Chicago, IL – On March 13, over 150 students, staff and faculty members at the University of Illinois-Chicago rallied in front of their administration building to protest budget cuts which threaten five majors, non-tenured faculty, and cultural programs. The emergency protest was called to demand funding for education and a “chop from the top” model, as inflated admin salaries were called to attention. The protest had support from a broad collection of student organizations, faculty and local activists.

Speaking on behalf of Student for a Democratic Society at UIC, Jeremiah Munoz kicked things off by stating, “Instead of cutting out classes, cut the bloated administrator salaries, not our education! Don’t play with our future for that bloated salary. Stop funneling money into police while students struggle to afford tuition. Invest in our cultural centers, our language programs, our communities—not in executives who do nothing but approve cuts to education while collecting a premium salary.”

Next was Liz Rathburn, a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, who stated, “UIC can find the money to advertise its diversity, it can find the money to raise the salaries of its admin, it can find the money to fund its own police force and it can even find money to buy new real estate, but when students and faculty need support, when it comes to funding what actually makes our university great, admin pleads poverty.”

Ending the rally on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society at UIC, April Rogers stated, “UIC is probably paying a lot to bring military recruiters on campus. They are probably paying a lot to have the CIA, the FBI, and even the State Department come to campus, as has happened multiple times since the start of the 2024-2025 academic year. UIC also gives millions of dollars to companies involved in the Israeli occupation of Palestine, including Boeing and Caterpillar. In 2023, this alone amounted to $21 million. Instead, UIC goes after cultural and language studies.”

Speakers from the Italian Club, Eastern European Student Association and Housing Staff United made it clear that the budget cuts are targeting the entire student body, and a cultural performance during the rally demonstrated the importance of preserving cultural studies and programs at UIC.

Although UIC administration forced the protest to move locations at the very last minute, students, staff and faculty remained undeterred. Despite the change in location, over 150 people marched through the campus chanting, demanding proper funding for education.

The protest was endorsed by Anakbayan, Sokoly, Housing Staff United, Eastern European Student Association, Italian Club, New Students for a Democratic Society. Students for Justice in Palestine, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#ChicagoIL #StudentMovement #SDS #Anakbayan #Sokoly #HousingStaffUnited #EasternEuropeanStudentAssociation #ItalianClub #SJP #FRSO

Minneapolis, MN – “We set big goals and surpass them, whether that is buying a building, or expanding rapidly in new cities all across the country,” said Sydney Loving of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s Central Committee. “To make the next qualitative leap in our work and shore up our hard-won achievements, we need to raise $100,000 during this fund drive. We plan to put these funds towards paying off our new building.”

Members of FRSO districts are sitting down and going through the people they know who can donate and making plans to reach out. Denver FRSO has set the goal of raising $10,000 for the drive. In ambition alone, New Orleans would not be outdone – they set an even higher goal of $15,000.

The Minneapolis district has already taken off running. After hosting just one event, they've raised $2700 already, specifically for the upkeep of the FRSO building, the Lucy Parsons Center.

FRSO is embroiled in several heated battles against Trump's racist, reactionary agenda. More people are writing to us every day, motivated to change this world in which we have so little to lose.

“There is no better time to be in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and there is no better cause to donate to. We will succeed at this drive, we will succeed at building a party, and we will do our part to usher in a new world out of the ashes of the old,” states Loving.

You can donate to the FRSO $100k Fund Drive by clicking here.

#MinneapolisMN #MN #FRSO #FundDrive2025 #Featured

The political climate in this country is sharpening, and we are headed into battles on many fronts. We in the Freedom Road Socialist Organization are going to rise to every challenge standing strong, united, and prepared. This past year, we achieved a monumental goal: we purchased a building. This accomplishment is a beacon of change and a testament to our determination—when we say we’re going to do something, we do it.

We said we would secure headquarters, and we did. Now, we are saying we will build a new communist party in the United States, and we intend to do just that.

Capitalism’s failures are undeniable, and these days the decline of the U.S. Empire is on full display. That this system can’t be saved is good news: we need a revolutionary solution, and an organization that’s up to the task.

Our building is a brick-and-mortar symbol of the advances we’ve made in party building and our growing capacity to organize—in the trade union movement, in the struggle against police crimes and war, in the fight for immigrants rights, and in many other fronts of the people’s movements. Our growth is accelerating, and it’s far from over.

To future-proof our gains and make our headquarters a permanent asset, we intend to make major headway in paying off our building. This $100K Fund Drive is a critical step toward that goal. We know that the Trump administration is targeting our movements, and this fundraiser is about laying down walls and digging moats to protect what we’ve built. No hostile political climate or administration should ever have the power to take it away from us.

This is a call to action for every FRSO member, supporter, and ally. We have proven time and again that when we unite behind a common goal, we can make huge strides forward. Your support will help us secure our headquarters and fortify our movement for the battles ahead.

Let’s come together to make this fund drive a resounding success. Let’s show that our movement is built on solid ground and ready to weather any storm.

The time is now. Donate today at frso.org/donate and be part of this historic effort to secure our future!

#FRSO #Statement #FundDrive #PeoplesStruggles #Featured

Los Angeles, CA – On March 8, activists from Centro CSO and Freedom Road Socialist Organization met up in Boyle Heights for their eighth annual celebration marking International Women’s Day. This year’s event featured a panel with speakers from different areas of work that Centro CSO is focused on such as immigration, education, and police brutality, as well as a labor activist from Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and a keynote speaker from the LAUSD school board.

The event was held at Casa 0101, a local theater in Boyle Heights. The speakers shared how they got involved in activism, and what it’s like to be women fighting for a cause like education or working in the labor movement.

Amanda Diaz Sanchez, an immigrant rights activist with Centro CSO said, “As we fight for immigrant rights, being a woman in the movement means always having to recenter women’s issues. In our movement, reproductive justice and paid family leave are always seen as separate issues, but being a woman who has experienced these issues means bringing that back and connecting the dots to other things that are happening to us.”

Hannah Keith, a shop steward and trade union activist out of UPS Olympic spoke out about the discrimination she faces as a trans woman, saying, “There are a lot of coworkers who have a problem with the way that I am, but they’ll still come to me for help as a shop steward. And I have no problem helping them, because I know my co-workers who are uncomfortable with me being trans aren’t the enemy, it’s the supervisors, but in order for me to help them confront the boss I have to meet them where they’re at.”

After the panelists concluded their portion of the event, Dr. Rocio Rivas, an LAUSD school board member, gave the keynote speech for the event. She spoke about her upbringing, and how public education was something she fell in love with at a young age, saying “Education can be a tool for escaping oppression. They wanted to keep us ignorant, not giving us the education we deserved. That was the beginning of my activism.” She went on to say, “When we have this knowledge, we know how to fight back against what they’ve been doing to our people for centuries.”

