allows for the presence of U.S. military personnel, aircraft, and vessels in the Philippines. It also complicates the custodial process for U.S. troops accused of committing crimes while in the archipelago. Though the Duterte administration moved to suspend the agreement earlier this year, Duterte reneged 3 months before pardoning Pemberton. Now, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. revived the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and its VFA, promising to use the Philippines as a base for American imperialist interests in Asia.

Militarization of the archipelago by U.S. troops has been correlated time and again with violence and sexual assault against women and sex workers. The violence that occurs at the intersections of racism, sexism, fetishization, and dehumanization is compounded for trans women who experience violence simply for being trans.

We anti-fascists already know that there is no justice to be had from the state, whether Philippine or American. This transphobic murderer continues to walk free as far as the states in the Philippines and the United States are concerned, so we reiterate our call to anti-fascists in the so-called United States to act.

While U.S. anti-fascists acted valiantly in response to the killing of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and stepped up and defended communities where the state willfully failed, we have heard very little to suggest that Filipino/a/x trans lives matter in response to the return of the murderer to his country.

It has been nine years since the murderer took Ganda away from her family. There is still time to make up for this injustice.

We are writing this letter to ask antifascists and radicals of all strips on Turtle Island to act where we Filipinos could not. When the Spanish colonial government suppressed our people and murdered José Rizal, the anarchist Michele Angiolillo assassinated the Spanish Prime Minister Antonio Cånovas del Castillo. When US President William McKinley conquered the Philippines and murdered our people by the thousands, he was assassinated in turn by anarchist Leon Czolgosz. We mention these examples of direct action not because we are asking you to kill the murderer of Laude, but rather to show you that the anarchist movement has historically acted where Filipinos cannot.

To be clear, we are not asking you to kill Joseph Scott Pemberton. As anarchists and abolitionists, we abhor such cycles of violence. Killing Pemberton will not bring Ganda back, nor will it be justice for the Trans and Queer comrades among us. What we want is this to never happen again. Do not allow Pemberton to forget the vile crime he committed. You must prevent Pemberton from committing harm again. You must petition Pemberton’s prospective universities and employers not to accept him because of his violent past. You must picket his home, workplaces, and schools with memorials to Jennifer Laude. You must reveal to the world what a hateful and spiteful little man he is. You must make his life hell.

In terms of social justice, you must organize for the United States to withdraw its military assets from our islands, the Philippines. Their hateful and imperialist military can never bring good to our country. The biggest reduction of sexual and intimate violence from American servicemen would be in terms of their total withdrawal from the Philippines.

Above all, we ask you to remember Jennifer Laude as a victim of white supremacy and include her in your commemorations of the victims of white supremacy. She must be spoken in the same sentences as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and all other victims of U.S. imperialism and police violence. Remember her as Ganda, kind, and generous. Remember her family as brave and steadfast in their demands for justice. While Jennifer’s story is not well known in the so-called United States, the injustice surrounding her case deserves your anger and solidarity.

Filipinos/as/xs have thundered that trans lives matter and for justice for Jennifer Laude, but we regret that our voices were not joined by U.S. anti-fascists. Ganda’s death anniversary is on October 11. We expect you to remember. We expect you to act.

In anger and solidarity,

Filipino/a/x autonomists, anarchists, and abolitionists in the so-called Philippines and its diasporas

Gender Fascist “Mom’s for Liberty” Conference Met with Resistance in Philadelphia

  • July 6, 2023 1:57 am

from It’s Going Down

Report from Philadelphia on the recent protests against the ‘Mom’s for Liberty’ conference.

What follows is a short blow-by-blow report from the streets of Philadelphia, as people turned out to shout down the gender fascist “Mom’s for Liberty” conference which saw speeches from both Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.

Thursday

 

Resistance to the far-Right and anti-LGBTQ+ conference started early with banner drops, an anarchist organized counter-march where graffiti slogans are written, and a direct action against a venue hosting Mom’s for Liberty attendees.

 

Friday

As the Mom’s 4 Liberty summit kicked off with their first day of meetings, the dance party outside enjoyed themselves with raucous joy. Despite an absurdly large police presence when Donald Trump arrived to speak, the partiers managed to hold the street in front of the Marriott for the day. With temperatures pushing 90 and and air quality advisory from the Canadian wildfires, revelers were encouraged to mask up, drink water, and take care of each other.

Speakers from Act Up Philadelphia, Indivisible and other local organizations spoke about the need for solidarity and compassion in the shadow of this most recent rise in fascism. Large groups of Philadelphians joined from simultaneous actions around the city including striking Starbucks workers and librarians and educators focused on keeping the Pride events at area libraries safe.

