Kasama

Excavation

Kasama gives space to critical and even hostile remarks, and rarely dwells on praise. Consider this an exception.

This week we have been focused on excavating a particular and painful history: bigotry aimed at gay people within the revolutionary movement, its justifications, its policies and impact. It is gratifying to see evidence that our collective effort is being understood and appreciated — in this case from afar, by someone outside the organized left.

The following is excerpted from an essay originally published by The Cahokian.

One factual note: Ish described several people as “former RCP members” — when they have, in fact, been members of the organization’s youth group and supporters. Such mistakes are easy to make, but the distinctions are nonetheless important. Some of the commentators on our threads spoke as former members, but not the ones writing the main posts. We have corrected this in the excerpt we reprint below.

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“This discussion is amazing to me. I can’t imagine the left as I knew it being so daring or honest with itself: and it’s done with the intention of being constructive and healing.”

“While I often find much to disagree with, I give them full credit for daring to look backwards as well as forward.”

Kasama: Coming to Terms with a Legacy of Homophobia

by the Cahokian (aka “ish”)

I’ve been following a number of left-wing websites which strike me as attempting to re-grow a meaningful left. The most exciting part of this to me is that following the obvious failure or defeat of the left in the last century, the people engaged in this attempt are going over the dogma of the past and trying to find what to hang on to and what to discard.

The Kasama Project is an organization and website based in Chicago that has been running some really fascinating discussions on the legacy of the last-century’s left movement (as well as information and discussion on today’s struggles). Organized primarily around people with a history in Maoism, including former cadre of the Revolutionary Communist Party, Kasama’s discussions are particularly thoughtful and challenging. While I often find much to disagree with, I give them full credit for daring to look backwards as well as forward.

I wanted to call attention to a discussion they’ve been having on the legacy of homophobia on the left, a subject dear to my own heart.

In fact Kasama picked up my own story that I wrote here last year as part of their discussion. Their discussion has been ongoing and quite thorough and open. It’s worth reading the main entries as well as the comment threads. Most of the people telling their stories went through the Maoist movement, so it’s interesting to me, as a former Trotskyist, to compare notes and experiences.

Start with “My Life in a Red Closet,” the story of Libri, a former member of the RCP’s youth group. After reprinting my story, there’s “Working with the RCP, Opposing the Homophobia,” by a long-time RCP supporter. Then there’s “Rejected by Comrades: My Love Was Just Love,” by Andrew Copper who was refused membership in that party despite being a hard-working activist. Another recollection is “Suzie’s Story: Queer, Isolated, Invisible.” Today Kasama has unearthed an analytical document from the 1970s by a group of Maoist Lesbians: “1975 – Early Maoist Critique of Ant-gay Bigotry Among Maoists.”

This discussion is amazing to me. I can’t imagine the left as I knew it being so daring or honest with itself: and it’s done with the intention of being constructive and healing. It’s also incredibly encouraging to me that if anyone in this discussion has defended the old anti-gay ways of the left, I’ve missed it. Perhaps one day a left will rise out of the ashes that can move beyond the defeats and mistakes and betrayals that too often stained its path. What Kasama is doing gives me hope.