When asked about the event, Juliana Regalado, an activist with Centro CSO and the emcee for the evening, said, “It’s important to celebrate women’s contributions and achievements throughout history because it shows us how far we’ve come and what work still needs to be done. This was an excellent event, and it felt good celebrating and uplifting a few of the many strong women I organize with.”

#LosAngelesCA #CA #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #CentroCSO #FRSO

Orlando, FL – On March 8, the Orlando district of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) held a spoken word and trivia fundraiser to commemorate International Women’s Day and gather the Orlando community in the face of recent attacks on women. The slogans raised at the event were “Defend Women’s and Reproductive Rights,” “Stand with the Women of Palestine” and “Stop the Deportations! Keep Families Together.”

Cassia Laham, member of FRSO Orlando, kicked off the event by explaining the history of International Women’s Day and the current situation of women stating, “Today, women of all sectors of society face renewed attacks by the forces of reaction, with Trump and his cabinet full of abusers and women-haters leading the charge against our rights.” She continued, “Just as we fought before, we will fight again!”

Other speakers focused on varied topics. Rasha Mubarak of Florida Palestine Network spoke of the struggle of Palestinian women, and two teenage organizers with the Farmworkers Association of Florida discussed the impact of deportations on their community. Chants of “When immigrant rights are under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!” rang throughout the building.

Vanessa Christaldi of the University of Central Florida Students for a Democratic Society read a poem focused on the ownership of one’s body and the inspiration of women resistance fighters. “What is the right way to have a body? And more importantly, what is the right way to assert that I am more than that?” She ended her poem with an acknowledgment that all of the rights women have today, both domestically and internationally are won through struggle, not simply given.

After the speeches, an International Women’s Day-themed trivia, hosted by Sarah of Feisty Trivia, was held with proceeds going to the Palestinian Motherhood Society. The Florida Palestine Network sold tatreez with proceeds also going to the Palestinian Motherhood Society. The total fundraised was announced as $920, with cheers from the audience.

The co-sponsoring organizations were the Florida Palestine Network (FPN), the University of Central Florida Students for a Democratic Society (UCFSDS), The End to Genocide Coalition (ETGC), The Farmworkers Association of Florida (FWAF), and the Palestinian Feminist Collective (PFC). The trivia was led by Sarah of Feisty Trivia, Orlando's Only Female-Owned Trivia Company. The event was a broad multi-generational event filled with community members and organizers commemorating International Women’s Day.

#OrlandoFL #FL #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #SDS #FPN #FRSO #ETGC #PFC

Minneapolis, MN – 100 people came out of the cold of Minnesota’s winter and jumped into the fires of the struggle on Friday, March 7. Beginning at 6 p.m., the hall of the Lucy Parson’s Center was packed for an event to mark International Women’s Day.

Key points of discussion centered on the origin of gender oppression, and the role of women as both workers in their workplaces, but also those who have the brunt of work in the home forced upon them. Olivia Crull of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, and a founding member of MN Abortion Action Committee, put it concisely: “If we want to understand where gender oppression comes from, we first have to talk about reproductive labor and the family. Reproductive labor is exactly what it sounds like: it reproduces our health and energy outside of work. It includes things like cooking, cleaning, entertaining, childbearing and rearing.”

Crull noted, “Historically and currently, women perform the bulk of this labor so that when their husbands return to work, having been fed and cared for, they’re able to continue producing for their capitalist bosses.” Crull also noted the important role that women play in that reserved group of unemployed workers, being drawn on by the billionaire class to expand workforces in growing industries, and on the other hand being pushed out at the first sign of economic downturn.

Expanding from this discussion, speakers touched on the role of women and the impact of gender oppression in each of their particular struggles. Robynne Johnson, speaking for MNAAC, discussed the importance of the struggle for women’s and reproductive rights to all struggles, stating, “To support reproductive freedom is to support working-class women and gender oppressed people everywhere.”

Johnson continued, “When Roe was overturned in 2022, states across the country began rolling out abortion bans and stealing the right to bodily autonomy from women, and recently we’ve seen legislators introduce dozens of bills aimed at limiting trans people from receiving gender-affirming care. These laws are direct attacks on working and oppressed people. When the ruling class institutes bans against our bodies, they are stealing our autonomy away from us, just like they steal all the wealth that we create.”

Attendees listened with great interest to the words of speakers and after that were invited to participate in a Q&A portion to get deeper into the matter of each of the speakers’ issues, and how the fight for women’s rights and an end to gender oppression connects to other struggles. At the closing of the event, attendees were invited to take part in a march the following day, March 8, to mark the working class holiday of International Women’s Day itself.

The event was spearheaded by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization’s Twin Cities District and included speakers from FRSO as well as: the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice (TCC4J), the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), the Association of Flight Attendants (AFA – CWA), the MN Anti War Committee (AWC), and the MN Abortion Action Committee (MNAAC).

#MinneapolisMN #MN #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #FRSO #TCC4J #MIRAC #MNAAC #AWC #AFACWA

Washington, DC – On March 8, International Women’s Day, community members and activists gathered at Sankofa Cafe in downtown D.C. for a panel discussion on the struggle for women’s liberation.

The event, hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) DC, featured panelists that represented several sectors of struggle, including women’s rights, immigrant rights, anti-war and international struggles, oppressed nationalities movements, LGBTQ, and trans rights.

The panel featured Terra Martin from the DC Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (DCAARPR), Yan Tagalog Maunes of Anakbayan DC (ABDC), a speaker representing Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) DMV, and a trans comrade from FRSO DC. The flier for the event included the slogans “Defend Women’s and Reproductive Rights!” “Stop the Deportations, Keep Families Together!” and “Stand with the Women of Palestine!”

The panel began with chants of “When women’s rights are under attack, what do we do? stand up, fight back!” and “The people, united, will never be defeated!”

Kristen Bonner, the emcee for the event, gave a brief introduction on the history of women’s oppression, before introducing the panelists. The discussion opened with a dialogue on how Trump has affected the struggle for women’s rights, before turning to questions of how to combat this wave of renewed aggression against the people’s movements.

“It’s through the laws being passed that trans people are being oppressed,” said the panelist representing FRSO DC, “it’s because of those laws that all these reactionary tendencies are now being emboldened.”

“We want to avoid a repeat of the feminisms that we saw after the election of the Trump regime in 2016 that focused solely on the interests of white, cisgender bourgeoisie women,” said a member of PYM DMV.

“These movements are all connected intrinsically, they’re all interlinked” said the speaker from FRSO DC, “we need to join one struggle together, through a united front, because when we’re all together, we win.”

