Safer spaces agreement for AFem 2014

Our safer spaces agreement

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Fj9l4Tez_yh-MQ4ZRls_SPDuJ6njAX5armDLRH_72PA/pub

Above is the link to the safer spaces agreement that the AFem safer spaces working group has put together for our first AFem conference, on Sunday October 19th 2014. The agreement has two main parts: some guidelines around behaviour, and a section on the support available if you feel unsafe at AFem. We will also circulate a separate guide for people facilitating workshops at AFem. TRIGGER WARNING: the agreement contains examples of oppressive language and behaviour and may therefore be triggering.

Why have a safer spaces agreement?

Every organising space has a political dynamic, and too often organisers don’t discuss how that dynamic works - who really benefits from it, who doesn’t, and what kinds of oppressive behaviour it might allow (or even encourage). For example, Marxist reading groups are often much more use to very educated people than they are to the rest of us. And women’s groups are often much more use to cis women than they are to trans women.

We have drawn up our safer spaces agreement to try and stop those unspoken dynamics happening at AFem. We know that as anarchafeminists, we experience oppressive behaviour at anarchist gatherings: sexism, racism, misogyny, ableism, ageism, transphobia, whorephobia, Islamophobia. We all grow up under capitalist heteropatriarchy, and we all internalise the awful messages it sends, about ourselves and others. We are all capable of behaving in this way and of hurting or damaging other people.

Our movements lose a great deal because of this. We lose time and energy, we lose trust in each other, we lose people, and sometimes we lose our health too. Our movements don’t reflect our political beliefs or the interests of the class, as they unthinkingly exclude people subject to the worst violence of capital. And that cannot continue!

What do we mean by ‘safer space’?

By ‘safer space’ we mean a space where abuse will not be tolerated and abusers will not be welcome. We also mean a space where we all actively work in solidarity with one another against the oppression we find in wider society.

We all have some areas of our life with privilege and some without. In areas where you have privilege, this is a time to step back, listen and make space for people who don’t. In areas where you don’t have privilege, this is the time to claim your space and know that others will have your back. The safer spaces policy discusses how to do this in detail.

Does the agreement apply to you?

Yes: it applies to all of us. We are asking that everyone who comes to AFem abides by this agreement. We know that some anarchafeminists don’t like safer spaces agreements, but we hope you will be flexible enough to try this way of working, just on this one day. We know this isn’t going to be perfect for everyone. And we don’t suggest that this agreement would work for every group or every space. It’s designed for this conference. We welcome ideas for changing or improving it next year.

Abuse and abusers

We know that lots of anarchafeminists are survivors of abuse from others within the anarchist movement. If you are worried your abuser might come to AFem, contact us in advance at saferspacesafem@gmail.com. Your email will be seen only by the safer spaces working group and treated confidentially within that group.

Questions?

If you have questions about the safer spaces agreement, please email them to saferspacesafem@gmail.com.

Helping make Afem a safer space

We welcome people who want to sign up as safer spaces helpers. If you’d like to help on the day, either as a workshop helper or as a listener, please sign up here:

link to sign-up form



In solidarity,

The AFem Safer Spaces Working Group