Melbourne 2012 Activities Archive

December 8, 15 & 22, 9.30am
Repel anti-abortion harassers again!
November 24 was the biggest clinic defence in years! More than 250 pro-choicers stopped anti-abortion bigots from holding their "Rosary Parade." (Click here to see photos.) This mass defence, the first action organised by the recently formed Melbourne Feminist Action coalition, demonstrated the collective power of women and men standing up to the right wing in our large numbers. We showed that the pro-choice majority is serious about defending abortion rights against any attack.

We can't let November 24 be a one-off event! Let's not allow the well-financed, highly-organised rightwing minority to revoke these rights and close off women's access to these services (as they've been doing in the United States). The harassment at the clinic is worsening.

Campaign for Women's Reproductive Rights is defending the clinic every Saturday until xmas.

Pro-choicers are needed at 9.30 am on these dates:
8 December
15 December
22 December


Fertility Control Clinic
118 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne

(between Powlett & Simpson Streets)

Alternate Sundays, 9 September - 18 November, 1.00 pm
6-session Radical Women discussion circle
The root of women's oppression — and how to end it!

For 99% of women, sexism's cruelty is intense. The heaviest blows of budget cuts, low pay and job losses, poverty and war fall on us. We're fighting for control over our bodies and how we lead our lives. Why does sexism still thrive in this century? Have men, the church and the State always dominated? How will the exploitation and oppression of women finally come to an end?

Join a roundtable conversation that explores these questions by going back to when sexism started. Frederick Engels' classic, The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, analyses the causes of gender inequality and will be the focus of this six-week reading circle.
All genders are welcome!

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Take Tram #19 to Blyth Street or Upfield train to Anstey Station. Plenty of parking off Staley Street.

Snacks available for a $5.00 donation. To buy Engels' The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State ($15.95) or receive the Study Guide, please contact Radical Women: 03-9388-0062, radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au

Saturday, 18 August, 4:00 pm
You are invited to a tribute in praise of
Stroppy Dykes, Feisty Feminists and Rebel Queers

Immerse yourself in wondrous words and celebrate literature that brings to life inspirational voices from yesterday and today. Contemporary activists will present pieces from Stroppy Dykes: Radical Lesbian Feminist Activism in Victoria During the 1980s, Smash The Church, Smash the State: The Early Years of Gay Liberation, Revolution She Wrote and poems from Yellow Woman Speaks by Asian American lesbian, Merle Woo, and Anonymous Premonitions by deadly Bidjara woman, Yvette Holt.

Readers will include Jean Taylor, from Dyke Books, Dandy Nicholson and Tara Mitchell, from Radical Women, Lee who is the discussion group facilitator for Ygender, trans activist and feminist Simba, plus a host of surprise guests still to be announced. A delicious winter dinner and social catering for meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans will follow the celebration. A $10.00 donation is requested for dinner. No charge for the reading.

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick.
Catch an Upfield train to Anstey, a Sydney Road tram to Stewart Street. Plenty of free parking available at the rear (enter from Staley Street).

Co-hosted by Radical Women and the Freedom Socialist Party For more information, contact radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au or call 03 9388 0062.

  , Alternate Sundays, beginning 27 May, 1.00-3.00pm
Exciting new Radical Women study circle
The Timeless Wisdom of Clara Fraser,
Pioneer of Socialist Feminism

Clara Fraser (1923-1998) came from the revolutionary movement of the United States and co-founded Radical Women in 1967. Impacted very young by revolutionary giants such as Clara Zetkin, Karl Marx and Leon Trotsky, Fraser developed the theory that feminism and socialism are linked and those most oppressed by the capitalist system will lead in its overthrow.

Revolution, She Wrote is a collection of Fraser's writings and speeches that span nearly 50 years. It is a theoretical goldmine of Socialist Feminist analysis, enriched by Fraser's mastery of history and contemporary events and by her incisive wit.

This 5-part study circle will cover topics from uprisings led by the most downtrodden to capitalism's reaction, the potential of fascism and how we can combat it. Join in exploring these ideas and applying them to crises and opportunities open to us today.