“They can’t take all of us out,” Terra Martin representing DCAARPR added, “we’re the village. If we go at them head on, they can’t stop us.”

The panel ended with the Assata Shakur chant and shared calls among the panelists for folks in attendance to get organized.

“My last question for today was going to be ‘What do y’all think is the key takeaway from today?’”

The emcee said in closing, “but I feel that y’all have already answered that resolutely – it’s organize, organize, organize!”

#WashingtonDC #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #FRSO #PYM #NAARPR

Tallahassee, FL – Shouts cut through the gray skies outside Florida’s state capitol on March 8, International Women’s Day, as people gathered to mark the new phase in the fight for women’s rights that came with the second Trump administration. Hosted by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) alongside various community organizations, the rally brought out around one hundred people who braved the rain.

Trump's second term promises a new wave of attacks on women, especially on the right to abortion, transgender women's access to gender-affirming care, and protections from discrimination. Florida, with its Republican domination in the state legislature and fiercely far-right Governor Ron DeSantis, forms the front line for much of the GOP's sexist agenda.

“We're at a critical period in history,” said Delilah Pierre from the Tallahassee Community Action Committee. “We're either gonna go forward to a future for all of us, or backwards to a past for the few.”

The decision to rally at the Florida state capitol was particularly relevant. Abortion rights in Florida face a grim future, with DeSantis fiercely defensive of the state's current ban on abortion beyond the first six weeks – a time when many women don't even realize they're pregnant.

A recent attempt to enshrine abortion access in Florida's constitution, the Amendment 4 campaign, won 58% of the vote but was still 2% below the strict 60% threshold to pass.

Many speakers gave their personal experiences with patriarchy and the struggles women face to defend their equality in their schools and workplaces. “While we should be out here for our mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, partners, and friends, I dare you to find your loved ones in the stories of others and to fight for them like they are your own, because we are not free until we are all free,” said JJ Glueck from Tallahassee Students for a Democratic Society.

The political system in the U.S. is still unable or unwilling to protect women from ongoing oppression. Many speakers and attendees expressed disillusionment with the two-party system and the power of ultra-rich men like Elon Musk. Joelle Nuñez, member of the FRSO, declared that “this system is not gonna come apart step by step. It's gonna come down in one big blow, because the whole damn system is rotten!”

After the rally, FRSO hosted an International Women’s Day discussion panel and concert at the Blue Tavern. The show featured the talents of local Latina artist-activist duo Isabela and Kristellys, as well as women and trans-led bands Degenerate State and hardtogetaholdof(untilyoucall).

Staring down four more years of right-wing attacks on women's rights and people's movements, organizers in Florida are refusing to sit down or give up. In Tallahassee, and in the cities across the country that joined them on International Women's Day, the people are standing up and fighting back.

#TallahasseeFL #FL #WomensMovement #InternationalWomensDay #FRSO

Grand Rapids, MI – On Saturday, March 1, 30 workers came to Fountain Street Church to learn about raising class struggle in the workplace and fighting back against Trump’s onslaught against unions. Tom Burke, President of IATSE Local 26, spoke on the necessity of union organization and revolutionary leadership. He also explained the FRSO united front strategy, and the strategic alliance between the multinational working class and the Black liberation and other oppressed nationality movements.

The teach-in was put on by the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. It empowered workers in unions to strive to take on leadership and organize other workers on the job, especially in the face of recent attacks on unions by the current Trump administration.

Burke said, “Those of you looking for jobs can seek out already unionized workplaces and strengthen the union movement from within. The Teamsters and Association of Flight Attendants are good unions in industries that are hiring.”

Burke said, “Younger and newer trade unionists can benefit from studying the mass line at the FRSO.org website. Union organizing boils down to listening to other people, to then formulate demands and slogans that unite them to fight the bosses. Unions can lead the fight against Republican attacks on the entire working class.” Burke emphasized the importance of creating slogans that make sense to people.

Burke pointed out the potential for workers in the room to become the militant minority in their workplaces. That the goal of organizing within the union is to make rapid changes in the workplace and society.

“If you’re going to make a revolution, then you have to be in trade unions or strategically aligned with the workers’ movement,” stated Burke.

Burke continued, “You can see it with the way some unions operate already and have a lot of power at work. Then there are other countries, like Venezuela, where workers self-manage some of the factories themselves.”

The audience showed support for Burke’s messaging, including his stating the necessity for trade unions to stand against chauvinism, to stand for women’s liberation, trans and LGBTQ rights, and the duty for white workers specifically to oppose racism and discrimination in the union. He specified that unions must take on broader issues of the whole working class and unite to create change.

During discussion, many union members stood up and explained how they organize within their union and the struggles they waged and continue to fight for. Carsten Forester with the American Federation of Musicians, or AFM, expressed how important it is to organize as a musician, and how many musicians look towards their industry as an individual business and aren’t necessarily made aware they have an opportunity to be part of the union, which prompted another audience member to express their interest in joining the AFM and who was given the resources to do so.

Local activist Wren Burns brought up the issue of public library workers in Grand Rapids unionizing. A two-thirds majority of library pages, a specific job category, signed a petition to join the already existing union. They are asking the library board to recognize them. Burns said, “All of the library pages are hired as seasonal employees even though some have worked there for over ten years! Pages are only making $12 an hour.”

The discussion turned lively when it turned to Trump and the Republican attacks on unions and workers. The list of attacks includes putting many federal employees out of their jobs, laying off healthcare workers at veterans’ hospitals, shutting down of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board that makes rulings on union disputes with bosses. Republicans are bad mouthing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and threatening a national “Right to work” law that strips union power.

The American Federation of Government Employees held rallies a week after their members were put out of their jobs by Trump and Elon Musk. In local constituent meetings, union workers showed up at Republicans’ town hall meetings to challenge their U.S. Representatives and denounce the firings and layoffs. There are science rallies being organized across the U.S. on March 7. Motivated by professors, technicians, and other workers at universities and research institutes, one of the main backers is the United Auto Workers union.

The meeting ended with the formation of an International Workers Day committee to host a May Day rally for immigrant and workers’ rights in Grand Rapids. As part of the IWD committee, there is a plan for workers from different unions to organize a fundraiser for the emergency response to ICE raids and defend workers from Trump’s attacks.

#GrandRapidsMI #MI #Labor #IATSE #FRSO

A través del mundo, el Día Internacional de las Mujeres siempre ha sido más que una celebración – es un día de lucha. Fue forjado en la lucha de las obreras textiles de Nueva York, quienes salieron a las calles en 1908 para protestar contra la superexplotación que sufrían en los talleres clandestinos mientras intentaban mantener a sus familias: condiciones laborales peligrosas, horas extenuantes, trabajo infantil y el robo de sueldos. Marcharon brazo a brazo con las suffragettes que luchaban por el derecho al voto de las mujeres. La heroína revolucionaria Clara Zetkin designó el 8 de marzo como un día global de acción para unir a las mujeres del mundo en la lucha por el socialismo y la liberación.

