Not Just a Lawsuit—a Revolution!
And: Great News—We're Filing in New York!
“It's Not Just a Lawsuit—It's a Revolution!” is the rallying cry of thousands of women joining together to file lawsuits claiming they are being discriminated against in family courts. The legal battle comes within the larger context of making revolutionary change.
But first—Great news: We are filing in New York! If your case is or was in a NY family court, make sure you sign up and tell your NY mama friends.
The filing of each discrimination lawsuit can be seen as a metaphorical Storming of the Bastille.
The Bastille was a fortress in France used as a prison. It was a symbol of France’s brutal monarchy. Inmates were often deprived of their liberty without a fair judicial process. The Storming of the Bastille marked the beginning of a years-long French Revolution, which successfully resulted in a democratic form of government (well, for a little while…).
Family courts everywhere exist as despotic mini-monarchies. Judges rule autocratically, rarely impartially when it comes to a man wanting to take his children, his property, away from the mother. Women have been giving everything they have in the battle for their children but are still losing custody in the dictatorial regime.
Women’s loss of custody in family courts is akin to being tried in a monocratic court and unjustly convicted and imprisoned. A loss of freedom and power. Sometimes even worse: when mothers are deprived of any contact with their children, it is more like being hung in the public square.
The filing of discrimination lawsuits, like the storming of the Bastille, is the beginning of a rebellion against this tyranny, with the ultimate goal a new system for deciding custody of children. Previous revolts against patriarchal institutions and laws have succeeded in gaining women power outside the family; but inside the family, whether married, single, separated, or divorced, women remain virtually enslaved due to the power vested in Family Court judges.
Patriarchy's chief institution is the family.
Kate Millett, Sexual Politics
It’s finally time to make the family Patriarchy’s last stand. It’s time to stop wringing hands and begging the powers-that-be for piecemeal reforms within the system they created that won’t work anyway.
It’s time to Storm the Courts—in the form of lawsuits.
“DISCRIMINATION”
The word “discrimination” does not do justice to the horrors being inflicted upon women by family court judges. Making a dollar an hour less than men at the same job is discrimination. Unequal funding for women’s sports is discrimination. Rightfully so.
But what women are being subjected to in family courts is on another scale entirely. Even the word “oppression” understates the scourge. The loss of children and inability to protect them is akin to the cruelty and powerlessness of slavery. Maybe even worse. Most women would rather be deprived of anything than their precious children.
And, of course, men have always known that. Children have always been their #1 form of leverage in controlling “their” women, and Family Court was created to maintain their power and control in the family. But most women do not know this until it is too late, until after they step into a family court. The lawsuits will serve to get the word out.
Despite it’s ambiguity and insufficiency, we must use “discrimination” as the basis of the lawsuits. Discrimination is a violation of women’s constitutional right to equal protection of the law. Many forms of discriminatory judicial conduct are listed in the lawsuit, so that helps make clear it is more than just simple discrimination.
Then women will “storm” legislatures demanding a new system where custody cases are treated like other civil cases in which judges do not have dictatorial power. Judges are supposed to be simply referees making sure the rule of law is upheld. They have no business making findings and rulings about the best interests of children. That is for a jury of our peers in open courts. The Women’s Coalition has a draft “Custody Code” ready for that phase of activism.
A SOCIETAL ISSUE
This filing of discrimination lawsuits is the first step in this multifaceted Revolution, just as the Bastille uprising, and it is an important one. Women coming together to make the legal and constitutional claim that they are being discriminated against gives credence and power to our cause.
But it’s important to understand it is not just a legal or political issue. It is, more importantly, a societal issue. Women and children are being greatly harmed, which is not only horrible for individual members of a community, but it degrades society as a whole.
Human potential is often not realized. Many are being deprived of their inalienable right to happiness due to the trauma. Productivity and contribution to society is decreased. Some become burdens to society due to the effects of unhealthy coping mechanisms. It is a mental health and public health and safety issue. It costs taxpayers billions.
Women must educate the public about this harm and also about the importance of maintaining children’s primary attachment figure, their mother, in their lives after divorce.
Women are not just fighting a legal battle. They are fighting for their lives and their children’s. That makes it a more far-reaching revolution.
TAKEAWAYS
The main Takeaway is that women are facing a struggle more like overturning a dictatorship than a civil rights battle. What is happening to women in family courts is on the scale of tyrannical Kings abusing and wrongly imprisoning their subjects. So it’s not going to be quick or easy to remedy but no time like the present to start.
The lawsuits make clear that the discrimination is real and widespread. It is the first act of rebellion that targets the true cause of the Crisis: a system that is designed to discriminate against women and entitle men.
The good news is women have a great advantage over the Bastille stormers. Women already have the legal and constitutional right to equal protection of the law. Women rebels need only make clear that is being violated and subsequently demand the kind of change that will ensure its upholding. [Spoiler alert: that’s not by enacting new laws within the same system.]
Even if some cases are dismissed, the act of rebelling gives women power. You can dismiss a lawsuit, but you can’t dismiss a Revolution! Further, any dismissals will further fuel women’s outrage and rebellion.
Women have had enough. Women are revolting against the tyranny of family courts. The filing of discrimination lawsuits is just the first instrument of our revolt.
It’s not just a lawsuit—it’s a Revolution.
IN OTHER NEWS
LAWSUIT UPDATE
As noted above, we have found an attorney to file in New York! So if you are from NY or know mothers who are, be sure and join our Discrimination against Women in Family Court lawsuit. We’d like to name 100 mothers as Plaintiffs.
