Letters Page: Sexual Liberation For First-World Proletariat Costly to Third-World Proletariat

The Alternative Orange,

Thanks for sending us copies of your paper. We appreciate this opportunity to see what others have to say about MIM and politics in general.

The only reference we found to MIM in the October and November issues of the Alternative Orange was in the Nov. article about Marxist Theory of Homosexuality. The 1 sentence dismissal of MIM’s line on this as a “very similarly dismissive and denigrating approach to analysis of gay and lesbian politics and culture as merely the aspirations of a ‘privileged’ group for a better ‘bourgeois’ ‘lifestyle.’” demonstrates either a lack of research or a very First World outlook on the part of the author.

This sentence is understandable if the author believes that homosexuality only exists in the First World among the privileged people who benefit from the exploitation of the world’s oppressed. Among these people, we do criticize aspirations to achieve a more liberating lifestyle, for we recognize that a more sexually liberating lifestyle for the already class and nation privileged can only be achieved at the expense of the world proletariat. Those among the first world who wish to truly fight for gay and lesbian liberation for the majority of the world’s peoples (rather than for a minority at the expense of the majority of oppressed) must ally with the oppressed people and put their interests as principal. The gay Yuppies who fight for the right to be in the army just like their straight brother’s are really fighting for the right to kill and oppress the Third World gay, lesbian, bisexual and straight masses: this is not gay liberation and this is something that MIM is clear to condemn.

If the author agrees with MIM on the above, then it is likely that he has not read MIM Theory #2 (the issue of our theory journal devoted to the issue of revolutionary feminism), nor has he read our essay “Capitalism and Homosexuality”, our critique of the RCP, or even many of our past issues of the newspaper in which we cover lesbian, gay, bisexual rights struggles and make clear where we stand. If this is the case, MIM’s only response is: no investigation, no right to speak. MIM has repeatedly come out in opposition to the RCP’s line that homosexuality is just a symptom of bourgeois capitalist decadence that will be eliminated after the revolution.

We encourage the AO to offer us evidence of what you seem to perceive to be such a political line on our part. We certainly do hope to be held to high standards, and will accept criticism when it is principled and offered with evidence. Public criticism is a serious matter, and we assume that you can prove your claims to any readers interested enough to investigate.

We will be happy to discuss this further and provide you with our literature to read about our views on the subject if you are interested. The theory journal costs $5, and the founding documents and the essays can be ordered for $1 each, $2 for the RCP critique.

In addition, if the Marxist Collective at Syracuse University is interested in discussing and debating various political ideas and ideologies please forward this e- mail address to them.

Thanks again for sending us your paper.

In Struggle,
Maoist Internationalist Movement (MIM)
P.O. Box 3576
Ann Arbor, MI   48106-3576
email: science@mitvma.mit.edu