WoLF Member Cited for Hate Crime for Feminist Stickers

Sep 24

Take Action! Tell the Dane County DA to not press charges against Thistle Pettersen

Thistle Pettersen, a Madison-based singer/songwriter and activist, has been cited with "disorderly conduct with a hate crime enhancer" for placing feminist stickers in public places. She has been called to appear at a mandatory court date on September 27th.

Pettersen says that she has been accused* of placing feminist stickers along State Street in a variety of locations that have other stickers and graffiti on them, including telephone poles and a dispenser box for “Our Lives,” an LGBT magazine. Because gender identity is not a protected class in Wisconsin, it is unclear what the basis is for the hate crime enhancement.

The stickers included the slogans: “Woman = Adult Human Female,” “Trans Lie$ Matter” (a reference to Big Pharma support for the gender industry), “Everything is Transphobic,” and “TERF Collective.”

Pettersen, a WoLF member and founder of Wo me n’s Liberation Radio News, became the subject of a years-long s mear and harassment campaign by Madison anti-feminists after she spoke out against gender ideology. This campaign has included threats of violence against her in a local Facebook group.

“Even if true, stickering feminist slogans in areas already full of stickers and graffiti is neither disorderly nor hateful,” said Lauren Adams, WoLF Legal Director. “The pursuit of these charges is intended to chill the free speech of women’s rights advocates. If the police want to stop hate crimes, they should investigate the threats against Thistle instead of using tax-payer money to facilitate anti-woman bullying by extremist activists.”

WoLF has launched a p eti tion calling on the Dane County DA to drop the citation and not pursue criminal charges against Thistle Pettersen.

Read the Press Release here.

*An earlier version of this blog incorrectly stated that Pettersen said she placed the stickers. In fact, Pettersen only said that she was accused of placing the stickers. Women’s Liberation Front regrets this error.