Starting Sunday, 27 May, 1.00-3.00 pm
continuing fortnightly on alternate Sundays. Everyone is welcome!
Yummy finger food available for a $5.00 donation.

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Take the Upfield train to Anstey station or Tram #19 to Blyth Street. Plenty of parking.

For more information or to register interest, please contact Radical Women: 03-9388-0062, radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au or Like RW's facebook. The book costs $25.00, or copies of selected pieces are available for a nominal cost.

Thursday, 21 June, 6:30pm
Campaign for Women's Reproductive Rights rally planning meeting
Help CWRR further plans for an all-out rally in October to defend abortion rights in Victoria. Everyone is needed! All levels of involvement, skills and ideas are welcome!

If we're to stop a push by anti-abortion diehards to turn the clock back to last century, we're going to have to galvanise the pro-choice majority in huge numbers on October 13.

Also hear news about the Western Australian government's plan to bring "personhood" legislation to Australia. This follows attempts in the U.S. by ultra-rightwing legislators to give an embryo full legal rights as a person.

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Take the Upfield train to Anstey station or #19 tram to Blyth Street, and there's plenty of parking.

For more infomation, contact CWRR: cwrr.justice@hotmail.com or phone 9388 0062.

Thursday, 12 April, 7.00 pm
Radical Women discussion
A new feminist generation rising!
Hear young activist voices

Half a century after the uprisings of women, queers, students, Black Americans and oppressed nations shook the world, today's global explosions of protest and rebellion are again rattling the powers-that-be.
Hear young women speak as part of a new generation of feminist warriors:

* Alice Chesworth, equal rights activist for same-sex attracted and gender queer youth, member of Safe Schools Coalition Victoria and Minus18
* Tara Mitchell, transgender rights activist and member of Radical Women

Come share your activist aspirations for a world you want to be part of creating. All ages and genders welcome!

A delectable dinner, with vegetarian and vegan options, served at 6.30 pm for $8.00 donation.

Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick.
Take the Upfield train to Anstey station or the #19 North Coburg tram to Blyth Street. Plenty of parking off Staley Street. For information, contact Radical Women: 03-9388-0062 or radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au

Thursday, 15 March, 7.00 pm
International Women's Day Celebration
Tributes to the New Feminist Uprisings

Celebrate the inextinguishable spirit of International Women's Day, now firing up the world with struggles for freedom. Come and share a story of women-led revolt that inspires you. All genders are welcome!

Enjoy a spread of global dishes, including vegetarian, served at 6.30 pm for an $8.00 donation.

This celebration will be held Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick. Take Tram #19 up Sydney Rd to Stewart St or Upfield train to Anstey station. Plenty of parking available. For more information, contact Radical Women on 03-9388-0062 or radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au.

Monday, 20 February, 7.00 pm
Help feminists fire up Occupy Melbourne
Radical Women Mobilising Meeting

Join like-minded feminist firebrands in setting RW's priorities for these ground-breaking times. Get acquainted with socialist feminist ideas, and learn how you can get involved. Discussion will include the Occupy movement, the vibrant leadership that women are bringing, and Occupy Melbourne's International Women's Day rally. Everyone is welcome!

Come early for a delicious summertime dinner, with vegetarian option, served at 6.30 pm for an $8.00 donation.

The meeting will be held at Solidarity Salon, 580 Sydney Road, Brunswick
Take Tram #19 up Sydney Rd to Stewart St or Upfield train to Anstey station.
Plenty of parking available. For more information, contact Radical Women on 03-9388-0062 or radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au. To stay in touch on Facebook, "like" Radical Women Australia.

Saturday, 28 January, 10.00 am
Make 2012 the March of Feminist Feet!
Join Radical Women and Campaign for Women's Reproductive Rights on a special date!

Choice will meet Free Speech to defend the Fertility Control Clinic from anti-abortion zealots and launch a longer campaign to keep abortion legal in Victoria!

Fertility Control Clinic
118 Wellington Parade, East Melbourne


For information, contact Campaign for Women's Reproductive Rights: cwrr.justice@hotmail.com or Radical Women: radicalwomen@optusnet.com.au