 

Reports from inside the Marriott shared that all of the speakers at the M4L summit mentioned the protests and door knockers were hung on room doors calling out the fascists meeting in the building. The message is getting across loud and clear that fascists are not welcome in Philly.

 

As attendees left the building, many with police escort, they were heckled and shouted at. Once again Philly showed that we are a city that will fight fiercely for each other. The party continues Saturday and Sunday, kicking off with a specifically tailored Children’s Protest from 11-1pm on Saturday and culminating in an amazing line up of local DJs.

 

Saturday

Saturday’s protests outside of the Marriott in Philadelphia began with a protest specifically tailored to youth. Coloring books, chalk, sign making equipment and a truck for the children to be able to climb on and look out over the demonstration made for a cheerful, exuberant family focused atmosphere.

While fascist dignitaries such as Dennis Prager and the IG account “transition_justice” attempted to argue with the protestors, most people kept up the joyous dancing in an effort to “Dance the Hate Away.” An impromptu line dancing workshop and the Drag Queen Gospel Choir kept protestor spirits high and showcased all that the incredible queer community has to offer.

Philadelphia pigs showed themselves to be more aggressive today and maintained an intimidating presence across the street in partial riot gear. In reality all they did was idle their trucks and busses in a tunnel next to signs that clearly said “no idling” and collect overtime.

Sunday is the fourth and final day of both the conference and demonstrations.

Sunday

As the fascist hate group Moms 4 Liberty wrapped up it’s final day here in Philadelphia, the dance party continued outside. Revelers took the block by 10am, dancing to classics and new beats alike. Cases of water, coffee, snacks and activities for kids kept the party vibes going. The skate ramp from the day before was rolled out and the people of Philadelphia continued to make it clear that hate and fear would be countered with love and joy.

At 11am five local activists took the intersection at 12th and Filbert outside of the iconic Reading Terminal Market. Chanting “Philly is a Trans City” and wearing large silkscreened patches that said “Protect Trans Kids,” the activists stayed focused and calm as police pushed and shoved them, arresting all five.

As the conference wrapped up and members checked out, more aggressive provocation came from the out of town attendees. Two M4L conference goers came running towards the barricades laughing and throwing tee shirts at the protesters. One of them was quickly and thoroughly egged by a protester, and walked back in with a look of shock that there had been a consequence to her action.

As some higher profile media activists strutted around wearing sandwich boards with bible quotes on them and videoing the protestors, a woman ran through the barricades waving a trans flag and dancing. She was brutally thrown to the ground by an officer and arrested. The incident was posted on several social media accounts owned by M4L attendees, celebrating the Philadelphia Police Department for serving as the front-line defending gender fascism.

 

All arrestees were cited and released, one received medical attention at a local hospital.

The Mom’s 4 Liberty fascists decided to come to Philly and definitely found out that Philly is a queer city.

photo: Kim Kelly via Twitter

Banner Drops Against Moms For Liberty

  • June 30, 2023 1:44 am

from Twitter

Banner drop over I-95 this morning. The M4L hate summit begins tonight with a opening reception at @AmRevMuseum. Show up at 5pm to, uh, “welcome” them. “Philly Protects Trans Kids” “Bad Things Happen to Fascists in Philadelphia”

Philadelphia: The Anti-Parent Turn: A report back from the art march

  • June 30, 2023 1:42 am

Submission

Tonight a group of around 20 people took to the streets to spread propaganda against the joyless losers and haters known as Moms for Liberty*. The march moved through Olde City toward the Museum of the American Revolution, which was hosting the opening reception for the Moms (booo!). They were being bused in from the bedbug ridden Marriott two blocks away because they’re too scared to walk through the city of brotherly love. Accompanied by a sound system and walking behind a banner reading “Revolt Against Misery + Moms (A)” the march put up posters and stickers, gave out fliers, and wrote graffiti. People joined the march as it went toward Center City. After passing the museum the march picked up a tail of two of Philadelphia’s swinest. The anarchists showed great professionalism and restraint to this affront to our freedom to be lawless vandals. After a couple more blocks the march dispersed without incident.
We appreciate everyone who came out to the march, especially the person who carried the sound system and the vandal with the cool handstyle. It’s been a while since anarchists were in the street like this, it felt like we were getting our bearings and relearning to move together despite a heavy police presence. We thought it was great that people talked to passersby, blocked traffic, and were looking out for each other during the march. The intent behind the march was to mobilize against Moms for Liberty, and create space for a smidge of crime while remaining relatively accessible, and to end America. We accomplished two of these three goals. Anarchist mobilizations in Philly can often feel intimidating and stressful, we’d like to get better at opening space for people to feel good, dance, chant, and grow confident in what we’re able to do together. Anarchy can be an expression of cathartic rage through which we feel fleeting moments of joy. We know this can be harder to do when we’re on federal property, surrounded by cops, in Olde City. We would love to hear about how other people felt about the march.

