Ballad of the Oklahoma Women's Liberation Front

Details
Title | Ballad of the Oklahoma Women's Liberation Front |
Author | Anastasia Walker |
Duration | 2:39 |
File Format | MP3 / MP4 |
Original URL | https://youtube.com/watch?v=QO3HJQYJVWo |
Description
This track is a bit of a departure from the other songs in this playlist in terms of chronology, but not of spirit. Beth Elliott was a trans lesbian feminist folk singer who played coffee houses in the Bay Area in the '70s. She briefly played an important role in the local feminist movement before the emerging essentialist strain in second wave feminism decided that anyone assigned male at birth could not be considered a woman by definition -- a view that lingers in some fringe feminist circles (notably the TERFs) to this day -- and thus that she had to go. The Wikipedia page on her has a brief, informative summary of these events and their lasting impact on both Elliott personally and the trans community in general. This song was recorded for release as a single and as part of an LP ("Kid, Have You Rehabilitated Yourself?") in 1976, but neither came to pass due to continued resistance to her inclusion in feminist circles, as a result of which "women's music distribution channels were closed" to her. Elliott self-released the tracks from the 1976 recording sessions, along with some later tracks, on CD in 2005. That CD, "Buried Treasure," is well worth tracking down.