Frances BellI have loved the conversations around https://mastodon.social/@lornamcampbell/113674376705399541 by @lornamcampbell and Lorna’s ideas about feminist refusal. Like many of you I guess, I have been gripped by the steadfast refusal of Gisele Pelicot https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cnv35lp14z9t. Her refusal to accept shame, hence her fight for the right to waive anonymity in her husband’s rape trial and be reported under her Pelicot name that she abandoned as the trial concluded
@lornamcampbell/113674376705399541 Watching the trial, it became clear that Gisele couldn’t change the 20 year maximum sentence for rape that her former husband received, or the even lighter sentences that many of her rapists received. Gisele has been recognised as a feminist icon, acknowledged by the women and men who came to applaud her as she left each day of the trial. She can’t know that culture and laws will change in France but …
@lornamcampbell/113674376705399541 I trust that she will recognise the seeds of cultural change she has sown. The potential for change is spread across those she has inspired. This, for me, is a feature of feminism - that we don’t rely on the knight on a white charger - we turn to solidarity, kindness and hope, and make the change. Women are actors not objects, and feminists can find joy in taking action together , even in distressing circumstances.