Death to birth! 😏
No future for hateful moms!
Long live mob vandalism!

xo
Moms for Anarchy — An informal organization of Baedan subscribers

*Moms for Liberty is a far-right organization that wields exceptional cultural and financial power over American politics. Their mask off brand of white supremacist, queerphobic, and transphobic genocidal beliefs and policy proposals increasingly shape the realities of daily life in the US. Pennsylvania has the second most chapters after Florida. Fuck em frfr!



Moms For Liberty Philly Welcome

  • June 30, 2023 1:40 am

Submission

The Museum of the American Revolution has decided that they are collaborators in the coming trans genocide. They are willingly hosting the welcoming reception for the anti LGBTQIA hate group “Moms for Liberty”, who are dedicated to banning books and raiding school boards and passing anti-trans legislation acorss the contry. They are a major force in the current wave of anti LGBTQIA hate, that they hope will escalate to the extermination of all queer people. They want us dead.

 

I decided to give them a warm Philly welcome by redecorating the museum where they will have their opening reception. The area was scouted and then messages were left on their walls and several windows were smashed. Their welcome to Philly will be boarded windows and the rage of everyone they wish to destroy. Collaborators will be held accountable.

 

It was incredibly easy to just go out alone and do this! But you should find your people, and do what has to be done for our survival.

Gayer Together

  • June 25, 2023 1:02 am

from Instagram

Please join us at Vox Populi on 6/30 for a double feature of MAGGOTS AND MEN (Cary Cronenwett, 2009, 53min) and LOOKING FOR LANGSTON (Isaac Julien, 1989, 42min). The first movie with more than 100 trans actors, retelling the story of a famed anarchist uprising, and a fantastical non-biopic about the queer life and times of Langston Hughes. Magical queer revisionist films on their own, but they’re Gayer Together. Friday June 30, 7:30pm, open captions, $5-10 sliding scale, no one turned away. 💜

Call For Action Against The Moms For Liberty Conference

  • June 10, 2023 1:14 am

Submission

This is an autonomous call for action against the Moms for Liberty conference that is happening from June 29th to July in Philadelphia at the Marriott Hotel.

To all anarchists, anti-authoritarians, revolutionaries, outlaws, militant queers, Black autonomists, and anyone who opposes the transphobic and racist agenda of the Moms for Liberty …let’s fight back! All out against fascism. All out against Moms for Liberty. They are one of the main organized groups using the public schools to attack queer and Black youth by banning educational materials related to our histories and taking over school boards in order to impose their racist and transphobic agenda.

There’s a long history of militant queer resistance. We need to draw from the legacy of STAR, Bash Back, Stonewall Rebellion and all queer militant history. We must draw a hard line in the sand against these trans-phobes and anyone who supports them. They are not welcome in Philly.

Two of the fascist demagogues, Trump and DeSantis will also be in attendance. Let’s mobilize in full force against them. As we gear up for another election year, it is deeply important to start building up our militant culture of resistance. No act is too small.

Moms for Liberty are our enemies. Instead of following leftist organizers with over-inflated egos, we encourage folks in Philly to take autonomous action. Gather some friends over dinner or in a park, talk amongst yourselves, and make some plans. We have so many tactics at our disposal. Get creative.
Consider this an invitation.

Let’s end Pride Month right!

Philly’s Downtown Marriott Protested for Hosting “Moms for Liberty” Conference

  • May 16, 2023 1:21 am

from Idavox

Group of protesters outside the Philadelphia Mariott opposing the upcoming "Moms for Liberty' conference.

The soon to be regular protest actions seek the hotel to follow the company’s anti-hate policies, cancel the conference, and raise awareness of “Moms for Liberty” adverse efforts on anti-masking, LGBTQ+ issues, book-banning, and racial education policy efforts. 

Innocent Bystander

PHILADELPHIA, PA — Various groups and political actors kicked-off protests and call-in action on Friday, May 12, to have the city’s downtown Marriott reverse its decision to host the neo-fascist group, Moms for Liberty June 29 – July 2.

The groups, such as ACT UP Philadelphia and UDTJ (Understanding. Devotion. Take Action. Justice.), along with others, protested the Marriott on the 1300 block of Filbert Street where the main entrance is located.

Several state legislators also wrote Marriott management, led by state senator Nikkil Saval, whose district includes this hotel. The exchange of letters and more is located here.

“Moms for Liberty” has come under increasing scrutiny not only for the national conference, but also for its right-wing astroturf funding,  complained-of threats by its members and its leadership.

