In Support of Richard Stallman

Richard Stallman's Commitment to
Social Justice

Published on April 05, 2021.   Last updated November 28, 2023.

Richard Stallman has a decades long record of commitment to social justice, it shouldn't be necessary to submit evidence, specially not for those who know him. However, these writings have been made invisible by a disinformation campaign in recent years (2019-2021, as of this writing). In fact, Stallman is being unfairly accused of being insensitive to social issues.

Given the virulence of the renewed attacks, friends have advised that it may be necessary to show how consistently and profoundly he cares about social justice.

As we go forward with this website, we intend to reproduce here some of the many articles Richard Stallman has published in his website over the years to speak up against sexism, racism, plutocracy and other issues in society. We started searching from October 2020 and have ordered the articles from recent to older. There are many still to be gathered and listed from previous years. This takes time and work, please Contact us if you would like to help.

For more, you can search the archives in Stallman's website, where he also keeps a list of the ACLU's podcast The Civil Liberties Minute.^[1]

You can also check Richard Stallman's proposed Changes for a Better Society in his website. (Archived).

See also:   Articles of Support   Comments   Letters, Writings & More

Sexism (#sexism)

The Punishment of Women (Archived)

29 October 2020 (Looking for the mother)

Qatar thugs took all the women off a plane waiting to fly to Sydney and strip-searched them, trying to determine if any of them was the mother of a newborn found dead in the airport. [Archived]

More women were taken off other flights, to other countries. [Archived]

Why was Qatar trying so hard to find the mother? I speculate that the purpose was to punish her; right-wing religious extremists often like to punish women.

Trans Women Do Not Harass Anyone (Archived)

26 October 2020 (Harassment in bathrooms)

It appears that trans women do not ever harass anyone in women's bathrooms, but there are several cases where trans women (and cis women erroneously taken for trans) have been harassed or even attacked by people who object to their presence in women's bathrooms. [Archived]

Punishment to Pregnant Women (Archived)

13 October 2020 (Punished for getting pregnant)

The UAE punishes foreign workers that get pregnant, and their children, with homelessness and starvation, and the children with denial of education. This punishment lasts for an indefinite term; it could be years. [Archived]

Many religions support injustice to women.

Women Convicted for Obstetric Emergencies (Archived)

25 September 2020 (Manslaughter and miscarriages)

Dozens of women have been convicted for manslaughter, homicide and aggravated homicide after having miscarriages, stillbirths and other obstetric emergencies since El Salvador introduced a total ban on abortion in 1998. [Archived]

Big Companies Against Women's Rights (Archived)

[23 September 2020]

AT&T, Coca Cola, Disney, Nike, Procter & Gamble and Uber all target female consumers and promote women-friendly work environments, yet they bankroll candidates who actively work against women’s rights. [Archived]

Women Prosecuted for Wildfire Smoke (Archived)

21 September 2020 (Smoke from wildfires)

The smoke from wildfires, when breathed by pregnant women, causes lasting harm to their fetuses in later life. [Archived]

In some US states, women could be prosecuted for breathing the smoke. Perhaps millions of women would commit this “crime”.

One could imagine prosecuting oil companies too, but the right-wing officials in those states don't want to go after oil companies, only women.

Don't Discriminate Trans People (Archived)

21 September 2020 (Urgent: discrimination against trans people)

US citizens: call on the Department of Housing and Urban Development not to allow discrimination against trans people. [Archived]

Women are Good Policy Makers (Archived)

20 August 2020 (Countries lead by women)

Countries lead by women really did a better job at acting effectively to stop Covid-19. [Archived]

Voting for a Black Woman (Archived)

17 August 2020 (Ambition, charisma and leadership)

When I read that a candidate's admirable qualities are “ambition, charisma and leadership,” this makes me concerned about where that candidate would lead us. [Archived].

I wondered the same thing about Obama, another candidate with the same strengths, and concluded he was no progressive, so I did not vote for him. He validated my doubts when he let the banksters off the hook for fraud that stole millions of non-rich Americans' homes. Harris did the same thing.

I voted for a black woman (Rep. Ayanna Pressley) with great relish two years ago, for the good things she stands for. Soon I will vote for her again. If Harris stood for these things, I would have voted for her too.

