^N°20

^{(Printemps 2002)}

In French

Jean-Pierre Chevènement is becoming more and more popular amongst french left-wing liberals, including prochoice militants. However, his opinions are in no way compatible with free choice, and can even indicate an authoritarian nationalist streak that could have severe consequences should he be elected.

The homophobic rethoric used to be rather poor. Although it had a vast vocabulary (sodomite, pervert, fag, fairy, sissy, dyke, lezzy, bulldyke, etc.), its grammar was very rudimentary, limited to a certain number of insults. In the past century, and especially in the past few years, with the debates around the legal recognition of gay couples, this rethoric has perfected itself. It is in no way more violent or more passionate than before, but it is definitely more sophisticated. Faced with gay and lesbian demands it has had to give a more decent presentation to its arguments, while making them stronger through the use of social sciences.

“Reality shows” have appeared in France a few months ago with an overwhelming success. The presence among the candidates of women and minority groups (Blacks, Northern Africans, gays and bisexuals) is a real progress. However, the implicit moral of the shows seems to be that people from ethnic or sexual minorities can only be sidekicks and never win. Such a social hierarchy is based not on religion or racism, but on audience alone.

Feminists against prostitution have very strong and valid arguments: prostitution exemplifies the oppression of women, it’s a violence against women, it destroys the women who engage in it. However, such a position does not take into account the reality of prostitution. Even if it isn’t forbidden or criminalized, it is sanctioned by the hazy legal notion of “racolage” (hustling) which covers arbitrary arrests and condemnations.

Male monopoly of resources leads to women's use of sex as a resource along a continuum ranging from marriage to modern prostitution. In this asymmetrical exchange, men give various kinds of payment and women give sex. Men control sexual knowledge; female sexual knowledge, experience and imagination are widely stigmatized and repressed. We are faced with a global class system linking sexual oppression (with its widespread violence), limitation of knowledge, and economic exploitation. Women work longer hours then men, but are made to "depend" on men and on sexual-economic exchange and are expropriated of their sexuality. This rip-off, specific to gender relations, closes the circle of violence and exploitation, and of the intellectual and physical suppression of women.

The text presented here was published for the first time in 1992, and was later reproduced in Femmes et Extrême Droite (Editions Golias). It has been one of the most decisive texts in the history of ProChoix and helped to define our aim as creating a counter-ideology to the naturalist and essentialist ideologies of the far right. The way Colette Guillaumin and Colette Capitan analyze the role played by “nature” in the creation of categories that are then used ito define an order is the basis of our criteria for determining what discourses are anti-choice.

La Vie Sexuelle en France par Janine Mossuz-Lavau (La Martinière)

Amours égales - Le sexe et la loi - Attirances - Une morale de minoritaire

Murmures - Strip-teaseuses unissez-vous ! - La nuit Rose -

Pétition pour les Égyptiens - Pétition contre le harcèlement sexuel à l’université - News de novembre à janvier 2002.