Other mamas—don’t despair. We have possibilities in a few other states as well, but remember, every lawsuit helps women everywhere by putting our issue on the map. In the meantime, look around in your state for attorneys willing to file. They do not need to be specialized in civil rights as we have a consultant who can aid in the process.
Due to popular demand, anyone signed up for the lawsuit can join our Sisters zoom on Saturday to learn more or ask questions. You do not have to join SIS, but are encouraged to do so (see below).
Please encourage all victims of the Custody Crisis to join the lawsuit by filling out this form for the U.S. and this form for other countries. Read the column about it for more info.
A gofundme has been started that will be used to help pay attorneys. Please consider donating.
WEBSITE
Check out our newly updated website!
[Credit to our Communications Director, Damon Dumas.]
SISTERS IN SOLIDARITY
Our February Sisters in Solidarity forum will be this Saturday. We will be discussing the lawsuit again due to popular demand, as well as other activism issues.
Saturday, Feb. 15th: 1pm Pacific; 4pm Eastern; 9pm London; 7am (16th) in Sydney.
If you’d like to join SIS, please fill out this form.
You will receive an invitation to the zoom a few days before [check alternate inboxes].
More info about SIS here.
CHAPTER 28: NEXT SECTION OUT!
In this section of Chapter 28, Legion discovers Herry took her boys 5 states away to the south and east—far enough so she cannot easily sneak and visit them, as she had been doing, while maintaining a job—which was exactly his plan. This absolute revenge of depriving Legion completely of her boys was surely to “Deviant Herry’s delight” which “utterly pleased the socially pathologic pathologist”.
Herry knew the people of Central West Virginia would be so desperate for doctors that they would overlook the fact that he was a disgraced physician from Iowa who had kidnapped the boys from their mother—another well-thought out aspect of his plan. Not to mention bringing on a homely, repugnant new wife/stepmother into the mix who would be enthusiastically willing to conspire with him every step of the vengeful subterfuge.
In the last section of Chapter 28, Legion is upset that Herry would take the kids away without even telling them where they were going. She ponders how the “not knowing is the worst” and how so many mothers and children have to live not knowing, because Family Court allows men to take and alienate their children from them. She calls directory service in every state in an effort to find where he’s taken them. And it’s worse than she feared…
CHAPTER 28 of Mother-Fucking: The Saga of One Fucked Mother begins with Act III, Part 4 of “The Opera” from Book 3. The Opera has three Acts with five Parts—one for each of the three Family Court and two Appellate Court trials. Chapter 28 covers all of Act III: Part 4: the third Family Court trial and Part 5: the second Appellate trial. [This is a long chapter and will be published in newsletter-sized bites.]
Dr. Blue’s novel is based on her own experience of the Custody Crisis. It uniquely conveys how Family Court judges are “mother-fucking” women—a form of systemic oppression—as protagonist Legion is systematically and methodically deprived of her children and money and reduced to “one fucked mother”.
Chapters are stand-alone interesting so you can begin reading anywhere. A Cast of Characters follows to help readers at any point [on the web page]. All published chapters are included in the Section: “Saga of One F**ked Mother” accessible on the top bar of the home page of Women’s Coalition News & Views. Sequential chapters are published every Wednesday so make sure to subscribe if you haven’t yet!
TEASERS
No surprise, though…Only saddened and disappointed me soooo––to finally learn where Jesse, Mirzah and Zane actually were.
…he knew all along what it was that he was doing with West Virginia and how he was playing so dirtily with all of … my Boys’ brains. He was hiding Zane, Jesse and Mirzah from me while, at the same time, sacrificing the wonderment they’d already had with me––and, most assuredly, … purposefully and perfectly punishing us all. Rabid … lethal … revenge.
I truly, truly missed my Boys, which of course I believed was to Deviant Herry’s delight. All of one’s ordinary human emotions and any of those of DEhumans for damned sure, so ‘outlandishly irrelevant’ and purposefully alien to this man, I know that my yearning for my Children … hourly … utterly pleased the socially pathologic pathologist.
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Right on, Vive La Revolution! Women are fighting for more than their lives while a judge is more likely to award a child to a pedophile father than a protective mother. Knowing he was fully supported by pedophile protectors, he upped his attacks on our toddler. Supervised visitation ensured my son knew his mother was powerless to protect him. The destruction of our bond, our lives continues to poison our society. What is done to children, they will do to society. My ex was raped by a priest; I pray current demands for the Mass AG to make the exposee public are met. Child SA plus lawless courts are the double whammy and the sins of the 'father' continue to be visited upon my son. I hope statutes of limitations are eliminated as they have been in PA, since my son can't sue his father for rape - I believe it is ten years past the age of 13. Men do not report until they are in their 40's - especially after being shot down by every system supposedly there to protect - DSS/DCF, Office of Child Protection, every crooked officer of the lawless court, clergy, teachers, doctors, ALL betrayed our innocence and steered my precious child into the stiff-cocked lap. We will dismantle this evil patriarchal system; Susan B. Anthony we will not let you down! Failure is impossible!
Family court is about male power and control. Women have no enforceable rights. They are powerless to protect their children. Family court judges abuse their power. They give custody to males that request it. Abusive males are granted custody. Good mothers are falsely deemed unfit. Family court judges do not rule in a child's best interests. They rule in their own best interests. Children are considered male property. Family court judges face no consequences. They are rewarded with increased status. Women have their children taken. They are left penniless. Mothers and children suffer. They become helpless and hopeless. Facts and evidence don't matter. New laws and training programs won't help. Mothers are often punished when they fight for their children in family court. They are forced to be very careful. Women must continue to unite and fight for a new system. A jury would give women and children a chance at justice. Family court must end. This lawsuit will help women gain the power they need to protect their children!