Young Feminists Take on the Family: A Panel Discussion

Overview

From George Bush's insistence that the two-parent family still provides the best environment for building civic stability, responsibility and character to Hillary Clinton's claim that it takes a village, family values has become an indispensable catchword of both parties. But what exactly does the term mean? When pressed to answer the obvious questions - Whose family are we discussing? Whose values? - both liberals and conservatives claim that they have moved away from the untenable and exclusive mythology of a white, middle-class patriarchy in order to account for the complex social, legal and economic realities of today's world. But if this were truly the case, then why do discussions of the family continue to revert to fantasies of race, class, gender and sexuality befitting Ozzie and Harriet?

On 18 February 2003, the Center welcomed a panel of bright, committed young feminists to address just these questions. The conversation included authors Noelle Howey, Irshad Manji, Cathy McKinley, and Leora Tanenbaum, each of whom works to explode the myths of the American family and build exciting new networks of affection and support. In their discussion of families that are biracial, families that are transgendered, families that live outside of the narrow expectations imposed on them culturally, ethnically and religiously, we see the possibilities for a fuller picture of American families and deeper, richer understanding of their values. The panel was introduced by Jennifer Baumgardner and moderated by Amy Richards.

This is an edited transcript.

Overview

Noelle Howey is the author of the memoir Dress Codes: Of Three Girlhoods - My Mother's, My Father's and Mine (Picador USA/May 2002). In addition to receiving a starred review in Publishers' Weekly and rave reviews from major media like The San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post Book World and The Advocate, Dress Codes has been selected for Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers, Borders Original Voices, and the Booksense 76 list. A writer for publications as varied as Jane, Ms., Mother Jones, Glamour, Teen People and Fortune Small Business, she is also the co-editor of Out of the Ordinary: Essays on Growing Up With Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Parents (St. Martin's Press), which won two 2001 Lambda Literary Awards. She teaches at Oberlin College, her alma mater.

Irshad Manji, 33, is a best-selling author, TV personality, media entrepreneur and queer Muslim. Ms. magazine has named her a "Feminist for the 21st Century" and Maclean's, Canada's national news magazine, has declared her a "Leader for Tomorrow," putting her in the category of "Dreamer." Irshad is the author of The Trouble with Islam (Random House), which explores why and how the Muslim world can move beyond anti-Semitism to embrace diversity. Her Risking Utopia: On the Edge of a New Democracy, published in 1997, chronicles how young people are putting "hip" back into "citizenship" and has inspired school courses and book clubs as far away as Hong Kong. Manji is also President of VERB, a TV channel developed to engage young people on issues of global diversity, and is former host and executive producer of QueerTelevision, the world's first show on mainstream TV for gay, lesbian and curious straight people.

In 1995, Catherine McKinley edited Afrekete, a beautiful and reflective anthology of writings by black lesbian women. Then in 2002, she wrote The Book of Sarahs, which details the story of her search for her birth parents and her childhood as a black child of white adoptive parents in a preppy New England town. McKinley's memoir and her own story challenge thinking about race, identity, loyalty, family and love. Her experiences writing enhance her already powerful speaking about issues of adoption, race, class, and sexuality. Cathy is Associate Director of the Publishing Certificate Program at CCNY, where she teaches graduate and undergraduate creative writing. She lives in Hell's Kitchen.

Leora Tanenbaum is the author of Catfight: Rivalries Among Women - From Diets to Dating, From the Boardroom to the Delivery Room, about the ways in which women often try to sabotage one another, and Slut! Growing Up Female With a Bad Reputation, about girls labeled "sluts" by their peers (both HarperPerennial). She has written forNewsday, Seventeen, Ms. , and The Nation, among many other publications. Tanenbaum has appeared on Oprah, The Today Show, Inside Edition, The O'Reilly Factor, Politically Incorrect, and other programs. She has been featured in Redbook, The Washington Post, and The Forward. She lives in New York City with her husband and two sons.