Hoy en día, mujeres de todos los sectores de la sociedad enfrentan ataques renovados por parte de las fuerzas reaccionarias, con Trump y su gabinete de abusadores y odiadores de mujeres encabezando la ofensiva contra nuestros derechos. Pero, así como luchamos antes, volveremos a luchar.

Las mujeres están bajo ataque – pero no vamos a retroceder

Las mujeres en los Estados Unidos hoy están luchando por sus vidas. Trump, el mismo hombre que presume de abuso sexual, se atreve a declararse el “protector de las mujeres.” Esto es una mentira descarada. La realidad es que sus políticas amenazan las vidas y las libertades de millones de mujeres.

Desde que la Corte Suprema anuló Roe v. Wade hasta los cientos de leyes anti-LGBTQ aprobadas por legislaturas estatales, la administración de Trump y sus aliados intolerantes están intentando revertir décadas de progreso. Las órdenes ejecutivas más recientes de Trump prohíben la participación de mujeres trans en deportes, refugios y prisiones, atacan la atención para afirmación de género y eliminan protecciones en la ley federal para las personas LGBTQ.

Las políticas económicas de Trump también perjudican a las mujeres. La eliminación de regulaciones contra la discriminación laboral y la oposición a iniciativas de igualdad salarial han dificultado que las mujeres logren la igualdad de ingresos. La carga sobre las madres trabajadoras se vuelve más pesada, ya que enfrentan la falta de cuidado infantil asequible y menos empleos que paguen lo suficiente para mantener a nuestras familias. La agenda de Trump, establecida en el reaccionario Proyecto 2025, busca prohibir el aborto en todo el país, desfinanciar los servicios de salud reproductiva e imponer políticas reaccionarias que encierran a las mujeres en una posición de subyugación.

Pero no retrocedemos. La lucha por los derechos de las mujeres es una lucha por una democracia consistente, y la lucha por la democracia es parte de la lucha por el socialismo.

Una y otra vez, la clase dirigente subestima el poder de la militancia de las mujeres. Las mujeres han estado al frente del movimiento obrero, liderando algunas de las huelgas más militantes en el periodo reciente. Las mujeres en el sector de la salud, la hospitalidad y la educación se han organizado, han salido a protestar y han logrado avances reales.

Las madres cuyos hijos han sido asesinados por la policía están dirigiendo la lucha contra el terror policial, exigiendo justicia y llevando el sistema a juicio. Las mujeres han liderado la lucha por los derechos reproductivos, saliendo a las calles por millones para protestar contra las prohibiciones y luchando para garantizar el acceso al aborto incluso en los estados donde lo han prohibido. Bajo Trump, las mujeres y familias inmigrantes han enfrentado ataques implacables, pero las ciudades han estallado en resistencia, exigiendo un alto a las deportaciones y solidarizándose con las comunidades inmigrantes. Y en todo el mundo, las mujeres están resistiendo al imperialismo. En Palestina, Filipinas y más allá, las mujeres están en la primera línea de las luchas de liberación nacional.

El Día Internacional de las Mujeres pertenece a las guerreras. Pertenece a las que se niegan a ser silenciadas, a las que toman las calles, a las que organizan sus lugares de trabajo, a las que desafían al sistema que busca oprimirlas.

Construye el movimiento de las mujeres

Como escribió la líder comunista Claudia Jones, la lucha por el socialismo es inseparable de la lucha cotidiana de las mujeres. Históricamente y hoy, las revolucionarias están al frente de este movimiento, y bajo el socialismo, la liberación de las mujeres no es una simple consigna, sino una realidad material. La Revolución de 1917 nos demostró que la Unión Soviética, buscando proteger la salud y autonomía de las mujeres, legalizó el aborto décadas antes de que las democracias burguesas lo hicieran.

No luchamos por el feminismo aguado y de “silla en la mesa” de la clase dirigente – que apoya al capitalismo monopolista mientras no nos da más que platitudes vacías, y que considera los asuntos de las mujeres como problemas personales en lugar de problemas sociales. La ofensiva contra nuestros derechos lo deja claro: bajo el capitalismo, cualquier derecho que logramos ganar puede ser arrebatado por la reacción. Pero lo que nos ha enseñado la experiencia es que nunca debemos huir cuando es hora de luchar y resistir.

Los ataques dirigidos contra nosotras pretenden intimidarnos, confundirnos, desorganizarnos y desmoralizarnos. Pero, en realidad, encienden un fuego. El Día Internacional de las Mujeres es una oportunidad para dedicarnos a sumar nuevas guerreras a nuestra organización revolucionaria y para llevar este movimiento con nosotros a la lucha más amplia para derrocar este sistema podrido.

El 8 de marzo, saldremos a las calles con los puños en alto, sabiendo que la liberación de las mujeres es parte integral de la lucha por un mundo nuevo.

En el Día Internacional de las Mujeres: ¡Levántate y Lucha!

¡Defiende los derechos de las mujeres y la salud reproductiva!

¡Defiende los derechos LGBTQ y Trans!

¡Solidarízate con las mujeres de Palestina!¡Alto a las deportaciones, mantén las familias juntas!

#WomensMovement #FRSO #Statement #OSCL #InternationalWomensDay #DíaInternacionaldelasMujeres

Across the world, International Women’s Day has always been more than a celebration – it is a day of struggle. It was forged in the fight of New York City garment workers who took to the streets in 1908, to protest the super-exploitation they endured in sweatshops as they tried to support their families: dangerous working conditions, back-breaking hours, child labor and wage theft. They marched shoulder to shoulder with the suffragettes fighting for women’s right to vote. The revolutionary hero Clara Zetkin marked March 8th as a global day of action as a way to unite women worldwide in the fight for socialism and liberation.

Today, women in all sectors of society face renewed attacks from the forces of reaction, with Trump and his cabinet full of abusers and woman-haters leading the charge against our rights. But just as we fought before, we will fight again.

Women Are Under Attack– But We Are Not Going Back

Women in America today are fighting for their lives. Trump, the same man who brags about sexual assault, dares to call himself the “protector of women.” This is a bald-faced lie. The reality is that his policies threaten the lives and freedoms of millions of women.

From the Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade to the hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills passed by state legislatures, the Trump administration and its bigoted allies are trying to roll back decades of progress. Trump’s latest executive orders bar trans women from sports, shelters and prisons, attack gender-affirming care, and strip protections in federal law for LGBTQ people.