Women Are Paid Less (Archived)

19 June 2020 (Why women are paid less)

“Women are not paid less because they are less educated, less motivated, less ambitious, less willing to ask for more money, weaker, more cowardly, lazier, meant to be stay-at-home mothers, or any of the hundreds of ‘blame the women’ excuses that popular culture spits out," runs one blistering passage. They are paid less because hostile men, and the institutions they create, keep finding ways to frustrate gender inequality. [Archived].

ID Against Trans People (Archived)

27 April 2020 (Hungary's oppressive ID requirements repression)

Hungary's oppressive ID requirements — one must show government ID even to buy a bus pass or pick up a parcel — are being used to repress trans people. [Archived]

Domestic Violence (Archived)

14 April 2020 (Domestic violence)

Domestic violence has doubled or tripled in some countries due to lockdowns. A rough estimate is that this includes over 200 million women. [Archived]

French Thugs Against Women (Archived)

22 March 2020 (Violent French riot thugs)

French riot thugs violently attacked a peaceful march for International Women’s Day. The thugs had been venting hatred verbally towards the marchers for a long time before they attacked, so their misogynist motive is clear. [Archived]

Pre-Natal Care (Archived)

18 March 2020 (Contraception and pre-natal care)

Sanders' Reproductive Health Care and Justice for All plan would assure all American women of contraception and pre-natal care. [Archived]

One aim is to reduce the rate of death in childbirth, which is particularly high in the US.

Chris Matthews Hates Women (Archived)

6 March 2020 (Hating progressives and women)

MSNBC TV host Chris Matthews not only hates progressives, he hates women too. [Archived]

Why would Bloomberg lie? Because he wants to get elected, perhaps? Perhaps because truth is not one of his values, perhaps?

Trans People at the Airport (Archived)

30 August 2019 (TSA traumatizes transgender passengers)

Transgender passengers often find an encounter with the TSA traumatic. [Archived]

Trans Students Toilets (Archived)

11 August 2019 (Transgender student rights)

A US judge ruled that transgender students have the right to use the toilets corresponding to their gender identities. [Archived]

This decision is only tentative, since the appeal is likely to go up to the Supreme Court, which is dominated by right-wingers.

Women Raped by Thugs (Archived)

15 April 2019 (Moroccan women)

Moroccan women working picking strawberries in Spain are forced to live in unsafe conditions, and suffer rape as well. [Archived]

When they complain to the thugs, the thugs ignore them, and their employer/abusers kick them out, leaving them destitute. But the worst thing is the cruelty of their parents and husbands.

With all the money that the strawberries bring in, Spain can afford to deploy inspectors to make sure these workers have safe working conditions.

Acid On Women's Faces (Archived)

3 April 2019 (Survivors of attacks in India)

Throwing acid on women's faces is becoming frequent in India (as well as elsewhere); the attackers are usually part of their extended family. [Archived]

The women attacked used to despair, but now they are helping each other get on with their lives.

Activist Women Imprisoned (Archived)

22 March 2019 (Activists in Salafi Arabia)

Salafi Arabia is torturing imprisoned women's rights activists. [Archived]

US Denies Visa to Women (Archived)

21 March 2019 (UN conference on women's rights

The US appears to have tried to sabotage UN accords about women's rights by refusing visas to women that sought to attend the UN conference on women's rights. [Archived]

Ending Prejudice Against LGBT (Archived)

21 March 2019 (Learning not to be prejudiced)

Lives Are Ruined by Shame And Stigma. LGBT Lessons in Schools Are Vital. [Archived]

This is so that all children learn not to be prejudiced.

Women Are Taught to Apologize (Archived)

16 March 2019 (Female apologism)

One unfairness that keeps women down is that they are taught to apologize when someone mistreats them. [Archived]

It is unfortunate that the article uses "ingrained into our DNA" as a metaphor for this, since the crucial point is that apologism is not innate in women, rather taught to women.

Death Threats to Homosexual Congressman (Archived)

15 March 2019 (Jean Wyllys)

Brazilian congressman Jean Wyllys has gone into exile due to death threats, which were made against him because he is homosexual. [Archived]

Woman Raped by Thug in Kosovo (Archived)

9 March 2019 (Rape victim in Kosovo)

A woman in Kosovo went to the thugs to report that her teacher had raped her, and the investigating thug handled the case by raping her again, and again. [Archived]

To crown it all, the Kosovan state is prosecuting the people who tried to help her with an abortion. Kosovo must legalize abortion, for everyone, as well as punish the rapists.

I speculate that the thug chose her to rape partly because of the patriarchal idea that an unmarried woman who is not a virgin has become worthless. Changing ways of looking at the world is not easy, but that is the long-term change that is needed.

