Women's Liberation Radio News

July 3rd, 2025 MADISON -- First up, be greeted by WLRN's founder, Thistle Pettersen before she hands the baton to WLRN's newest member, Ms. Cat Bradfield, who delivers the world news segment. After enjoying Tracy Chapman's song "The Promise", hear Arianne of LGB Alliance USA speak with Thistle about Pride 2025 just before Arianne hopped into the woods for a RadFem summer camp in the Pacific Northwest this June and July. Then, hear a rendition of aurora linnea's first piece she turned in to WLRN in 2021 that April Neault loved so much, she made into this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiJGYYpXhWo After the reading of aurora's essay entitled "Pride: Corporate Patriarchy's Celebration in the Streets", we end our show by thanking our guest, Arianne of LGB Alliance USA, and signing off. This month's artwork is by WLRN's graphic designer and artist, Margaret Moss. Edition 111 Artist's Statement : "I started the featured image with an oil sketch Berthe Morisot created in 1885. The drawing/painting she made is a self-portrait that includes a portrait of her daughter. All loosely rendered. I kept the background of Berthe Morisot’s oil sketch, and I digitally sketched an image of our guest Arianne of LGB Alliance USA, and Tracy Chapman, whose song, ‘The Promise’ is included in this month’s podcast. I included purple and green because I especially like those colors - and I appreciate that they have a connection to (British) suffragists. I enjoyed interacting with Berthe Morisot’s artwork. Even though she created her painting in 1885, it has a modern feel. I expect that Morisot had a greater influence on Modern Art than she is given credit for. I appreciate women such as Berthe Morisot, all the suffragists, Arianne, and Tracy Chapman for their contributions to our culture. And I appreciate WLRN for lifting up women so their voices can be heard more widely."

Happy Nine-year anniversary to WLRN! That's right! We have been bringing you a free, volunteer-produced feminist podcast for nine whole years since our humble beginnings in 2016. We couldn't have done it without YOU, dear listeners, so please consider a "happy anniversary" donation to help with our costs to attend the FiLia conference. You can learn more about that fundraising campaign here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f09AG_mmgw&t=9s First up, hear WLRN's Mary O'Neill deliver the world news segment for the last time until further notice. Email info@wlrnmedia.com with your resume and cover letter if you are interested in taking over Mary's job of collecting and reading the world news every month. We love having new members join the team! Thank you, Mary, for your two years of service to the collective! After the world news, enjoy the song "And Leave" by Solely before hearing an interview Freda did with two women who exited prostitution and contribute to the podcast Red Light Expose. Red Light Expose highlights the voices of women who have exited prostitution and combats the growing acceptance and endorsement of "sex work" ideology. redlightexpose.com Finally, Sekhmet SheOwl rounds off the podcast with her compelling commentary about women, sex and sexuality. SheOwl emphasizes that it is not sex that is the problem, rather it is male dominance and violence that ruins sex for women. She encourages us to explore our sexuality away from all the hype of the male gaze and to base our encounters on love and care. Thanks again for tuning in to WLRN. #WLRN #feminism #radicalfeminism #redlightexpose On Exiting from Commercial Sexual Exploitation: Insights from Sex Trade Experienced Persons Written by Andrea Heinz (interviewee on edition 109) https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/dignity/vol5/iss1/8/ redlightexpose.com A new platform for critical voices of the sex industry https://nordicmodelnow.org/ The Nordic Model approach to prostitution (sometimes also known as the Sex Buyer Law, or the Swedish, Abolitionist, or Equality Model) decriminalises selling sex, provides support services to help those involved to exit, and makes paying for sex a criminal offence, in order to reduce the demand that drives sex trafficking womensliberationfront.org Working to restore, protect, and advance the rights of women and girls https://rights4girls.org/ Defending the dignity and human rights of young women and girls who experience gender violence and exploitation https://www.epikproject.org/ Men working to disrupt the demand for commercial sexual exploitation https://clementine-megalodon-86hj.squarespace.com/ The organization Wake Up Brother seeks to mobilize men to create a society free from prostitution and sexual exploitation

