Feature Interview

An Interview with LIZ PLANK

To watch and listen to the full sit down with Liz Plank click here.

You cover a range of topics: Human Rights, Gender Equality, Racial and Cultural Equality and Awareness, Mental Health, Politics and International Relations; how do you keep up to date with all these topics and stay on top of developments and research in all these areas?

I’m very lucky to have a community of very informed activists and informers. I trust my feed because I’ve spent years building it following a wide range of academics, social change movers, experts and artists that offer me a wide range of perspectives on issues pertaining to human rights, racial justice, gender equality and reproductive rights as well as disability rights. One of my favourite sources of information is actually a community on Twitter called #cripthevote. That’s where I find some of the most interesting and under-reported stories from the disability community.

Where did your passion for journalism come from and how has journalism and reporting changed from when you started in the profession till now?

I actually entered journalism through the back door. It’s when I was completing my masters in gender theory that I got irritated because the vibrant and engaging conversations that we would have about gender equality would remain within the small academic community and I wondered how could we make this very important conversation more accessible to more people? That’s when I started writing and using the internet to find other writers and activists who were also trying to shift power structures, not just talk about doing it. You’re accolades are numerous, yet your most proudest accomplishment is being blocked online by the recent American President who has left office in 2021; what makes this accomplishment stand out from the rest?

It’s of course a joke that I’m prouder that I was blocked by Donald Trump on Twitter than being recognized in my field, however it is a badge of honor! I spent a lot of time on the campaign trail while I was working for Vox, reporting from Trump rallies, and pressing him on women’s issues at Trump Tower press conferences, but I never thought my persistence would eventually end in him blocking me. But would I do all those things again knowing I would be blocked by a world leader? Absolutely.

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When writing ‘For The Love Of Men’, what were all the factors and inspirations that led you to write the book and take the approach/lens that you did, and since publishing the book, how have you seen the attitudes and perceptions of men (and women) changed?

I wrote For The Love of Men because I’m interested in a conversation about gender equality where we measure success based on impact and the only way to truly attain social change is for everyone to be equal participants in this project. At the same time, I also don’t think it’s up to women to fix a problem that they did not create. Women, and specifically women of color, have been the ones shouldering the work of undoing the patriarchy for decades and I’d love to see men take responsibility for a system that’s not only killing their mothers, their daughters and sisters, but that’s killing them too.

Different people can have different perspectives on what constitutes Feminism’ and what shouldn’t constitute Feminism; have you been challenged in this way on your work and your perspectives, and how do you mange such challenges to ensure everyone can work together to move towards a common and positive goal for all?

I don’t think it’s a problem that we all have different definitions of feminism I think that’s a really good thing! There’s no one way to be a woman and every woman’s experience is different although we should all have a duty to understand how race, gender identity, sexual orientation, level of ability, and religion affects the way that womanhood is experienced. And ensure that the marginalized voices who have been at the forefront of this movement get the credit and amplification they deserve. I’m in no place to define feminism for other women or frankly for people of all genders. That’s the beauty of this movement. It’s not about defining womanhood in a specific way, it’s about giving women the choice to express it however they want. Ultimately that’s what I want for men and boys as well. The quest for gender equality liberates everybody, regardless of what gender you identify as. The system that oppresses and kills women is the same one that hurts and kills men and boys too. Until they realize that their liberation is tied to ours the project of gender equality will never be fully actualized.

In regards to ‘Flip The Script’ which is challenging traditional/ conventional views people have about the world; what were some of the challenges you had in changing people’s perceptions and what are some of the strategies you use to help people feel comfortable changing their views on topics they might have deeply-rooted cultural or religious or social influences in?

Humour is my secret weapon! Something about comedy is completely disarming and allows you to have conversations that would otherwise be really difficult. That’s what I tried to harness with flip the script and what I’ve tried to do throughout my career in journalism. In regards to Human Rights and Feminism, from your time starting in research till now, what areas have you seen noticeable improvements in addressing long-standing issues, and do you feel more attention is required that currently is either not well understood or not being educated effectively?

I think the biggest priority for any human rights movement is to center disabled voices because disability is often an after-thought rather than a priority. Now that we have all been at home forced into quarantine all potentially exposed to a deadly virus we all have a better understanding of how we can create institutions that aren’t ableist. Non-disabled people have no excuse. Why did it take a global pandemic for workplaces to fully accommodate virtual or remote working for everybody? People with disabilities have been asking for these modifications for decades and have been refused it. Now that we all had our mobility limited by something we did not choose, it should give everyone a better sense of why they should have listened to disabled voices this entire time. I also think the disabled community deserves an apology for being denied the progress they’ve been fighting for in the workplace.

“Why did it take a global pandemic for workplaces to fully accommodate virtual or remote working for everybody? People with disabilities have been asking for these modifications for decades and have been refused it.”

How has 2020 and the COVID-19 impacts changed, not only how you conduct your work, but the specifics of what you’re trying to address or bring attention to?

This pandemic did not create inequalities; it revealed them to us. It’s our responsibility to pay attention. This has been the most unequal economic crisis in history. Women and particularly women of color and those who are low-income or who are mothers and caretakers have been the most impacted not just financially but mentally. If we do not act now and have a gender lens on our policy making when it comes to this global pandemic we will be left with a global female suicide and femicide crisis. The numbers and the data are already pointing to this and I do not for the life of me understand why this the female suicide and femicide crisis is not a national and global emergency. You’ve started the Podcast ‘Heart Homework’ to tackle the anxiety that comes with the high-paced and highdemand lifestyle of modern society; what inspired you to start this and what do you hope for listeners to get out of each cast?

I think the news needs therapy! Because I’m committed to solution-based journalism as an ethos and a philosophy in my reporting, I wanted to launch a podcast that could help people process one of the most chaotic and stressful news cycles in a generation.

What’s on your goals-list in 2021 and what did you learn from 2020 that you’re hoping to build on in 2021?

I want to spend more time being and less time doing. So less to-do lists and more to-be lists.

What is a Positively Transforming World to you?

For me it’s quite simple. It means focusing on solutions instead of solely listing problems. When you can offer a positive constructive framing to a story, you don’t just amplify all the wonderful people working to solve it, you empower the people watching that story to see how they can be part of the solution too. █

Photo credit D. Picard