Women's Declaration of Independence
By Antiga

We, the women of the world, in order to claim our lives for ourselves, note that the standard for what is human has been male and adult. We abhor the pattern and policies of using and abusing, raping and murdering, beating and burning women for the crime of being born female; then lying about what has been done.

We declare that it is for us to define who we are as human beings; to define what constitutes abuse and oppression of women and children, to create words that don't yet exist or by other means (including art, music and various media), to be able to describe what patriarchal abuse has done to our lives; to listen to women tell, as best they can, how patriarchal oppression has devastated their lives, and to believe what they say; to create a world in which women are honored, respected and trusted.

We declare that it is right to defend ourselves and other women from abuse whether physical, emotional, verbal, educational, psychological, financial or spiritual
by any means necessary.

We declare that men who have been so damaged that hurting women and children distracts men from feeling their own pain need to be educated if possible, incarcerated it not (kindly, as envisioned in Frank L. Baum's The Patchwork Girl of OZ: Chapter 15) so that the world will be safe for women to move around in freely. In order to create our complete freedom, we declare ourselves independent of the nations.

We will do our best to reach out to women of other patriarchal nations, unite with them and withdraw our support for oppressive societies that harm women, children, and men who do not fit the patriarchal pattern.

We declare that we will no longer be bound by laws designed to destroy us or customs that oppress us. Instead we will weave a web of women's connectedness, remembering to be respectful and peaceful with each another, and recreating the indigenous women's culture that prevailed before men's wars commenced, and shall prevail again.


Permission is granted to translate this into other languages.
Please send copies of translation to Antiga, 46 Dortch Avenue, Asheville, NC 28801 USA
(828) 285-9927