Continuing our exploration of ecofeminist theory and practice, March's edition puts an emphasis on ecofeminist practice and actions we all can take to put women in places of power to (re)generate the healing changes and salves we need in society to work together to overcome greed and land grabs, and work for a future of sane decision making in the direction of catastrophe prevention, including in the rebuilding of LA. Hear from Ava Park, Priestess of the Temple of the Goddess of Orange County, tell us a bit about her women-only organization and a bit about her philosophy and then go on to tell us about how members of her community were impacted by the fires, including a member who called her in the middle of the night because she had lost everything, except the clothes on her back. At the end of the interview with Ava, she makes an appeal to WLRN listeners to write to Mayor Karen Bass at mayor.helpdesk@lacity.org and let her know that you support the reinstatement of lesbian fire chief Kristin Crowly. Below, find the template letter Ava suggests you work with. Dear Mayor Bass: Please reconsider the termination of Fire Chief Kristin Crowley. The circumstances of our recent fires here in Southern California were extreme and unusual. Many respected community leaders support Fire Chief Crowley, believe she has done a fine job, and that this may not be the time to make a drastic change. Crowley has the experience needed; she can learn from this past fire season and doubtless handle matters better with that knowledge. A new fire chief will have a big learning curve. Even if she has made mistakes, let our community benefit from the experience Crowley has now gained. Please reinstate Fire Chief Crowley and meet with her to design a plan for facing our coming fire season next year with all that you, your staff, the fire department and other Los Angeles leaders have learned from our recent disaster. Give Crowley the budget she says she requires to run the department properly. Nothing could be more important. See how she performs in the coming year. If you feel she is not competent, you can terminate her then and no one would question your judgment. Thank you. - (Your name and any title or location info you want to put to validate you are a real person) After the interview with Ava, stay tuned for Thistle's interview with comedian and actor Goldie Hoffman who reports that when she returned home there was a gray dust covering her yard, "...the bushes, the trees, the grass, everything." She describes touching it and going on to tell about the possible toxic content she and others likely have ingested and may continue to be ingesting. These are scary times and real stories coming from women on the front lines of ecofeminism in the sense of staying alive as the world burns around them, and aiding in a spirit of cooperation and community when possible. Finally, hear Sekhmet SheOwl's poignant commentary about how the number of homes destroyed in the fires really impacts how people are handling the aftermath and that men are raping and trafficking women in increased numbers due to their destitution, vulnerability and homelessness. Sekhmet calls for us to build our female friendships and community as the human ship goes down. Finally, on an up note, Freda invites us to learn more about WoLF Summer Camp for Radfems and to sign up here: https://womensliberationfront.org/2025-summer-camps

Happy New Year from the team at WLRN! This month, Lola Bessis takes the reigns and offers up an interview she did with an 18 year-old UN Women nonprofit organizer who wishes to remain anonymous. They have a lively discussion about what it means to be a globally minded feminist and the work our guest does for women and girls and how it feels to be from the global south and to usually be the youngest member of the panels and organizations she participates in. First up, hear the greeting from WLRN founding member, Thistle. If you would like to apply to be WLRN's new Business Manager, please reach out to us at info@wlrnmedia.com. We need a new volunteer to manage WLRN's finances, fundraising and website as we transition to becoming an LLC. If we are unable to fill this position by the end of February, we may not be able to continue the good work of WLRN so please apply! No experience is necessary! After the greeting, stay tuned for WLRN's world news segment with Mary O'Neill in which she reports on the impact the Cass Review is having in the UK, the Taliban and the plight of Gisele Pelicot. After the news, you'll hear the street song "El violador eres tú" from five years ago when women in Latin America took it to the streets and it went viral worldwide. After the song, hear the interview Lola did with a young UN Women organizer who talks about what it's like to be young and a feminist organizer, and who shares her views on the importance of solidarity in our movement. Finally, both Lola and Sekhmet chime in with commentaries on the subject before we sign off. Thank you, as ever, for tuning in to WLRN!

