- Cell 16
-
No More Fun and Games 
No More Fun and Games, Issue 2Type Political philosophy Format Irregular newspaper Owner Cell 16 Founded 1968 Political alignment Feminism Language English Ceased publication 1973 Headquarters Boston Massachusetts Official website None Cell 16 was a militant feminist organization known for its program of celibacy, separation from men and self-defense training (specifically Karate).[1][2] Considered too extreme by many mainstream feminists, the organization acted as a sort of hard left vanguard.[3]
Contents
Ideology
Founded in 1968 by Roxanne Dunbar, Cell 16 has been cited as the first organization to advance the concept of separatist feminism.[2][4] Cultural Historian Alice Echols cites Cell 16 as an example of feminist heterosexual separatism, as the group never advocated lesbianism as a political strategy. Echols credits Cell 16's work for "helping establishing the theoretical foundation for lesbian separatism.[2] In No More Fun and Games, the organization's radical feminist periodical, Cell Members Roxanne Dunbar and Lisa Leghorn advised women to "separate from men who are not consciously working for female liberation", but advised periods of celibacy, rather than lesbian relationships, which they considered to be "nothing more than a personal solution."[5]
History
In the Summer of 1968, Dunbar placed an ad in a Boston Massachusetts underground newspaper calling for a "Female Liberation Front." The original membership also included Dana Densmore, the daughter of Donna Allen, Lisa Leghorn, Betsy Warrior, and Abby Rockefeller.[6][7] The group's name was meant "to emphasize that they were only one cell of an organic movement" and referenced the address of their meetings - 16 Lexington Avenue.[8]
No More Fun and Games ceased publication in 1973.[9] Cell 16 disbanded in 1973 as well.[7]
References
- ^ Bevacqua, Maria. Rape on the Public Agenda: Feminism and the Politics of Sexual Assault (2000) ISBN 1555534465
- ^ a b c Echols, Alice. Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America, 1967-75, University of Minnesota Press, 1990, ISBN 0816617872, p164
- ^ Heath and Potter. Feminism For Sale. This Magazine (2005) [1]
- ^ Saulnier, Christine F. Feminist Theories and Social Work: Approaches and Applications (1996) ISBN 1560249455
- ^ Dunbar, Leghorn. The Man's Problem, from No More Fun and Games, Nov 1969, quoted in Echols, 165
- ^ Endres and Lueck. Women's Periodicals in the United States: Social and Political Issues (1996) ISBN 0313286329
- ^ a b Echols, Alice. Daring to Be Bad: Radical Feminism in America, 1967-75, University of Minnesota Press, 1990, ISBN 0816617872
- ^ Cambridge Women's Heritage Project
- ^ No More Fun and Games, A Journal of Female Liberation
External links
Categories:- Women's political advocacy groups in the United States
- Celibacy
- Feminist organizations
- Organizations established in 1968
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