Simone Biles: Neofascism, Sexuality and the FBI

The relationship between historical fascism and explicit misogyny shows that ideas about the natural inferiority of women are foundational to authoritarian thinking and social neofascism. You need to make someone inferior to become dominant, because the superiority of certain human beings over others is justified by supposedly natural characteristics. Despising women legitimizes their subordination; it underlies all forms of domination, and it justifies violence as a way to establish a desired social order. For the culture of hatred to advance, it is necessary to pit people against each other, distort the facts, attack solidarity and declare social emancipation movements as a threat.

Social neofascism has fully entered the battle over who controls sexuality. People degrade women based on the assertion they are provocative, suggestive and deliberately flirtatious. Women are seen as a kind of human praying mantis who arouses a man in heat at will. This is how the “fascistoid” story transforms victims into victimizers, and sexual violence begins to mean shared responsibility. The one who dominates language dominates reality.

The things we don’t talk about, don’t exist. Silence is also fear. But there is a silence one can hear. Simone Biles dreamed of an escape, a path to a new life, without any one suspecting it. She narrowed the horizon until she tamed it with the intimate silence of those who want a different reality. The Olympic medalist taught her eyes to listen; to look at herself — to look at us — inwardly, and proposed that we weave a new fabric that would more effectively shelter the feminist and anti-racist movement, knowing that feminism was the first social movement to interrupt the male monologue that Western philosophy has so painstakingly cultivated. She dropped out of the Tokyo Olympics, and then filed a sexual abuse complaint against Larry Nassar, medical coordinator for the U.S. gymnastics team.

A few days ago, Biles filed a $1 billion lawsuit against the FBI. She believes the agency unjustifiably made mistakes that allowed Nassar’s abuses to continue for a year. The lawsuit was dismissed but has been reopened with the discovery of new evidence. “It is time for the FBI to be held accountable,” said Maggie Nichols. Neofascist Rep. Lauren Boebert confronted Biles, calling her allegations were “absurd.” “It calls into question all the nation’s security services based on the assumption of racism and is protected by her being an international figure.”* The new evidence was collected by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil rights organization.

Mark Pitcavage, a researcher for the Anti-Defamation League, notes that with the arrival of Donald Trump, covert activities by extreme right-wing groups such as the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, or Boogaloo Boys have increasingly involved members of the police, the military and the FBI. According to The Appeal, a news site that covers legal matters, more than 30 police officers have been identified as participants in the attack on the Capitol, showing that the operation owed its success to information provided by FBI agents.

Biles overcame the pain, and full of anger, she has hung the medal for having defeated a man in his wild masculinity from her soul, next to her other awards.

*Editor’s Note: This quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.