This month's edition is packed with women's voices from around the USA as the nation braces itself for the new regime led by president-elect Donald Trump. First up, hear aurora linnea greet the listener before Mary O'Neill offers up news stories and information about women around the world. Then, enjoy the song "Who's Afraid of Little Old Me?" by Taylor Swift before listening to Thistle, aurora, Mary and Lola describe what led them to radical feminism and why they joined the WLRN team. This show is dedicated to our future feminist endeavor of meeting up with likeminded feminists in person at the FiLia conference 2025 in the UK. https://www.filia.org.uk/tickets Please consider donating to our FiLia fundraiser by clicking on the donate button at wlrnmedia.com OR by going to the totally excellent radical feminist period products company GARNUU.COM and typing in "WLRN" at checkout. Thanks sisters! Be sure to share with your female friends and family! #WLRN #GARNUU #RadicalFeminism

Greetings! Thanks for tuning in to our 101st show. Thistle, here! It feels surreal to post this month due to the imminent departure of our beloved sound engineer and producer, Jenna DiQuarto. Jenna has been with WLRN for 8 years and diligently produced our monthly show with care and craft. You leave some big shoes to fill, dear Jenna. Thank you for your years of service and dedication to the collective, to the station, and to our archives. You will be sorely missed by all of us! Today's show begins with an announcement about our partnership with Garnuu.com/WLRN. Tune in to learn more about this exciting opportunity! Our World News segment is written and delivered by Mary O'Neill with fill-in from Jenna DiQuarto. Caroline Parks was our editor this month and Jenna delivers her commentary about her experiences at this year's Fest as a shuttle driver and general volunteer around camp at the festival. The interview segment is directly from the Land on a quiet morning before the mass haul out. Thistle got to sit down with her instructor, Elizabeth Boyce, WPI festival coach for the ukulele ensemble to hear her reflections on the event this year. At the very end of the show, hear from our sponsor, Garnuu.com/WLRN and then it's onto our sign-offs by different members of the collective. This month's musical selection is a song by Nedra Johnson, board member of WWTLC.org, singer/songwriter, and producer for Big Mouth Girl, an entity that produces a yearly festival on the Land in Michigan. The song is entitled August Moon and depicts the Michigan Magic women tap into when in hive mind mode among those sacred ferns. Margaret's artist's statement follows about the featured cover art for this month's show. Thanks for tuning in! Artist's Statement: "For Edition 101, I used some photos Thistle had from her time at the festival this summer. I basically took the photos and arranged them - emphasizing the banners - WLRN, PUSSY POWER, and RISE around a photo of a tent with musicians playing. I played with the colors - allowing it to become an abstract, and festive, unifying whole - like the festival itself."

Happy Independence Day! First up, hear Thistle greet the listener introducing the topic of "patriarchal patriotism" with Liz Miller and Sekhmet SheOwl. After the greeting, hear WLRN's World News segment delivered by Mary O'Neill before enjoying American artist Whitney Houston's rendition of the patriotic song "America the Beautiful". Next, stay tuned for a conversation Thistle had with Liz Miller, Contributing Editor of Spinning and Weaving, A Feminist Anthology for the 21st Century. They discuss this year's presidential election cycle, what it means for girls and women, and what we can do to build real democracy in our society. At one point in the conversation, the Party of Women is mentioned. To learn more about the Party of Women go to: www.partyofwomen.org/ Finally, don't miss our in-house WLRN commentary by Sekhmet SheOwl who defines patriotism and points out how it is rooted in male power and is explicitly against women's interests for us to invest and participate in it. She says this is true no matter the nation and including right here in the good ole USA. Thanks as ever for tuning in to WLRN's monthly handcrafted podcast. This month and going forward into the future until the FiLia conference in October 2025, WLRN is raising funds to send Thistle, Jenna and aurora as representatives of WLRN to participate in and report on the goings on. Our passes into the conference are covered but our flight and accommodations are not thus far... and that's where you come in! To donate to the cause, please visit wlrnmedia.com and click on the donate button. Any amount is appreciated and we pledge to provide you with stellar WLRN coverage and participation in the FiLia conference 2025. For more information about FiLia, go here: www.filia.org.uk/about-filia. This month's cover image was created by Margaret, WLRN's graphic designer. Her statement about the piece is below. "To make the image for Edition 99, Patriarchal Patriotism, I used a photo I took at a Memorial Day parade, one I took of some bunting, and I found a couple of photos of bombs. The parade photo includes old cars and flags - which represent tradition, the patriarchy, and patriotism. There is a woman who is obscured by a flag (that seemed symbolic of how women are hidden and/or ignored) so I copied, enlarged, & centered that part of the image. The way the image got duplicated, people seemed to have lost their heads (also symbolic) - as the cars (and time) seem to drive over them. Also appearing ‘underground’ (and in our collective unconscious) are the bombs - USA bombs and Russia’s bombs."