In 1965, Clara Fraser and her second husband, Richard Fraser, helped lead the Seattle branch of the Socialist Workers Party in an exodus from the national organization. They founded the Freedom Socialist Party, which was marked by its commitment to women's liberation, African American freedom, revolutionary socialism, societal and organizational democracy, and principled politics. A turning point in the young party's development was the Frasers' divorce which split the ranks over whether feminist and socialist standards would prevail in party life. The majority supported Ms. Fraser and from that point on, the Freedom Socialist Party was marked by a uniquely deep-going commitment to female equality in both theory and practice. With Branches in the United States, Canada and Australia, they have high hopes of one day becoming a major political party.The Freedom Socialist Party can best be described as a socialist feminist organization for which is dedicated to the replacement of capitalist rule. They believe that this can be done by using a workers democracy that will guarantee full economical, social, political and legal equality to the many diverse groups of people, along with minorities. They describe themselves as Marxists, Leninists, Trotskyists, feminists and humanists. The FSP wants to overcome imperialism, Stalinists bureaucratism, and racist arrogance. Yet, their main goal is to inject the socialist movement with the ideas of Trotsky feminism in order to prepare it for victory in the "crucial decade." The platform for the Freedom Socialist Party believes that working class must liberate itself through socialism. Consequently, they want to try and become a mass working class party. Also, they believe that the class has the strategic power, numbers, need, and opportunity to effect a transformation of society. The FSP fight for the struggles of minorities against racism, sexism, and sexual repression of gays and lesbians. They also...
