Oh, my! I was fully expecting this to be kind of a mild chapter to prepare for the epilogue, but Les just went completely mask-off here.

Right at the beginning sie already starts off with this banger:

The dominant theories in any society reflect the economic interests of those who dominate the society. How can it be otherwise? Who pays an army of spin-doctors and public relations experts to try to mold popular opinion? Who determines educational curricula? Who owns and controls the monopolized television, publishing, and media? The cacophony of theorists hired to defend the status quo is meant to drown out the voices of those who are fighting for change.

That's why we must ask everyone who puts forward theory: Which side are you on?

Theory is important to those of us who are struggling to transform society because it offers distilled experience so we don't have to repeat mistakes. A scientific materialist view of theory and history gives working and oppressed peoples a roadmap to find the path toward liberation.

Fighting against the status quo is extremely difficult, especially when you're just a tiny minority, which is why finding good allies is absolutely necessary to prevail against the cacophony of bigotry thrown against us. Huey knew that, Les knew that, and we should know that as well.

That's the only possible path towards trans liberation.

Didn't expect leslie to just start talking about marxist theory to the yorkers, but I'm here for it. There's great value in kinda just saying the truth especially in a society dominated by hegemonic lies.

Absolutely loved when Les pulled out Marxism. Sie spoke about Cuba earlier, but trying to get across some materialist analysis to graduates was fantastic, I loved to read it. Sie also did a wonderful job talking about the relation of theory to practice, the goal is to understand the world in order to change it.

Peaches had a great portrait, and a great quote at the end, too:

If you are such big bad men where were you when I was shaking my fist and raising hell at City Hall fighting for your Rights? Pushing a broom somewhere. If I’m a Homo fighting for my right, show me how much man you are and join in this fight.

Looking forward to the final week!

Week 7 thread is up!!!!!

Let me know if I missed anyone!

My super late response:

So, I really liked this chapter and I feel like the chapters before this lead the reader gently into this. Before reading this, I kind of had a rough intuitive idea of how the struggle for trans rights was connected to class struggle, but I really loved having it laid out like this:

There was a material basis for the respect and honor accorded to sex and gender diversity in ancient societies that relied on cooperative labor. And that makes sense, because the essential glue of teamwork is recognition of the value each individual brings to the group.

Once human society severed into haves and have-nots, trans expression continued to exist in both antagonistic classes. But only the small owning class that ruled over the vast majority had a powerful economic motive to create difference from diversity, and use it as a weapon to sow division. Those at the summits of wealth, and their representatives, will resort to gender-phobic and homophobic attacks, even if they themselves are transgender and/or gay.

And of course we're seeing a new resurgence of exactly this right now.

Another quote from this chapter that resonated with me:

For those of us engaged in a struggle to change society, unearthing buried history can make a real activist contribution. I saw this during the 1960s and 1970s, when African Americans, Latinos, Native nations, women, lesbians, gays, and others were striving to overturn the most repressive laws and institutions. When oppressed people dug up a more accurate historical account, their roles in history — previously rendered invisible — were revealed. This helped shed light on the relationship between economic exploitation and oppression. And those who saw they were fighting a common enemy recognized each other as allies.

This previously suppressed history offered a renewed strength and clarity that enabled movements against oppression to exert more powerful demands on cultural and educational institutions. African American, Chicano and Native American Studies, Women's Studies, Lesbian and Gay, Gender and Queer Studies are victories wrested through those militant struggles.

That's just one example of the impact of history on struggle and of struggle on history.

It's easy to feel right now that things are terrible (because they are), but putting the present situation into proper historical context I think helps us realize that things will change again in our favor, but only if we fight for it.

The Portrait section here also fits into this well in my mind given how timid I sometimes am. I think I tend to want to avoid confrontation and bringing attention to myself, so reading about Peaches' first hand experience highlights why being timid will always end in failure, and an example of how to stand up for yourself and others.

Great chapter, and apologies again for posting my response so late. It's been a bit of a hectic week for me.