What We've Done
This page provides information about some recent and ongoing feminist events, campaigns and activities that LFN members have been involved with. For information about how to get involved, see our Join Us page.
Workers Beer
Over the summer months, members raise money for LFN by volunteering to work for the Workers Beer Company, which supplies beer tents to festivals. This usually a lot of fun and you get a free ticket to the festival too.
Abortion Rights Lobby of Parliament and Public Meeting - 7th May
In the coming weeks, the 1967 Abortion Act is set to come under serious attack in Parliament. Abortion Rights called this national lobby of Parliament to make sure MPs feel the strength of pro-choice opinion ahead of key votes. Sign the petition.
FEM 08 - Saturday 26 April 2008
Members of the LFN travelled to Sheffield to take part in this free one-day conference organised by Sheffield University Students’ Union that featured practical workshops and inspiring talks from leading gender equality campaigners. More>>
Stripping The Illusion Campaign Launch - 22 April 2008
This campaign, organised by Object - Challenging Objectification, is aiming to change the licensing of lap dancing clubs, which are currently licensed like cafes and karaoke bars rather than the commercial sex establishments that they are. This means that they are springing up all over the place and local authorities have very little power to refuse them licenses. This is a disaster for women and girls. The launch was held at the House of Commons with an impressive line up of speakers. Aftwards there was a protest outside attended by about 40 individuals and representatives of the media. More>> Sign the petition: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/lapdancing/ For a model letter to send to your MP, see the Object Website.
Million Women Rise - 8 March 2008
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Members of the London Feminist Network joined with thousands of other women from all over the country to march in protest at the continuing tide of male violence against women and children in this country and all over the world. We marched because we are outraged by this violence, and by the appalling rape conviction rate (stuck for years at around 5% of reported rapes - and most rapes are not reported to the police). |
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We are outraged that the funding is being withdrawn from specialist rape crisis and domestic violence organisations that have built up expertise over decades and whose survival is now under threat. And that thirty years after the Equal Pay Act, women still earn much less than men for work of equal value.
We gathered in Hyde Park and then marched to Trafalgar Square where there was a rally with inspirational speakers from all over the world. |
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When we arrived in Trafalgar Square, we were greeted with this poem on a giant screen:
One Woman, One Body, One Song, One Love.
Once the rally started, the screen was used to project the speakers and the signers so we could all see at the back.
For more information, including a full list of our demands, go to: http://www.millionwomenrise.com/
For a great report and links to some the organisations that were present read the F-Word report. |
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capitalwoman - 8 March 2008
The London Feminist Network celebrated International Women's Day at capitalwoman 2008 at the Queen Elizabeth 11 Conference Centre, Westminster. We had a stall where we sold "London Feminist" t-shirts, gave out flyers for Reclaim the Night 2008, and took details from numerous women who expressed interest in joining the London Feminist Network.
More info: www.london.gov.uk/capitalwoman/ |
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Stop The Strip Club
Members of LFN joined with about 100 others to protest the application currently being made to Hackney Council by Satchmo's on Stoke Newington Road (North London) for a license to put on strip shows. For more information and details about what you can do to help prevent Satchmo’s being used for table dancing and pole dancing, go to: http://www.stopthestrippub.blogspot.com
Picket in support of Southall Black Sisters - 26 February 2008
LFN members joined the picket outside Ealing Town Hall in support of Southall Black Sisters, whose funding is under threat. Southall Black Sisters is a long-standing feminist campaining and support organisation for black and minority ethnic women affected by all forms of male violence. Unfortunately Ealing Council had already decided to slash the funding of this specialist feminist organisation and instead provide funds for borough-wide domestic violence initiatives. Many women were angry that this longstanding feminist organisation was under threat and the meeting was disrupted. More >>
The picket outside the town hall was well attended and many women packed the gallery inside.
