Consent Calling and positioning matters

Our crowdfunding campaign started on 21.02.2022, the war of aggression in Ukraine on 24.02.2022. For many people this war, in combination with the prevailing stresses of the pandemic, as well as the constant shitty patriarchal and capitalist power and violence structures, reaches a new dimension of strain, fear and despair. This war appears closer and more threatening to many people than other wars, and it is precisely for this reason that many are in the process of providing help in a great variety of ways; including through donations.

And this is exactly our most important goal at the moment; to get as much money as possible until the 17th of April to be able to open a feminist sex store in Munich.

In order to achieve our goal of having our own store, we definitely need another 10,000 euros! But it feels almost cynical to ask for money, which is needed more urgently elsewhere in these times.

On the other hand, this is basically the case in every month of the year, because wars, exploitation, persecution and suffering prevail all over the world. What is also certain is that there is never just one crisis that we have to fight. Crises are interrelated and interdependent. Crises often reinforce social inequalities, and patriarchal relations of oppression are currently becoming massively visible in Ukraine - which is why feminist work is essential. As always. Everywhere and on all levels.  

We have deliberated for a long time on how best to act in the current situation and have decided against taking a social media break or interrupting the crowdfunding campaign.

Because: No one is being helped if other important political work is stopped. And our work is important. In addition, we hear from many people, who are personally affected by this war, that it is vital that other content and issues remain visible. 

As a collective, we do not find a measure from which dramatic situation in the world we should interrupt our work, when a social media break should be taken, on which topic we should write content statements or share appeals for donations. We also find it presumptuous and problematic to simply drop a phrase like "solidarity with Ukraine" to soothe our conscience. There is nothing political about it...  

Furthermore, we are first and foremost a feminist collective, which means that we dedicate ourselves to the main focus of feminism, and when we publicly take a stand on issues as a collective, then on issues which fall within this area.

Because if we didn't set this boundary for ourselves, it would be incredibly difficult to differentiate what we position ourselves on and on what we do not. What about climate change and the german government's constant inaction? The situation in Afghanistan or Somalia? With the demand for the comprehensive clarification of Hanau? What about the prevailing nursing shortage? And what about the current events in Rojava? With the situation at the EU outer borders etc. etc.

Those who are able to read between the lines will realise that our feminist stance is part of a larger struggle for different circumstances. For us, a political stance is not a cool label, used to generate likes and to present ourselves as woke. We are all political people whose understanding of politics is of course an anti-capitalist and anti-fascist one, in which war and armament can never be part of a solution, and therefore it should also be clear that we are against this war. 

To be against this war is one thing, to provide a political, intelligent analysis of the situation is another, and we do not have the resources in the collective to do that through this channel. Therefore, as cobblers, we stick to our lasts and attempt to use our expertise in a targeted and focused manner.

Nevertheless, it is of course the case, and especially in the current situation: donate money to reasonable initiatives, go to demonstrations whose message you can represent, organise politically, form groups and use your privileges. Create synergies between individual struggles, stand in solidarity and do not give up hope for a better world, this applies 365 days a year. Therefore it is essential to take care of one's own mental health and to take regular breaks from this social madness.