When was the first organized protest at Michigan Womyns Music Festival?
It was in 1992, a year after Nancy Burkholder was expelled from the festival. Burkholder wrote: “At the 1992 festival, a small group of women (including at least one transsexual) set up a literature table to provide information about gender issues, posted “gender myths” in the portajanes, gave away buttons asking “Where’s Nancy?” and raised questions, listened, and talked to women for hours. Four workshops were offered about transsexualism and about MWMF policy. Security women were questioned about whether they would expel a transsexual.” Boycott of the festival has been discussed early on, but activists decided “it would be far more effective to show up and make our voices heard.” In 1993, four transsexual women including Burkholder returned to the festival with non-transsexual allies to “conduct scheduled Festival workshops and outreach to other attendees,” but were once again thrown out by the festival security. “Still determined to conduct their workshops, they camped across from t
