[Demancs or 1. Equal pay for equal 2.Equal…]

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Demancs or 1. Equal pay for equal 2.Equal education 3. Free contraception abortion on demand. 4. Free 24 hour nurseries. 5. Legal and financial nation against lesbians. 7. Freedom for all women or sexual coercion. I or exual coercion less of marital An end to all laws amptions and instil which perpetuate dominance and apression towards u Equal work.

opportunities.

independence edom for all intimidation of or use of lovement women the iolence 'egara -status.

asstutions male male EVELYN Reed wrote 'Problems of Women's Liberation' as the revival of the Women's Liberation Movement burst on to the scene in America in the late 60's. It is a series of articles which were originally lectures given to women's groups.

Through a study of history it becomes clear that women were once influential and if not equal then dominant: only with class society does this situation change. The problems suffered by women in the twentieth century did not exist before class society came into existence and robbed them of their high position and equality they once enjoyed 1n primitive society?

Reed very ably demonstrates the once vital role played by women, and the conscientious work of anthropologists and historians in covering this up. This aspect of the book is very inspiring as it does away with the myths that history has been made by men and men only.

Ironically the power women enjoyed seems to have come from their child-bearing functions, one of the reasons given in a capitalist society to account for women's inferior status.

Reed' S enlightening study of women's central place in shaping history makes fascinating reading: the conclusions she draws are stunning in their condemnation of class society, especially capitalist society.

Reed's analysis of the root cause of women's oppression leads her to understand the nuclear family as the institution which ensnares women. As private property became important, SO women became trapped in monogomous marnages. The nuclear family structure was necessary for men to ensure property was passed on to the rightful male heir.

• LUV Reed believes that the overthrow of capitalist society will im nediately remove all the problems presently faced by women.

Sexist

It would be nice if that was all there was to it. After centuries of capitalism, the view of womer as mere chattels that the capitalists began has been taken aboard by many workers. So surely sexist attitudes and behaviour are certain to persist even after the revolution?

Benefit

Reed writes that women must make the first move to liberate themselves and this will re-educate the men who have been brainwashed into believing women are inferior.

I wish it were that simple. Yes, Reed's right, as women we can only liberate ourselves. But she forgets that in the structures and ideas of capitalist society all men benefit. The left must grasp this fact too; and respond. Overthrowing the bourgcoisie will create the possibilities for liberating women, women overthrowing men's rule too will liberate us.

CHRIS ALLAN, Tood zur ti Durbaro YS: 41 tom a Li

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first conference for Labour women tions and launched the demands for major refweld the women's sections into a force that can lead conference, on November 27th, will be looking at. Register Nowl OU'AT doll LAST month the Women's Campaign for Jobs discussed what we should be doing next. We had to decide what campaigns to take up and what major national events to stage.

The Conference wanted to find a way of reaching unemployed women, particularly those women isolated in the home. And we felt that a campaign against the new UB 671 availability for work' forms which discriminate against mothers (but not, of course, fathers) would be a good way of doing this.

Action We talked about holding a national Tribunal' - where women could come and give evidence about women's unemployment and discrimination, to gain publicity. But we wanted to give a voice to all women, and so felt that the Tribunal would not be right, because the evidence would probably be given by famous' women, who already have a voice.

So we decided to hold a 'Women's March tor Jobs'.

This march will go through towns where women in the Labour movement will be organising meetings, rallies and receptions for us to go to.

Democratic

We'll be more democratic and political than the People's March: we won't waste time walking down country lanes either. And we won't take detours to avoid meeting sisters in dispute!

For the March to win the support of the labour movement, we've got to win the political arguments. HARASSMENT of homosexual men and women takes many forms and crosses class lines.

From earliest days we are conditioned to think and act straight. Gay youth more than most feel the weight of this burden, at school and on the streets. It takes a great deal of courage to break out.

Blatant

Two of the more blatant forms of harassment that we always face are police harassment and the journalistic harassment from the daily scandal sheets.

"Thomas Smith left a group of men and approached another standing nearby. "Offering him a relationship of a sexual nature," a West London court heard. But unfortunately for him, the man was a plain clothes police officer and Smith, 22, was arrested.' This is part of a report from a local newspaper and provides a typical example of police harassment, an obvious 'set-up'.

Similar cases also occur quite frequently in public toilets. In fact a large number of police up and down the country seem to spend a great deal of their 'valuable' time hanging around such places laying traps for gay men looking for casual sex. In many instances it is the police who do the encouraging. The consequences can be serious for those 'caught in the act', the loss of a job being • the most obvious.

The Press also delight in publishing the names and addresses of those convicted, especially if the man happens to be a well known personality.

During the TUC. and Labour Party Conferences Gay Rights was a live issue, with large Fringe meetings and prominent speakers. This must have caused a great deal of embarassment to many in the TUC and Labour Party hierarchy who would have been happy to see such things under carpet.

The gutter press predictably latched on to the issue in a disgusting attempt to discredit and ridicule the left, in particular Peter Tatchell and Ken Livingstone. These newspapers, notably the 'Daily Mail' . 'Sun' and 'News of the World', with their anti-gay smear campaigns give encouragement to reactionaries everywhere, including the fascists who put such anti-gay sentiment into action.

Consent Act now - send a motion to the NEC criticising the proposed discrimination in Labour's Programme '82. We want the age of consent for gay •sex the same as for straight sex, not 18 as the programme promises.

Be like Peckham YS -affiliate to the Labour Campaign for Gay Rights, c/o 6la Bloom St., Manchester 1.

Robert Mansell

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