Trump’s economic policies harm women, too. The rollback of workplace discrimination regulations and opposition to equal pay initiatives have made it harder for women to achieve wage equality. The burden on working mothers gets heavier, as we face a lack of affordable childcare and fewer jobs that pay enough to support our families. Trump’s agenda, laid out in the reactionary Project 2025, seeks to ban abortion nationwide, defund reproductive health services, and impose reactionary policies that lock women into a position of subjugation.

But we are not going back. The fight for women’s rights is a fight for consistent democracy, and the fight for democracy is part of the struggle for socialism.

Again and again, the ruling class underestimates the power of women’s militancy. Women have been at the forefront of the labor movement, leading some of the most militant strikes in the past period. Women in healthcare, hospitality and education have organized, walked out and won real gains.

Mothers whose children have been murdered by police are leading the charge against police terror, demanding justice and putting the system on trial. Women have led the fight for reproductive rights, pouring into the streets in millions to protest bans, and fighting to secure abortion access even in states that have banned it. Under Trump, immigrant women and families have faced relentless attacks, but cities have erupted in resistance, demanding stop the deportations, and standing with immigrant communities. And across the world, women are resisting imperialism. In Palestine, the Philippines, and beyond, women are on the frontlines of national liberation struggles.

International Women’s Day belongs to fighters. It belongs to those who refuse to be silenced, who take to the streets, who organize their workplaces, who defy the system that seeks to oppress them.

Build the Women’s Movement

As the communist leader Claudia Jones wrote, the struggle for socialism is inseparable from the everyday struggles of women. Historically and today, revolutionaries are on the front lines of this movement, and under socialism, women’s liberation is not just a slogan, it is a material reality. The 1917 October Revolution showed us that the Soviet Union, seeking to protect women’s health and autonomy, legalized abortion decades before any bourgeois democracies caught up.

We are not fighting for the watered-down, ‘seat at the table’ feminism of the ruling class – which upholds monopoly capitalism while giving us nothing but empty platitudes, and that makes women’s issues a personal problem instead of a problem of society. Trump’s offensive against our rights is writing on the wall: under capitalism, any rights we win can be snatched away by reaction. But what experience has also taught us is that we should never retreat when it’s time to fight back.

The attacks we face are meant to intimidate, confuse, disorganize and demoralize us. But instead, they light a fire. International Women’s Day is a chance to recommit ourselves to bringing new fighters into our revolutionary organization, and to bring this movement with us into the broader struggle to overthrow this rotten system.

This March 8, we take to the streets with our fists raised high, knowing that the struggle for women’s liberation is part and parcel of the struggle for a new world.

On International Women’s Day: Stand Up, Fight Back!

Defend Women’s and Reproductive Rights!

Defend LGBTQ and Trans Rights!

Stand with the Women of Palestine!

Stop the Deportations, Keep Families Together!

#WomensMovement #LGBTQ #FRSO #Statement #InternationalWomensDay #Feature

Tacoma, WA – Community members gathered at the South Tacoma Library on Tuesday, February 25, for a “Black Liberation and Scientific Socialism” panel hosted by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and the All-African People’s Revolutionary Party (AAPRP).

The program featured speakers from both organizations and lively discussion on the oppression faced by Black people in the U.S. and on the African continent, as well as the road ahead under the Trump administration.

“Under neocolonialism the masses toil under stagnant and worsening conditions but must produce substantially more,” said Terrence McCall of the AAPRP.

McCall gave a history of the development of Pan-Africanism, noting the contributions of leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois from the United States, and Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana.

Next, Mathieu Chabaud of the FRSO presented on the history of the Black Liberation Movement in the United States. Drawing from the book Marxist-Leninist Perspectives on Black Liberation and Socialism by Frank Chapman, Chabaud started with an analysis of the economic driving forces behind the American Civil War, stating, “The reason the South lost was not because of the noble efforts of white abolitionists, but because 186,000 former slaves revolted in general strike and joined the Union Army.”

Chabaud continued with a history of Reconstruction in the South, and the development of the Black Belt thesis by Black communists such as Harry Haywood.

Lastly, Talison Crosby of the FRSO analyzed the continuation of the Black Liberation Movement into the 21st century and the tasks ahead for the people’s movements. “During the George Floyd Rebellion of 2020, something happened that had never happened before,” said Crosby. “Millions of people in all 50 states took to the streets. It was a Black-led uprising, but the majority of people who participated in it are not Black.”

“I remember hitting the streets during the uprising in 2020. I remember volunteering at the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,” said Gemini Gnull. “I’m a member of the Osage Nation. Full indigenous sovereignty and liberation for my people is not possible without socialism. And socialism in the United States is not possible without Black liberation. We’ve all got a common enemy. Black people and Indigenous people are natural allies in the fight against oppression.”

In general, attendees were angry about Trump’s attacks on the people and in agreement that a clear-eyed analysis of the conditions were necessary in order to achieve their political goals and defeat Trump’s agenda.

Concluding the event, Crosby quoted Frank Chapman: “As Frank says, ‘We stand in the rosy dawn of a new movement.’ It’s our responsibility to finally complete the unfinished revolution of the Reconstruction era. The tasks ahead are tremendous, but the future is certainly bright.”

#TacomaWA #WA #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #BlackHistoryMonth #FRSO #AAPRP #NAARPR

Portland, OR – On Sunday, February 23, Portlanders gathered at Terry Schrunk Plaza early afternoon to stand against Donald Trump, his most recent attacks on immigrants, and the escalated ICE repression happening throughout the country.

Despite the heavy rain, a couple hundred protesters came out to stand with immigrants and march through downtown Portland, demanding legalization for all, and an end to deportations.

Cass Cano, a member of Portland Contra las Deportaciones, told the crowd, “The United States isn’t the victim of immigration, it is immigrants that are victims of the United States. Their homes have been devastated by U.S. imperialism. Homes that would be much better places to live in if the United States would end their plunder of the world! That is why we demand legalization for all and an end to deportations!”

Latinos Unidos Siempre (LUS), a youth-led organization from Salem, also spoke at the rally. LUS is currently campaigning against Salem Keizer School District’s implementation of “YONDR” pouches, a magnetized phone pouch meant to lock student’s access to their cell phone, even during break times and lunch. This greatly affects immigrant children and families, restricting them from reporting immigration enforcement activity and checking in on their families. LUS demands an end to the “YONDR” phone pouches program and the reinvestment of those funds into emergency response resources for immigrant families.

Other organizations that spoke at the rally were Portland for Palestine (P4P) and Students for a Democratic Society at Portland State University (SDS). Mutaz Alshawa (P4P) drew parallels between the Israeli abduction of children in Palestine and the violent separation of families by ICE here in the United States. Finn Cunningham (SDS) spoke on the importance of fighting for the safety and protection of immigrants on campus, directly challenging Trump’s authorization of ICE raids in schools.

