Activists post online physical threats against two Madison, WI, feminists, by name and location, using weapons references

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 24, 2019

Defend Feminists Committee, www.defendfeminists.net
Contact: David Keil, dmkeil@gmail.com

Activists post online physical threats against two Madison, WI, feminists, by name and location, using weapons references

On June 18, two Madison feminists were targeted online with thinly veiled threats of physical harm. Those targeted were singer and environmental activist Thistle Pettersen and another woman connected to her on Facebook. The threats included reference to the women’s names and neighborhoods, and a picture of a weapon, a club. This occurs in the context of a public campaign to drive women out of Madison for their opinions about gender issues. The chief promoters of the campaign now are Madison Degenderettes, the band ‘Dumpster Dick’, and a group calling itself “Madison IWW General Defense Committee Local 100”. Degenderettes is known nationally for its use of threats and weapons displays to intimidate women with whose ideas it disagrees.

A person using the Facebook name Christine Elaine (https://www.facebook.com/christine.elaine.524934) posted the threat on Facebook. This person is the leader of a band with the obscene rape-culture name “Dumpster Dick” (referring to a man who exploits women sexually without affection or attraction). Since 2017 Christine Elaine has waged a campaign to deny Thistle Pettersen music venues in Madison. The campaign has included sexual harassment by falsely portraying Pettersen as endorsing the band by name as her “favorite.” The Wil-Mar center and WORT Radio have facilitated the campaign by banning Thistle or by accusing her of bigotry.

The Defend Feminists Committee is asking for Madison people and others to act to prevent possible physical assaults on women publicly targeted in this way. It asks them to consider writing to WORT board president David Deveraux-Weber (ddweber@wortfm.org), and Wil-Mar board president Bob Hemauer, (bob.hemauer@gmail.com), requesting that they communicate to all concerned that they don’t condone physical threats, incitement, or harassment of community members. Pettersen has asked to face her accusers and to have a chance to respond to the vague charge that she is a hateful bigot.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.