A little questionnaire from Dirt about women only space: my responses

Tuesday, December 14, 2010Topic Tuesday-Women Only Spaces
Todays Discussion topic is Women Only Spaces, feel free to comment however you like, so long as its on topic.

Some possible questions:

1) Do we need more women centered spaces? We not only need more women centered spaces, we need specifically Dyke centered spaces. As a Butch, I dont' feel comfortable in mostly hetero or feminine female spaces...where there are few or no other Butches. But Butches are abandoning women only spaces and women only events at an alarming rate. There is definitely a different and more radical feel to dyke centered spaces of all types, that may or may not include other women, but that is exceedingly rare. As long as they are Dyke positive and bio female, I feel comfortable in such spaces.

2) How can we keep womens spaces, womencentric? Keep them for ONLY those who are fully PROUD to be female. Lesbian and womon positive, whether it's women only leather spaces, social spaces, ritual spaces, ect. And preferably for women born women only or primarily. Perhaps there needs to be an 'outer' type space for all females(so the MTF's don't close them down) and an 'inner' type space for bio-female only.
I will NEVER see MTF's as women...though certain ones I may treat 'em as such, and sadly, most FTM even genderqueer types are so male identified they've fallen out of the Butch energy...but some have not....if they wanna be a dude, why are they crashing all our dyke/women only spaces?

3) How can we nurture the women spaces we have?MONITOR them and have Amazons and DykeAMazons ENFORCE them as women only spaces.
Don't be beholden to groups or grants that would stop us from organizing and having OUR OWN spaces BY AND FOR ourselves. This means they'll have to be 'membership only' even if membership is only $1 a year, and members are vouched for as friendly to the intents of the space(bio female only, dyke centered or dyke only, or 24/7 living as female only).

4) What do you love about being in womencentric spaces?
I can be all of who I am in most such spaces, providing they're not lesbophobic and Butch positive or Butch welcoming, and not too 'girly girl'. I am going to one or two women only rituals this weekend cuz I need that infusion of Female energy, which I LIVE for. Also I am on women's land for 5 days every summer, and only there do I get to be MY WHOLE, REAL, MAGICAL DYKEAMAZON WITCH/WARRIOR SELF, AND RECOGNIZED AS SUCH. When I have to be around men, even gay men, there is a certain kind of invisibilizing or lack of recognition because men always put themselves and their egos first and foremost, and they also hit on women, even lesbians, they drain our energy and divert our attention AWAY from each other!
Only in women only space do we put ourselves FIRST AND FOREMOST!

5) Do womencentric spaces put YOU more in touch with your own womanhood?Yes see above. I come out of my cage, and CAN BE MY FULL, DEEPEST MOST POWERFUL SELF IN AN AMAZON WOMON CENTERED EMPOWERED ENVIRONMENT.
-In Sisterhood,
-MasterAmazon