Holly Brown, of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), stated, “We demand political power for the oppressed, which includes our immigrant brothers and sisters!” FRSO is a national group of revolutionaries fighting for socialism and national liberation in the United States.

After the program, the crowd took the streets and marched through downtown, with chants like Chants like “¡El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido!” and “No fear, no raids, no ICE in our state!” People looked out of their homes and waved in support and other observers joined the march. People honked and raised their fists out their windows in solidarity as they drove by. The people weathered the constant downpour and strong winds, the energy was high from beginning to end.

There was heavy police presence during and after the demonstration and march. They circled the demonstration before and during speeches. During the march, a cop riding their bicycle on the sidewalk ran into a protester in a wheelchair. One police officer drove a motorcycle toward an organizer wearing a reflective vest as she blocked traffic from entering the intersection while the march passed through. This officer on the motorcycle hit the organizer. Luckily, she is unharmed. The officer did not apologize but threatened the organize with citations while she was protecting the crowd from oncoming cars.

Shortly after the protest, two vehicles that helped keep the march safe were pulled over and given citations, away from the crowd. The fines totaled well over $2000.

“A march is an exercise of our First Amendment rights against political repression. The usage of traffic citations to deter us from taking the streets is a demonstration that the cops do not care about protecting our rights or the safety of the public,” said Simon McGrath.

The Portland Police Bureau's revamped “Public Order Team” was out in force. Officers on this team received a 6% salary increase, costing the city an extra $380,000 annually. The increased spending and presence is a direct reaction to the expected resistance of the new presidential administration. A new police oversight board was approved in 2020, meant to replace the current police accountability body. After being scaled back in 2023, members of the new board are set to be chosen this year.

The organizers are committed to fighting the citations and seeking justice for the harassment exerted by Portland police. The Portland Contra las Deportaciones, with help from Portland for Palestine, organized the rally and march. Other endorsements included Students for a Democratic Society at Portland State University, Latinos Unidos Siempre, Abolish ICE PDX, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

#PortlandOR #OR #ImmigrantRights #LUS #PCD #P4P #SDS #FRSO #LUS

The Labor Commission of Freedom Road Socialist Organization condemns Trump and his accomplice Elon Musk for the callous attacks on federal workers.

As it stands, tens of thousands of federal workers have been fired or laid off. The terminations have been carried out in the most callous way possible. The exact number is unclear because of the chaos that has accompanied the process. Unexpected late-night emails. Text messages telling workers to take their things and go home. And President Trump taking to social media to mock those facing hardship. None of this is reasonable or okay or acceptable.

For those of us active in the labor movement, this is a ‘canary in the coal mine’ kind of time. It’s a test that we cannot fail. It is vital that all organized labor rally in the support of the federal workers unions, like the American Federation of Government Employees, and insist contracts are honored and the layoffs are rolled back. To that end, we must insist our unions stand with the federal workers. Unions leaders like Teamsters President Sean O'Brien are mistaken when they say we should wait and see what happens.

In 1981, President Reagan upended the course of U.S. labor relations when he fired 11,000 striking aircraft controllers. Today is that kind of moment. Trump is threatening to privatize postal workers. There are attacks on the National Labor Relations Board. And of course, there are tens of thousands of federal workers who will not be getting a paycheck this week. Complacency cannot be the order of the day.

Many of us who are active trade unionists have friends and acquaintances who are members or leaders of federal worker unions. We should urge them to hold protests and take other actions. This is a concern of every union member, and we should join any resistance to these attacks. An injury to one is an injury to all. The attack on federal workers can, must, and will be defeated!

#Labor #Statement #FRSO #AFGE #FederalEmployees #Trump #Layoffs

Por el Equipo de Trabajo del Movimiento LGBTQ y de las Mujeres de la OSCL

Parece que Trump firma cada orden ejecutiva discriminatoria antes de que se haya secado la tinta de la anterior. No se ha tardado ni se ha guardado ningún golpe al atacar a las personas trans.

Las órdenes ejecutivas más recientes incluyen retener fondos federales como rehén para prohibir que los atletas trans participen en deportes y que los niños trans reciban atención médica. Basada en pseudociencia, una orden ejecutiva declara que “es política de los Estados Unidos reconocer dos sexos”. Esto borra a los miles de personas cisgénero intersexual que viven en los Estados Unidos. La misma orden exige que se prohíba a las mujeres trans usar los baños de mujeres en edificios federales, y llama a los compañeros de trabajo a volverse unos contra otros para reportarlos. También prohíbe cambiar los marcadores de género en los pasaportes.

Trump está impulsando legislación que permitiría a los padres demandar a los proveedores médicos por ofrecer atención para afirmación de género a los niños, mientras castiga simultáneamente a los padres y trabajadores de la salud por respetar la autonomía de los jóvenes transgénero. Él también está prohibiendo que las mujeres trans usen refugios para víctimas de abuso y que sean alojadas con mujeres en las prisiones, efectivamente agravando la violencia sexual contra ellas.

Estas órdenes llegan después de cientos de proyectos de ley anti-LGBTQ introducidos por gobiernos estatales reaccionarios en un contragolpe después de la derrota de Trump en 2020. Exponen el rostro abiertamente reaccionario de un imperio en decadencia atacando, tratando de salvar el sistema opresivo del que depende.

Son la punta de lanza en un ataque total contra las mujeres y las personas LGBTQ. La orden de “dos sexos” define que el género comienza “en la concepción,” abriendo la puerta a la peligrosa noción de personalidad fetal. La prohibición de la atención para afirmación de género establece que las personas trans llevan a cabo “una guerra perdida contra sus propios cuerpos,” cuestionando tanto la autonomía corporal como el derecho de las personas a definir sus propias identidades.

La idea de que estas órdenes de alguna manera “protegen a las mujeres” es una mentira. No solo exponen a las mujeres trans y cisgénero a un escrutinio innecesario y traumático de sus cuerpos, sino que tampoco hacen nada para proteger a las mujeres de los verdaderos perpetradores de violencia. Cuando la mayoría de los ataques contra las mujeres ocurren en sus relaciones íntimas con hombres o mientras viven sus vidas en público, regular la participación de las personas trans en la vida pública es una distracción absurda de los verdaderos problemas en nuestra sociedad.

Estas órdenes también limitarán los derechos de las mujeres de nacionalidades oprimidas y de clase trabajadora. La prohibición en los deportes impide que las mujeres trans y las personas no conforme con el género entren al país, abriendo la puerta al racismo contra cualquier mujer considerada demasiado masculina. Las prohibiciones en los deportes y la atención para afirmación de género amenazan con retener los almuerzos gratis en las escuelas, así como los fondos de Medicare y Medicaid a los hospitales que no cumplan con la discriminación contra las personas transgénero.

