Gays Against Imperialism
In the 1970s, pioneering gay activists in the US and Britain saw the fight against homophobia as part of a much broader struggle — one that linked Pride to the cause of liberating the world’s oppressed peoples.
19121 Articles by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
During the 1971 Prosecution of Angela Davis, I Fought the Law — And I Won
When Angela Davis was arrested after two months on the lam in 1971, Michael Myerson interviewed her and a codefendant in jail — turning him into a prosecution’s witness. He was now in a tough spot: Could he defy the prosecution without going to jail for perjury? Luckily, he figured out how.
In Spanish Trenches, Irishmen Fought Against Fascism
After General Franco launched his military coup in July 1936, anti-fascists from around the world joined the International Brigades to defend the Spanish Republic. For the Irish volunteers, the fight against fascism in Spain was about upholding the internationalist spirit of Ireland’s own revolt against empire.
Biden’s Infrastructure Deal Is Terrible. Progressives in Congress Should Block It.
Joe Biden has reverted to type, pushing a laughably inadequate infrastructure deal that ignores the accelerating climate crisis. There are now enough progressives in Congress to block the bill and insist on something better. They should.
Unions Shouldn’t Be Helping the Health Industry
In New York City, the Municipal Labor Committee is not only helping to block statewide single-payer health care, it’s undermining retiree health care. It’s shortsighted and dangerous politics.
India Walton Is Reviving the American Tradition of Municipal Socialism
With her win last week, Buffalo’s India Walton will almost certainly become the first socialist mayor of a major US city in years. She’s reviving a robust American tradition: municipal socialism.
Workers in Australia Launched a Strike Against General Mills. They Just Won.
Australia’s General Mills strikers have showed us how to fight back — and win — during a “recovery” that’s benefiting the superrich far more than ordinary workers.
We Need to Start Taxing Bitcoin
Bitcoin is an asset so useless that even if a financial transactions tax completely destroyed it, the world would be better off.
France’s Mounting Authoritarianism Is Paving the Way for Fascism
Soldiers’ and police unions’ calls for action to save France from chaos show how fascist ideas have spread within the state. For decades, neoliberal governments have increased these repressive bodies’ powers — and today, they’re preparing the ground for a Le Pen presidency.
Roberto Benigni Is Getting a Golden Lion for Not Being Funny Anymore
Venice’s International Film Festival is awarding Roberto Benigni this year’s Golden Lion for lifetime achievement. Announcing the award, the festival called Benigni a model of transgressive filmmaking. In fact, for decades, the Life Is Beautiful star has symbolized how onetime radicals turn into purveyors of conformist schmaltz.
Mike Gravel Was on the Right Side of History
While Mike Gravel never earned the respect of the political establishment, he passed from this Earth with his conscience untormented by the ghosts of screaming civilians whose lives those in Washington regularly snuff out with their afternoon coffee.
While Average People Suffered, 5 Million People Became Millionaires Under COVID-19
The pandemic was and remains brutal for average people. But not for the rich: central bank policies created 5 million new millionaires during the pandemic. It’s the latest sign that our economy is rigged for the wealthy.
New York’s Economic Development Corporation Is a Tool for the Rich
The Economic Development Corporation manages New York City land in the service of private profit. The city needs a new approach that doesn’t give away massive amounts of public money to the wealthy.
Australia Was Founded on an Act of Genocide. It’s Time to Make Amends.
Henry Reynolds has demolished the apologetic arguments of conservative intellectuals, showing that the British colonization of Australia was a crime even by the standards of its time. Reynolds makes a powerful argument for recognizing Aboriginal sovereignty.
We Have to Act Now to Stop the Coming US Eviction Crisis
A flood of evictions is about to slam the United States. But it doesn’t have to be this way. The federal government can stave off the crisis and fix the underlying injustices causing it. Here’s how.
Big Tech Is Killing Movies
Amazon’s buyout of MGM is the latest example of the culture industry’s transformation into a Big Tech monopoly. Artists, workers, and the film-watching public suffer the consequences.
How Colorado State Graduate Workers Got Organized During the Pandemic
The pandemic has been brutal for graduate workers, but some have organized despite COVID. Case in point: graduate workers at Colorado State University, who, with help from the Emergency Workers Organizing Committee, demanded decent pay and treatment.
Billionaire Tycoons Are Turning French Radio Into a Copy of Fox News
For decades, Europe 1 has been one of France’s most respected radio networks — but under pressure from its new billionaire owners, it’s being merged into the Fox-style CNEWS. Last week, journalists took strike action, trying to stop a French broadcasting icon from becoming yet another far-right echo chamber.
Eugene Debs: The Red Flag “Is a Sign of Terror to Every Tyrant”
In 1907, Eugene Debs waxed poetic about the red flag, calling it “a sign of terror to every tyrant” and “the flag of Universal Freedom.” We reprint his article here in full.
Conservatives Are the Ones Attacking Free Speech at Universities
Australian conservatives claim that “woke” students and left-wing lecturers pose a threat to free speech on university campuses. But the real “cancel culture” is coming from the Right.