And yet while the national leadership has not responded to questions and complaints, that didn’t stop the newly installed Philadelphia chapter leader — 46 year-old Sheila E. Armstrong — from complaining about not being interviewed by the Philadelphia Inquirer although the conference is a national matter.

[Twitter Link]

Moreover, if Armstrong’s name rings a bell, it should. Armstrong has run for local public office in recent years as a Democrat and Independent, and has been defeated in these efforts by a nearly 99 percent voting margin and by being knocked off the ballot. Not to be outdone by this, she was a paid staff member for the Mehmet Oz campaign for U.S. Senate where she and Oz were outed for deceptively manipulating supporter testimony as the campaign closed.

Armstrong is also a Philadelphia public school parent of two children, one of whom has been diagnosed with autism. This has served as a vehicle for for her serving on the the state’s Student Parent Advisory Council. Obviously, this is one of many oppositional tensions Armstrong faces while trying to intertwine as a local face for “Moms for Liberty.”

The next protest at the Downtown Marriott is scheduled for Friday, May 26th. The late afternoon time is to be determined.

Jennifer Thomas’ Alleged Financial Impropriety

  • May 3, 2023 1:30 am

from Jersey Counter-Info

In mid April 2023, Jennifer Thomas and other TERFs held a “women’s free speech rally” at the state capital, where they pushed transphobic rhetoric in an effort to further oppress imprisoned trans women.

While Thomas’ rally was unsuccessful, questions over her and her groups finances and use of funds raised from her base of sycophants sprang up in the days after the event. In a now deleted tweet, Thomas detailed her funding request prior to the rally, where she requested $2,000 in total for the rally in Trenton.

Thomas’ now deleted tweet detailing her funding request.

Thomas’ itemized request breakdown was: $500-$700 for one overnight Air bnb stay for her group, $200 for cookies to give cops at the rally, $200 for supplies (not specified), and $800 for travel expenses (not specified).

The initial request of funds was odd at best, seeing as Thomas has both family and friends in Central NJ and lives in Pennsylvania within driving distance to Trenton. The same also goes for Brittany Ortiz, who lives in Philadelphia, PA. Given they could have easily saved money on accommodations it’s strange Thomas requested such a large sum of money from her online supporters. Additionally, why did Thomas request $800 for transportation when virtually every TERF in attendance lives within a one to three hour driving distance from Trenton? Did Thomas really need almost five hundred dollars for “supplies” and “cookies4cops”?

Despite the questionable basis of her funding request though, Thomas’ actual use of expenses brings up more red flags and even more questions. Here’s the breakdown: in total Thomas raised $1,182 dollars out of a requested $2,000 from her GiveSendGo virtual fundraiser. Instead of spending $500-$700 for one night in an AirBnB, Thomas paid for four nights, for a price almost exactly equal to the funds raised.

There is considerable disparity between Thomas’ request for donations and her actual use of those funds.

As pictured above, the cost of Thomas’ AirBnB was not only much higher than she initially estimated, but was almost exactly the total amount fundraised. Rather than use the money like she had led donors to believe she would, she rented four nights at a house hardly a thirty minute drive from her own home, for an event that was only supposed to last a few hours.

Thomas requested $200 for “supplies”, to create signage for the rally, but demonstrated this to have been unnecessary. Despite having nothing left over after paying for the AirBnB, they appear to have been well-supplied. It remains unclear at this time whether the cops were forced to do without their cookies. Antifascists on the ground reported they did not spot any evidence of baked goods on site or in the possession of the cops.

Jennifer Thomas and fellow TERFs standing with their collection of homemade signs. It appears that they did not need donations for signage, despite soliciting donations under those very pretenses.

 

Thomas’ homemade sign, resting up against her white Dodge Challenger.

The discrepancies between Thomas’ request for funding and her actual use of those funds need more explanation than simple failure to meet the fundraising goal or unforeseen circumstances. Her gestures toward financial accountability, like posting breakdowns of planned expenditures and receipts, don’t hold up to the slightest scrutiny — no wonder she deleted the tweet. It’s hard to believe even her TERF supporters would have coughed up donations if they knew it was going to an excessive and unnecessary four-night stay. Surely Thomas agrees, or she’d have been up-front about that to begin with.

The most generous interpretation here is that she and her friends are making irresponsible use of donations; a more realistic interpretation is that they’re duping their supporters and stealing from them for personal enjoyment. Thomas’ motivation is unclear at this time but we wonder if she has connections/vested interest to whoever owns the AirBnB she booked.

We wouldn’t normally have a problem with someone stealing from TERFs, but it’s important to expose grifters like Thomas and her friends who are likely just using their followers. Don’t give this fraud your money.

-some antifascists