Radical Cheerleaders -
Beyond the pom poms
By oceania

I was not cheerleading material in high school. I wasn't popular enough. I was always too outspoken, marching to a different drummer, not sure why it was important to be part of a clique. Not sure why middle America had a problem with, homosexuals, women being braless, free love, birth control or equal pay and equal rights.

But instead worrying about these things I went off to nyc, hung out with artists, partied with lesbians, participated in 3 somes and more somes and forgot what the real world was doing.

For 20 years I kept my head in the sand, ignoring politicians, wars, the hatred that the media and big and small government breed. Then I got involved in the web. The world wide web, that brings everything to your doorstep, including your neighbor that thinks it is evil, but sends you, via email, all the dirty pictures he can find.

Needless to say I have gotten into a routine of just deleting these stupid emails without reading them. After all just how many naked cum drinking sluts can you see in a day without getting just a bit jaded.

Last week A friend sent me a note the subject line read RADICAL cheerleaders check them out! I thought it was a joke. So I opened the note.

"just saw an article in the paper he wrote. It's all about radical cheerleading group in Florida. They have chapters everywhere. Check them out. "

Yeah right I thought, women in tight uniforms flashing their panties and waving pom poms gee thanks. Ok, I clicked on the link. Old habits die hard.

To my surprise I was not assaulted by a porn zone cheerleader site. After 10 minutes on the site, reading cheers that made me laugh, cry and think. I emailed Andrea . Below is our interview.

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Radical cheerleaders site -performance art, cheerleading and attention to the issues!

Throw those arms up in the air
Let me see that armpit hair
We don't shave or use that nair
Sleek and chic, we do not care

Q: What made you decide to be a Radical Cheerleader?

A: I think it sort of just happened... a friend started up a squad here, and it just seemed like something I HAD to do. I'm kind of obnoxious by nature, so it fit. at the time, I was a little nervous about breaking the law, but I wanted to add my 'fuck you' to the voices protesting social inequity. It's a fairly good way to do that, though I've learned that in a protest situation, even if you aren't breaking the law, they can still arrest you for existing. It's fun, It's sassy, It's cute, It's political, It's tough... and we get to have pom poms!!!

Q: Do You think Demonstration is becoming popular again?

A: I don't think It's actually a question of demonstrating being a popular or cool thing to do. We've come to a point where people's legitimate concerns (about issues like international trade, for instance, ) are not being heard by our governments. The avenues for people to express their views are blocked. I think it has unfortunately become a necessity for people to demonstrate in order to be heard at all. Direct action demonstrations have always been an outlet for the disillusioned in society. However, the issue at hand, these days, is a global issue, and no longer an American or Canadian issue. Therefore the movement is larger (by virtue of being international) and the mainstream press can no longer ignore it. More and more people are becoming passionate about the inequalities in the system and the apathy of the leaders who run it.

Q: Have you ever been arrested for your protests?

A: not yet! some of the other radical cheerleaders in my squad have, but not for cheerleading. (but we're working on it.)

Q: How many are in your chapter of the Radical Cheerleaders? Are they all women?

A: there are between 5 and 25 of us at any given moment. As with any volunteer thing, numbers fluctuate. I heard that the Edmonton RC's had 40 cheerleaders for their protests against the oil and petroleum industry in Calgary in 1999.

Right now we have 2 or 3 guys. For a while we were all women. The issue, though, isn't simply about women. We seek to include all members of society: people of colour, First Nations people, gender queers, men, people with disabilities, ... etc etc etc. It's a continual struggle to reach all marginalized members of a patriarchal society, and at present, The radical cheerleaders are overwhelmingly able-bodied, educated, white women.

Q: As a form of performance art do you have to get street permits to protest/demonstrate?

A: Have to? probably. We usually perform at rallies, so The main organizers of The individual rallies decide whether or not to get street permits. The police are a lot nicer to you if you have a "permit" to be on your own streets, but We also perform at spontaneous and Direct actions. Our chapter also has a offshoot called The "perv squad." We do queer, sex-positive cheers at drag king shows and other alternative gigs. We're actually doing a punk show tomorrow night - It's a benefit for human rights in Burma.

Q: when do you pick to demonstrate? do you think it is effective?

A: The cheers you saw on The website were posted by cheer squads across north America. I think each squad has a different agenda for what kinds of things they want to cheer at. When We hear about an event, The organizers usually contact us, or We contact them if We're interested in cheering at it. We cheer at all kinds of rallies, and The crowd really seems to like it. I think radical cheerleading is a really effective way of protesting. I have found that people listen to what We say because It's in this funny rhyme, so politically, We can say a lot more than if We were making a speech. I also think it is really effective on a personal level. I've found that I've become WAY more comfortable with who I am, what I look like, and what I believe in.

Q: Do you you get flack from parents/relatives/friends?

A: ha. yep. My friends, for The most part, think cheering is fantastic, but My parents aren't too impressed. I think that that's totally an individual thing though. It just depends on each person's parents. I did want to stress that ANYONE can be a radical cheerleader. Grab some friends, write some cheers, put hokey moves to It, and voila. You're a radical cheerleading squad. Pretty soon people will be calling you up and asking you to come to their rallies. There are tons of cheers on The website, if you need some starting ideas. But write some of your own - and then share them with others by posting back on The site. It's really empowering to stand in front of a group of people and shout '1-2-345, barbie likes to muff dive' at The top of your lungs. We've made pom poms too, out of garbage backs (just cut 7 garbage bags into strips and fasten them in The middle with duct tape) and Our costumes are always changing. There's no set uniform for Our squad. Some of us wear pants, Some wear skirts - I made a bra top out of fun fur and bike inner tubes... anything goes. The first ever radical cheerleading convention was held in Ottawa, Ontario this past march, and There were squads from all over north America. There We all learned stunts, Direct action stuff, and swapped cheers and ideas. It was totally great... that's kind of where The website came out of. We're planning on hosting next year's conference here in Victoria, BC. (It's on an island just above Washington state.) If There's any other stuff you'd like to know, contact me.

Also, I REALLY want to stress that this is My own experience and knowledge of radical cheerleading, and I don't really want to represent The quintessential "radical cheerleading experience." There are a TON of different ways to do things, and different levels of involvement, and different philosophies. We're all making It up As We go along.

Radical Cheerleaders check them out!