Western feminists must find a voice to support Iranian women
30/09/22
This year I’ve offended the Russians, the Chinese, jihadists, the Labour Party, and monetarists. So, now: Western feminists.
Days after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini deposed the Shah of Iran in 1979, feminist icon Kate Millett jumped on a plane to Tehran. She joined arms with women demonstrating against the mullahs’ introduction of a mandatory dress code for women.
Veiled women, alongside unveiled women, threw their fists into the air, demanding gender equality. Kate Millett was arrested and expelled for accurately calling the Ayatollah a misogynist.
I’ve been trying to work out where Kate Millett’s successors went for the next 40 years while we have been confronted by a gender apartheid.
In her Stuff column, Josie argues that the Western progressive movement needs to move on from cultural or gender relativism and rediscover the moral clarity of icons like Kate Millett.
Days after Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini deposed the Shah of Iran in 1979, feminist icon Kate Millett jumped on a plane to Tehran. She joined arms with women demonstrating against the mullahs’ introduction of a mandatory dress code for women.
Veiled women, alongside unveiled women, threw their fists into the air, demanding gender equality. Kate Millett was arrested and expelled for accurately calling the Ayatollah a misogynist.
I’ve been trying to work out where Kate Millett’s successors went for the next 40 years while we have been confronted by a gender apartheid.
In her Stuff column, Josie argues that the Western progressive movement needs to move on from cultural or gender relativism and rediscover the moral clarity of icons like Kate Millett.
