Report on recent successful demonstrations in Pittsburgh against anti-trans grifter Michael Knowles.
from thefreeonline Mayday/2023 Anonymous Contributor at It’s Going Down
The rise of fascism and transphobia is an existential threat to the queer and trans community. As anarchists, we must overcome not only our enemies who want us dead, but also our so-called allies who would keep us passive in the face of this danger.
“For the good of society… transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely,” Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles
On April 18th, nearly 300 members of the Pittsburgh community came together to fight back against transphobic hate. People took concrete steps to disrupt Michael Knowles‘ attempt to advocate genocide on the University of Pittsburgh campus, and in doing so, overcame attempts by liberals and moderates to pacify and defang resistance. Here’s what went down.
Setting the Scene
When news of Michael Knowles’ April 18th appearance on Pitt campus began to circulate in mid-March, it was also revealed that two other transphobic speakers would precede him, Cabot Philips on March 24th, and Riley Gaines on March 27th.
Since 2020, and long before then, Pittsburgh has had consistent problems with liberal “organizers” claiming ownership of movements and giving themselves the responsibility of deciding what is and isn’t a legitimate way to protest.
Of course, slapping your organization’s logo on a flyer for an action means the police can easily find you if anything ‘illegal’ happens, so placing yourself in these leadership roles inherently invites state repression.
“Organizers” quickly take on the role of peace police, scolding anyone who so much as yells at a cop in order to protect themselves from legal consequences they could have avoided by simply remaining anonymous.
On March 24th and 27th, this exhausting pattern repeated itself again at actions organized by a liberal student group and a “community organization,” respectively.
These actions accomplished nothing, except to signal to the Pitt administration that they could safely host Michael Knowles’ event without fearing a militant response from students and the wider community.
Frustrated by these boring and ineffective actions, many resolved to make April 18th different and decided to be the first to put out a flyer, organize the event themselves, and push back against anyone who claimed to be in charge.
On March 28th, as liberals were patting themselves on the back for doing nothing, flyers began circulating for the 18th.
The call to action did not contain any organizations’ logos or defined leadership, but rather a meeting place, a time, and a simple goal: “Shut Down Michael Knowles.”
Weeks later, the Pittsburgh chapter of Socialist Alternative released their own flyer for the 18th, but it was too late. The scene was set for a militant action they would not be able to control.
Making an Entrance
On April 18th, the O’Hara Student Center began allowing attendees to enter at 7pm, with Knowles’ event scheduled to begin at 7:30. By 6:30, a fairly large crowd of students and protesters had already gathered outside the O’Hara Student Center.
Continue reading “These Queers Bash Back: Pittsburgh Anarchists Organize in Response to Transphobic Hate – Its Going Down”
The Free 
