“Don’t say,” said Carla Kaplan, a Northeastern professor of women’s, gender and sexuality studies. “Don’t say gay. Don’t say trans. Don’t say racism.”
“Don’t say anything that could possibly cause the least discomfort to straight white men,” Kaplan continued. “Don’t make them in any way uncomfortable with their massive unearned privileges. Indeed carry those privileged backpacks for them. Well, we say no way. We are through that.”
The event, “Don’t Say…: On Censorship and Organizing for Progressive/Feminist Speech,” took place during the ninth annual Women’s History Month Symposium at the John D. O’Bryant African American Institute Cabral Center on Friday. The three panelists examined the implications of right-wing attacks on trans, gay, feminist, and racial justice initiatives and identities while outlining how feminists can push back.