La OSCL se opone firmemente a estas políticas reaccionarias dirigidas contra nuestros miembros trans de la comunidad. Estos ataques tienen como objetivo intimidar, confundir y abrumar. No lo permitiremos. Uniremos a todos quienes puedan unirse en contra de la agenda de Trump y del movimiento político retrógrado que él representa. Esperamos con ansias luchar en las calles.

#LGBTQ #Trans #OSCL #FRSO #Statement

Chicago, IL- On Friday night, February 21, Freedom Road Socialist Organization held an event celebrating Black history and international solidarity in the Black liberation movement. The event took place in the office of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) on the city’s South Side and consisted of a panel of speeches and some performances representing Black, Palestinian and Chicano liberation, as well as youth and labor struggles.

The night was electrified by music from Faayani Mijana and poetry from Brian Young Jr, both members of CAARPR. Their art lifted the spirits of attendees and provided a cultural connection to the political tasks raised by panelists in a discussion facilitated by Jae Franklin of the Anti-War Committee, Chicago.

“We are currently living in a state of siege, and our government is the enemy of the people,” FRSO Central Committee member Frank Chapman said about the Trump administration’s attacks against immigrants in particular and working and oppressed people in general.

“We must oppose all these racist policies put forward by Trump and his minions,” Chapman continued. “As oppressed people we must all unite and fight back!”

The main focus of the night was solidarity. Speakers pointed to the common enemies of working and oppressed people.

“The only way out is together. Black people and Chicanos are both oppressed nations. We face, for example, similar police repression and defunding of education,” said Angel Naranjos, a leader within Students for a Democratic Society at UIC and CAARPR’s recently formed Immigrants Rights Working Committee.

The panel noted that U.S. imperialism is an enemy of people internationally in addition to the multinational working class in the U.S.

“Our enemy is global so our response must be global,” said Nicholas Richard Thompson, the Chicago chair and Midwest organizer of Black Alliance for Peace. Thompson and other speakers emphasized the need to stand with oppressed people around the world against U.S. imperialism.

Panelists and performers specifically spoke about Trump's threats against South Africa’s sovereignty and his stated intentions for the U.S. to “own” Gaza. The panel also discussed how oppressed people have won in the past against imperialist representatives like Trump.

“The solidarity between Black and Arab communities is not new. Our movements have stood together in the face of imperialism, colonization and systemic oppression,” said Nadiah Alyafai of the US Palestinian Community Network. She explained the lineage of solidarity from the Black Panther Party to the Ferguson uprising, and then connected this history to the past year of protests for Palestine and against the U.S. backed Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Alyafai also encouraged organizations to join the newly formed Coalition Against the Trump Agenda, which was convened to unite a range of movements in resistance against the overt attacks that have already been coming from the White House and will continue for at least four years.

One of Trump's main targets is public education. This is why the Chicago Teachers Union is currently negotiating contract proposals such as academic freedom for teachers and elimination of racist evaluation practices, designed to protect Chicago’s oppressed communities from Trump and other racists.

“The battle for civil rights also takes place in the classroom. Knowledge of self and representation matters,” said Kevin Moore, a social studies teacher and Chicago Teachers Union member, also explaining why it is critical to stop the Trump administration’s attacks on Black history in schools and its broader attacks on the education system.

CTU recently continued its history of working together with community organizations by joining the CATA alongside CAARPR, USPCN, SDS, AWC, Casa Dupage Workers Center, and dozens of other organizations.

The coalition being built in Chicago is one of many around the country. It shows in practice a lesson from Black history that every panelist on Friday uplifted: united resistance is the best defense against the divide and conquer strategy of oppressors.

“Understanding Black history gives us a blueprint for the struggle,” Moore said. “The Trump playbook is not new. We beat it before, and we'll beat it again.”

#ChicagoIL #IL #OppressedNationalities #AfricanAmerican #BlackHistoryMonth #NAARPR #CAARPR #FRSO #Feature

Chicago, IL – On Tuesday, February 11, over 70 students rallied and marched at the University of Illinois at Chicago to defend immigrant rights after a rise in ICE raids.

The protest was called by New Students for a Democratic Society at UIC (New SDS at UIC) in coordination with the emergency national week of action called by National New SDS. Some of the endorsing campus organizations included Anakbayan, Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Mexican Students de Aztlán (MeSA), Jewish Student Collective (JSC), Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), and Radical Public Health (RPH).

John Emiliano of Anakbayan at UIC spoke of how the ICE raids have been impacting the Filipino community, stating, “Our own Chicago Consulate of the Philippines have reported that ‘no Filipinos have been affected by the ICE deportations in Illinois’. But we know as people on the ground, having to see and live these conditions every day, what the truth is. We’ve heard many cases across the country and locally of the cruelties of detentions and deportations.”

Emiliano continued on how Filipino groups and communities have been fighting back, “Tanggol Migrante Chicago has been stepping up its know-your-rights information campaign and has been dropping off the KYR cards in Filipino stores and restaurants around the city. We have created mutual help clusters, support groups, and rapid response teams so we can follow up to protect and prepare our people.”

A member of SJP at UIC spoke out about the fear following the attacks by the Trump administration, stating, “These actions have affected major communities near us, in many places where people who are trying to just get by with whatever money they make that day. They struck fear into many business owners in places like Pilsen, Little Village, and countless other neighborhoods where Black and brown people are fighting to build a better world.”

Speaking on behalf of the FRSO, Giotl Araujo stated, “U.S. monopoly-capitalism has treated places in the global south, like Latin America, where it can exploit the locals, loot the resources, and destroy their political life, like its backyard. U.S. imperialists have destroyed the livelihoods of various peoples of Latin America, at the expense of fattening their pockets.”

After the program, despite the freezing cold, students marched around campus, and past the University Hall, making their chants loud and clear. “¿Que queremos? ¡Legalización!” (What do we want? Legalization!) and “¡Trump, escucha, estamos en la lucha!” (Trump, listen, we are in the fight back!) echoed throughout campus.

Threats of the reactionary Trump agenda are seeping their way into even the most self-described “progressive” universities, like UIC, which have already shown itself in the first three weeks of Trump’s administration. Earlier this month, word had spread around UI-Health, quietly enforcing Trump’s ban on gender-affirming care for youth and students under age 19. This was then backtracked after students and youth protested this outrageous decision.

While the university has stated that it will not work with ICE to deport immigrant students, UIC police have been used as the buffer to deal with any attempts ICE makes at deportations. Students have made it clear they want a sanctuary campus with no ICE agent stepping foot on campus. New SDS at UIC and progressive students will mobilize to pressure the University of Illinois Chicago to not comply with the Trump agenda!

