Labrys
History
Labrys collaborated with the Women's Crisis Center, a local New Brunswick organization dedicated to helping women who were victims of domestic violence or rape, the Ad Hoc Committee Against Sexism and the Livingston Women's Collective to provide resources and staffing. Members of all three groups were engaged in a passionate fight against screening movies that depicted pornography and violence against women in Rutgers College buildings and in a New Brunswick movie theater in 1976. More information on these feminist groups is included below. The groups are no longer active.
The lukewarm coverage of these events in school papers such as The Targum as well as city-wide papers such as the Star Ledger may have contributed to the subsequent inception of Labrys at the end of the year. Clips covering the protests as well as examples of the rhetoric surrounding the issue are also depicted.
Woman's Crisis Center Description
Published in Hub City Buzz, a local New Brunswick, NJ paper, circa 1975. Includes description of Women's Crisis Center and the work they were involved in.
Targum Articles Covering the Protests
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Freedom and senseMarch 15, 1976
Op-ed regarding protest of pornographic film outside Scott Hall. Claims that a pornography ban would violate first-amendment rights and constitute censorship. Calls for the protesters to meet with fraternity brothers who screened the film to "reconcile differences." -
Feminists move in protest to ban x-rated film here -- Rally's aim to stop pornographyMarch 16, 1976
Covers the protest of the screening of the movie "Cheerleaders" at the Rutgers Student Center. Includes quotes from the protesters and attendees of the movie. -
Porn protest brings mixed reactionMarch 17, 1976
Includes comments from the director of the Rutgers Student Center (neutral), feminist protesters (against the movie), and fraternity brothers (for the movie). -
The end--really-- of the pornography debateMarch 29,1976
Includes an op-ed responding negatively to the protesters as well as 6 letters to the editor evenly split in opinion. -
Picketers protest showing of filmApril 16, 1976
Feminist protesters demonstrate against a screening of the movie "Illusions of a Lady" at Scott Hall. Includes quotes from students clashing over opinions re: porn and rape culture on campus. -
Student opinion split on porno protestsApril 30, 1976
Targum poll of student body shows split opinion along gender lines. Women were more likely to sympathize with the protesters and less likely to have seen a porn movie.
Flyers Distributed by Ad Hoc Committee Against Sexism 1976
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Money for Snuff is Money for MurderFlyer about the demonstration against the showing of the movie "Snuff" at the Art Cinema Theatre in New Brunswick, which protesters claim promotes sexual violence against women as entertainment.
A second flyer invites the public to attend an educational forum entitled "Pornography as Sexism" -- April 13, 1976. -
Say No to Porno!Anti-pornography flyer distributed on campus. Encourages people to fight against the showing of pornographic movies on campus, which they believe perpetuates the idea that women enjoy rape or forced sex.
Letter from a Concerned Community Member
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Letter from Attendee of Ad Hoc Committee Against Sexism Forum "Pornography as Sexism"Attendee takes issue with a statement made by a Rutgers professor attending the forum who said that two people making love in front of a camera does not necessarily have to be obscene. Asserts that all participants in pornography have "sold their integrity, decency, and bodies for the almighty dollar." Asks the Committee to consider reaching out to organized (national?) feminist groups who have access to the media to continue the fight against pornography.