Launch of the Feminist Coalition Against Prostitution (FCAP) On Monday 11th February, around 130 people, including many members of LFN, attended the successful launch of this feminist campaigning organisation. We have the aim that one day we will wake in a Britain in which women and children are not for sale. Many thanks to the inspirational speakers: Gunilla Ekberg from Sweden, Jan MacLeod from the Glasgow Women's Support Project, Aravinda Kosaraju from CROP, MP Fiona MacTaggart, Denise Marshall, Director of Eaves, and to the fabulous chairperson, Hilary McCollum. More >> FCAP web site: www.fcap.btik.com
Abortion Rights Protest
On Wednesday 6th February, members of LFN joined with hundreds of others in Westminster to protest against MP Ann Widdecome's road show 'Not on your life ... or anyone else's' which is promoting anti-abortion goals around the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. The protest was organised by Abortion Rights. More >>
Reclaim The Night 2007
Over 1500 women of all ages and from all over the country marched to protest about the epidemic of rape and male violence against women. Report and pictures >>
LFN Christmas Party 2007
We had a Christmas party in December instead of our normal monthly meeting. As well as eating, drinking, chatting and networking, we watched Not For Sale. This short film features five survivors of prostitution, discusses prostitution as violence against women and makes a compelling case against the legalisation of the "sex industry". For more info on the film, see the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women Website.
The Purple Resistance - 23 June, 14 July, 18 August 2007
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A series of protests took place over the summer to raise public awareness, attract media attention and to push the issue of rape and male violence to the top of the government agenda. Using slogans such as "rape rates up, conviction rates down", "we demand justice for rape victims", "end rape and male violence", and "only 5.3 of reported rapes result in a conviction", the protests took place in Central London with protestors wearing purple baseball caps and t-shirts to maximise impact.
For more information, visit http://purpleresistance.wordpress.com/. |
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Anti-Porn London
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We held our first meeting on Saturday 3 March, 2007. About 27 came and the day began with everyone introducing themselves. We then shared our thoughts and feelings about the sexualisation of society and ways we feel this has affected and damaged us and others. We touched upon some of the arguments that people use to counter an anti-porn stance. We also shared websites and blogs. It was a lovely day and we had lunch outside the cafe in the park. |
After lunch representatives from SWAP - Scottish Women Against Pornography, Object and North West Feminists talked to us about their ongoing campaigns. The group then discussed action we would like to take.
We have met numerous times since then. We have shared our feelings and experiences of porn, worked on a mission statement and planned actions, including a campaign against the expansion of Playboy. We chose Playboy as the target for our first campaign because, amongst other things, we object to the way it represents itself as the acceptable face of porn, its increasing cross-over into everyday culture under the guise of 'cute' products, often targetted to appeal to young girls, and the continuing attempt to promote the message to girls and young women that being a playboy 'bunny' is to be desirable and successful.
We have held a series of demos outside the new Playboy store on Oxford Street, starting on 29 September 2007. We have been joined by a giant pro-feminist rabbit and a Hugh Hefner lookalike. We plan to keep up regular protests for the foreseeable futue.
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Oxford Street is very busy and we attract a lot of attention. People stop to read our placards, take leaflets and stickers, chat, photograph the protest and give words of support. There's more at: http://antipornfeminists.wordpress.com/ .
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Feminist Book Group The LFN book group has been meeting every month for over a year now to discuss a whole series of fantastic feminist books. At our first anniversary evening, on 18 March, there were women representing every decade from their 20s through to their 60s. One young woman who came for the first time said "It is so fantastic to be in a feminist group with women from such a wide range of ages." More>>
Demo against "The Verdict" at the BBC
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On Sunday 11th February a group of women from LFN and Justice for Women staged a protest outside the BBC in White City against 'The Verdict', a reality TV show in which a group of celebrities made up the jury on a fictional rape trial. Instead of presenting the British public with the harsh reality of how the legal system is failing victims of rape (thecurrent conviction rate for reported rapes is at an all-time low of around 5%), the program centred around whether or not a fictitious rape victim was telling the truth - thereby perpetuating the myth that women lie about being raped (the level of false allegations is, in actual fact, no higher for rape than it is for other violent crimes). |
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The programme not only trivialised and sensationalised sexual violence against women, but completely sidelined rape victims and ignored their experience of a judicial system that is deeply biased against them. The protesters met with a BBC representative and lodged a formal complaint and asked the BBC to withdraw the programme.
Demo at London Fashion Week - Sunday 11 February 2007
LFN members joined the "flash" protest outside of London Fashion Week organised by www.any-body.org. This protest aimed to give "the women of London a chance to voice their dissatisfaction with the unrealistic and unobttainable images the fashion industry bombards us with." One LFN member took a "Let Them Eat Cake" placard.