One detail that is morally irrelevant is the age of the woman. In fact, she was 16, but if she had been 6, 26, or 60, it would have made no difference. Rape, forcing or compelling someone to have sex, is wrong no matter who it is done to.

Sign The Violence Against Women Act (Archived)

21 February 2019 (Urgent: Violence Against Women Act)

US citizens: call on Congress to restore the Violence Against Women Act. [Archived]

If you sign, please spread the word!

Women Threatened for Denouncing Violence (Archived)

20 February 2019 (Libel for accusations)

Women in the UK that make accusations of rape or domestic violence are threatened with lawsuits for libel. [Archived]

Right to Drive in Salafi Arabia (Archived)

2 February 2019 (Right to drive in Salafi Arabia)

Salafi Arabia should free the women who campaigned for the right to drive a car. [Archived]

Cruelty toward Afghan Women (Archived)

18 January 2019 (Cruelty toward Afghan women)

Afghan women who are raped are frequently imprisoned for not being virgin. When they get out of prison, they may be murdered for that. [Archived]

This patriarchal cruelty perpetuates the Taliban. The US has tried to do "nation building", usually taking the form of investing in physical plant which often turns out to be useless. Perhaps it should have funded women's shelters instead. [Archived]

Equal Rights for Women (Archived)

21 April 2018 (Equal Rights Amendment)

The Equal Rights [for women] Amendment has languished since the 1980s, but is just two states short of approval. The Illinois senate has just approved it. [Archived] If the Illinois lower house does likewise, it will be one state away from approval.

If Democrats take back several states in November, the ERA could actually pass.

Racism (#racism)

White Supremacism (Archived)

29 June 2020 (Antelope Valley of California)

The Antelope Valley of California is a center of white supremacism, and the thugs there have a history of murdering blacks. [Archived]

Black Lives Matter (Archived)

29 June 2020 (The Movement for Black Lives)

The Movement for Black Lives aims for more than getting thugs to stop killing blacks. It includes advancing equality along many fronts, described here. [Archived]

I support all of them.

FBI Targets Black Activists (Archived)

29 June 2020 (History of targeting black activists)

The FBI has a history of targeting black activists. That's still true today. [Archived]

AI Against Blacks (Archived)

27 June 2020 (AI predicting criminality)

An AI system claims to predict who will be a criminal based on people's photos. Actually it predicts who will be accused of crimes, using a simple heuristic: black skin => more likely to be accused. [Archived]

The heuristic gives valid results because of the racism in society's systems.

White Murderers Not Prosecuted (Archived)

28 May 2020 (Prosecutor who refused to prosecute the white murderers of Ahmaud Arbery)

A prosecutor who refused to prosecute the white murderers of Ahmaud Arbery has a history of straining to find grounds to prosecute black women. [Archived].

Dead of Black Men (Archived)

18 June 2020 (Death of two black men in California)

Two black men died in California in what looked like suicides, but there are reasons to suspect white supremacists murdered them. [Archived]

1990 Anti-Black Riot (Archived)

14 June 2020 (The 1900 New York City Anti-Black Police Riot)

The 1900 New York City Anti-Black Police Riot. [Archived]

Essentially all the thugs attacked blacks indiscriminately on the street and in their homes, without the slightest shame or self control.

Killing Unarmed Blacks (Archived)

10 June 2020 (Vallejo police kill unarmed 22-year-old, who was on his knees with his hands up.)

Vallejo police kill unarmed 22-year-old, who was on his knees with his hands up. [Archived]

Killing unarmed blacks is a long-standing tradition there.

Plutocracy (#plutocracy)

Bill to Help Non-Rich Americans (Archived)

22 March 2020 (Urgent: Help non-rich Americans cope with Covid-19)

Phone your congresscritter and senators to push for a bill that would help non-rich Americans cope with Covid-19. The bill would do these things:

• Federally mandated paid sick leave for caretakers and ill people, to stop the spread of this virus by allowing sick people to stay home and avoid infecting others;
• Free coronavirus testing that will allow people to know if they've been infected and health agencies to track the spread of the virus;
• Emergency food aid for low-income pregnant women, young children, senior citizens, and food banks that may become overwhelmed as more people are temporarily out of work and
• Unemployment funding for workers laid off or furloughed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

If you call, please spread the word!

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References and Notes

1. The Civil Liberties Minute podcasts (Archived) ^↑