Unless And Until We Engage Patriarchy More Fully, Our Heroes Will Continue To Fail Us

As many of you may have heard, news broke this week about civil rights icon, Cesar Chavez, and his decades long abuse and sexual assault of women and girls who were part of the labor movement. Much of the abuse was hidden for decades and is finally being brought out into the open.

It is significant that our readings for today touch on this same topic of male violence against women and the protection of those who perpetrate harm. I would encourage you to go read from Daniel 13:1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 or 13:41c-62 and the gospel from John 8:1-11. I have written more specifically on these readings before if you want to dive deeper into it. Both Daniel and Jesus offer us what embodying responses to gender-based violence can look like. But sadly, this is not the norm in our world.

The NY Times had been investigating the allegations against Chavez since 2021 and wrote in a recent article that, “many of the women stayed silent for decades, both out of shame and for fear of tarnishing the image of a man who has become the face of the Latino civil rights movement.”

“Unfortunately, he used some of his great leadership to abuse women and children — it’s really awful,” said Dolores Huerta. Huerta was a labor organizer alongside Chavez in the 1960’s and was also a survivor of Chavez’s assaults.

Not unlike what we have seen in the Jeffery Epstein sexual abuse revelations, people in the labor movement knew for years what had happened. His victims were discouraged from speaking out and the allegations were never really explored. In short, Chavez was protected by those who were close to him.

Part of me was shocked by the news of the allegations because Chavez was one of my “heroes” related to movement work and organizing. And part of me was not surprised when I think about how pervasive and protected gender-based violence remains and how many of our esteemed male public figures – especially in faith, social movement and spirituality circles – have had similar public revelations. 

In an interview with Democracy Now! from just a few days ago, Dolors Huerta said, “this is just so devastating to think that somebody that we, everybody admired and respected and thought so highly of, that he would, you know, do anything like that. That was just really, really hard to take, and it’s still very hard to process, I think, not only for myself, but for everybody that knew and respected Cesar, the volunteers, so many people who sacrificed, you know, to know that he had that dark side of him. And I think that just speaks to the fact that, you know, we have a — that there is a lack of respect for women and girls in our society, and that this is so prevalent, you know, that — and the men get away with this all the time. And we know that’s something that needs to — needs to really be addressed in our society.”

Women, non-binary, trans and queer folks have been telling us for a long time how the systems in this country are set up to protect men who sexually harass, assault and harm women (and other men). It was only in the 1960’s that gender-based violence was even recorded by law enforcement, and women were routinely silenced. Rebecca Solnit says that this was the case, “Until feminism changed the rules of who matters, who listens, who decides, and we are just coming into that somewhat better era…. “

Solnit is clear that “feminism” is not some amorphous, disembodied idea. Feminism is tenacious action, education, public protest, and organizing against gender-violence in all its forms. Feminism is speaking the truth about what is happening and working to counter it. Feminism is holding people to account for their behavior and their silence. And as Maggie Shear famously said in 1986, “feminism is the radical notion that women are people.” bell hooks gets a bit more specific when she says, “Simply put, feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.”

Everybody needs to be a feminist – but especially men and especially cis-hetero men because this is the demographic that is responsible for the majority of sexual violence and intimate-partner violence. And as bell hooks reminds us, “Feminism is not anti-male; it’s anti-sexism.”

Being a feminist requires work because so much of the culture around us has taught and embodied the exact opposite. Since patriarchy is routinely reinforced, we all need to develop the skills, critique and courage to notice, speak about and act against sexism and patriarchy when we see it. We all must also develop the skills, critique and courage to explore our internalized sexism.

Of course, anytime news like that of Chavez surfaces, it triggers a lot of reactions – especially in women who have experienced similar things (and so many have). Rage often surfaces, and we as a collective need to learn how to hold that rage and not tell women that they are overreacting. But the scandals show us more clearly how toxic masculinity normalizes abuse, entitlement and protection.

March is International Women’s Month and while we can and must celebrate all of the achievements and contributions of women, we must also increase our efforts to address the ongoing harm against women that shows itself in misogyny, patriarchy, pay discrimination, sexual harrassment, sexual assault, and rape-culture (to name just a few of the harms).

Unless and until we engage this work more fully, our icons and heroes will continue to fail us – not because we expect too much from them but because expect too little. Letting their sexism, patriarchy and harm against women slide – because they are “doing good work” elsewhere – does not strengthen our movements for justice, it ultimately weakens them.

I am grateful to my wife, Lynne, my daughter, Kateri, and so many other women, trans, non-binary and queer people who have shared their experiences with me, educated me, challenged me and invited me more deeply into my own feminist journey. And while I have become more mindful, attuned and active related to patriarchy and sexism, I still have a long way to go.

bell hooks has been very helpful to me in my journey and especially her small but powerful book, Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics. It’s a book I’d encourage everyone to read (maybe we could do a book study at Spiritus!), and I close with her words. She says,

“There should be billboards; ads in magazines; ads on buses, subways, trains; television commercials spreading the word, letting the world know more about feminism. We are not there yet. But this is what we must do to share feminism, to let the movement into everyone’s mind and heart. Feminist change has already touched all our lives in a positive way. 

Feminist revolution alone will not create [a world without domination]; we need to end racism, class elitism, imperialism. But it will make it possible for us to be fully self-actualized females and males able to create beloved community, to live together, realizing our dreams of freedom and justice, living the truth that we are all “created equal.” Come closer. See how feminism can touch and change your life and all our lives. Come closer and know firsthand what feminist movement is all about. Come closer and you will see: feminism is for everybody.”

Note: For a start, here’s a list of 10 ways you can take action to hep end gender based violence from the United Nations.