Resolution 65B: Accommodations for Oppressed Comrades
Why Is Build Endorsing Resolution #65B?
We must affirm and accommodate the needs of all our comrades as we fighting capitalism, white supremacy, patriarchy, and other forms of oppression.
When we deadname members and fail to make accommodations to facilitate members’ participation, we exclude comrades from the struggle who are disproportionately harmed by the forces we’re trying to fight.
Too many members and too many Locals reply to every membership list they get from National with a list of members whose names must be updated, only to have these corrections never get made. The result is the National organization continuously and repeatedly deadnaming comrades.
The National database being incorrect also makes it likely that Locals sometimes miss corrections that must be made before updating their lists, and this can result in Locals deadnaming our comrades, even after we’ve fixed the issue in our Local database already.
If a Caucus or group of people from marginalized identities require accommodations, we must make every effort to do so.
Frequently Asked Questions
CONCERN: National’s working on this already.
ANSWER: Members have been offering to help for years, and the whole time we have been told this work is underway and happening. If the work is actually underway, then this resolution reaffirms its importance. If not, this directs national to course-correct. This has taken far too long, and we deserve accountability.
‘Resolved’ clauses of R65B
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED, that should a Caucus or group ask for specific accommodations for their identity, that the NPC and DSA Staff should give their proposal due consideration;
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that official DSA policy shall be to refrain from using a transgender (or pseudonymous) member’s “Dead Name” (current or former legal/birth name) in referring to them, instead favoring the person’s preferred name, in all communications, both electronic and in-person.