#ChicagoIL #IL #ImmigrantRights #StudentMovement #SDS #SJP #MeSA #JSC #FRSO #Feature

En las primeras dos semanas de su presidencia, Trump ha desatado una campaña muy publicitada para deportar a chicanos, mexicanos, centroamericanos y otros más. Aunque alega que está enfocándose en criminales, la redada más reciente en Denver, CO, tuvo a oficiales deteniendo a todos en el vecindario y preguntando por documentos. Adicionalmente, Trump también ha cancelado el Estatus de Protección Temporal o TPS (en inglés) para más de 300,000 venezolanos e intentó restringir la ciudadanía por nacimiento garantizada por la 14ª Enmienda de la Constitución de los Estados Unidos. Trump incluso ha comenzado a enviar detenidos a la base militar de Guantánamo en Cuba, aislándolos de sus familias, amigos o cualquier apoyo legal.

¡Pero donde hay opresión, hay resistencia! Una ola histórica de protestas de costa a costa y de frontera a frontera surgió, liderada por chicanos, mexicanos y centroamericanos. Varios paros estudiantiles en preparatorias, protestas en carreteras y arrestos con la demanda de “¡No a las deportaciones!” han llevado el movimiento a un nuevo nivel. Después de esta ola de lucha, los tribunales han comenzado a suspender algunos de los actos más ilegales de Trump, como restringir la ciudadanía por derecho de nacimiento.

Este movimiento masivo también ha endurecido la postura de algunos demócratas, quienes en gran parte estaban desmoralizados por la victoria de Trump en noviembre. Aunque queremos construir la lucha más amplia posible contra Trump y sus ataques, incluyendo demócratas, ellos no están en posición de liderar. Cuando controlaban el Congreso y la Casa Blanca, fracasaron dos veces en aprobar cualquier proyecto de ley de legalización, y demasiados de ellos votaron a favor del proyecto de ley antiinmigrante “Laken Riley.”

En el centro de este creciente movimiento por los derechos de los inmigrantes están los chicanos, mexicanos y centroamericanos. Estas comunidades son alrededor del 70% de los indocumentados, están concentradas en y alrededor de la oprimida Nación Chicana en el suroeste, y son abrumadoramente de clase trabajadora y las más dispuestas a luchar. Al mismo tiempo, necesitamos unirnos con todos los afectados por la administración de Trump, desde los haitianos hasta los venezolanos.

¡No a las deportaciones!

¡Que viva la raza! ¡Poder chicano!

¡Construye la lucha contra los ataques de Trump!

#ImmigrantRights #Statement #FRSO #OSCL #Trump

It seems like Trump signs each bigoted executive order before the ink dries on the last. He hasn’t spared any time or pulled any punches in attacking trans people.

The latest executive orders include holding federal funds hostage to bar trans athletes from sports and trans kids from receiving healthcare. Based on pseudoscience, one executive order declares that “it is the policy of the United States to recognize two sexes.” This erases the thousands of cisgender intersex people living in the United States. The same order mandates that trans women be barred from women’s restrooms in federal buildings, and it calls on coworkers to turn against each other to report them. It also prohibits changing gender markers on passports.

Trump is pushing for legislation allowing parents to sue medical providers for offering gender-affirming care to children while simultaneously punishing parents and healthcare workers for respecting the autonomy of transgender youth. He is stopping trans women from using abuse shelters and being housed with women in prisons, effectively compounding sexual violence against them.

These orders come on the heels of hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced by reactionary state governments in a four-year-long backlash against Trump’s defeat in 2020. They expose the openly reactionary face of a declining empire lashing out, trying to salvage the oppressive system it depends on.

They are the tip of the spear in an all-out assault against women and LGBTQ people. The “two sexes” order defines gender as beginning “at conception,” opening the door to the dangerous notion of fetal personhood. The gender-affirming care ban states that trans people conduct “a losing war with their own bodies,” calling into question both bodily autonomy and people’s right to define their own identities.

The idea that these orders somehow “protect women” is a lie. Not only will they expose transgender and cisgender women alike to unnecessary and traumatic scrutiny of their bodies, they also do nothing to protect women from actual perpetrators of violence. When the majority of assaults on women happen in their intimate relationships with men or while living their lives in public, regulating trans people’s participation in public life is an absurd distraction from real problems in our society.

These orders will also curtail the rights of oppressed nationality and working-class women. The sports ban prohibits trans women and gender non-conforming people from entering the country, opening the door to racism against any woman deemed too masculine. The sports and gender-affirming care bans both threaten to withhold free lunches from schools, as well as Medicare and Medicaid funds from hospitals that don’t comply with transgender discrimination.

FRSO resolutely opposes these reactionary policies that target our trans community members. These attacks are intended to intimidate, confuse, and overwhelm. We won’t stand for this. We will unite all who can be united against Trump’s agenda and the backward political movement he represents. We look forward to fighting back in the streets.

#LGBTQ #FRSO #Statement #Trump #Trans

In the first two weeks of his Presidency, Trump has unleashed a highly publicized campaign to deport Chicanos, Mexicanos, Central Americans and others. While he claims to be targeting criminals, the most recent raid in Denver, CO, had officials stopping everyone in the neighborhood and asking for documents. In addition, Trump has also cancelled Temporary Protected Status or TPS for more than 300,000 Venezuelans and tried to restrict birthright citizenship granted in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Trump has even started shipping detainees to the Guantanamo military base in Cuba, isolating them from family, friends, or any legal support.

But where there is oppression there is resistance! A history-making wave of protest from coast to coast and border to border surged, led by Chicanos, Mexicanos and Central Americans. Multiple walkouts by high school students, protests on freeways, and arrests with the demand of “No deportations!” have taken the movement to a new level. In the wake of this wave of struggle, courts have begun to suspend some of Trump’s most illegal acts, such as restricting birthright citizenship.

This mass movement has also stiffened the spine of some Democrats, who were largely demoralized by Trump’s victory in November. While we want to build the broadest possible fight against Trump and his attacks, including Democrats, they are in no position to lead. When they controlled Congress and the White House they twice failed to pass any legalization bill, and too many of them voted for the anti-immigrant Laken Riley bill.

At the core of this growing immigrant rights movement are Chicanos, Mexicanos and Central Americans. These communities are some 70% of the undocumented, are concentrated in and around the oppressed Chicano Nation in the Southwest, and are overwhelmingly working class and most willing to fight. At the same time, we need to unite with everyone targeted by the Trump administration, from Haitians to Venezuelans.

No to Deportations!

Que Viva La Raza! Chicano Power!

Build the Fight Against the Trump Attacks!

#ImmigrantRights #Trump #FRSO #Statement #Featured