I made this list a long time ago and thought this would be a good time to finally share it. Creating more/new online spaces is great, but I really hope women will see the closing of Ovarit as an opportunity to level up and get offline and into the real world to the extent possible.

Obviously, be cautious of anyone you find and conduct reasonable vetting.

Fundamentally, this is a two-part process: it requires both reaching out to people; and also putting yourself out there so people can reach out to you.

Social media/online

Facebook. Search Facebook for feminist groups in your area. Use a variety of search terms. “Radical feminists [state].” “Gender critical [state].” If no luck, try searching for parents’ groups.

Facebook. If no group exists in your state or city, then make your own. Title it something simple and obvious that women will be likely to search for (like you just did in point #1!). Make it private and set vetting questions for prospective participants.

Facebook. Join a large existing group like Gender Critical Women. Ask if there are any women in your area.

Twitter. Search Twitter for events in your area.

Meetup. Search the Meetup website for events or groups near you. I know of at least a couple cities with local RF Meetup groups.

Meetup. If no group exists, make your own.

Reddit. Find the subreddits for your city, state, and region. Search past posts by relevant search terms. Or make your own posts - but make sure your account is anonymized, and be prepared to be banned. If you’re lucky, some women will reach out to you before you get banned.

Google. Search for your locale with other search terms like “radical feminism” “gender critical” “anti-trans” “transphobic” and so on.

Bumble BFF. A version of the dating app for finding friends. Give hints in your profile.

**Local media **

Research your local newspapers - county, city, state, and region - and subscribe to them. Check the papers daily for pertinent topics. If you miss a day or two, use the search function to look for articles with certain keywords.

If you do find a relevant article (for example about men in women’s sports), read the comment section. Add a comment yourself, mentioning that you’re hoping to connect with other people on this issue.

If you do find a relevant article that is recent (published within the past few days), write a Letter to the Editor about it. Sign it with your name and email, and you never know - someone who likes what you’ve written may reach out to you.

If you do find a relevant article that is recently published, read the Letters to the Editor in the paper for a few days afterwards. If you like what someone writes, consider reaching out to her.

Join organizations

Subscribe to emails from the Women’s Liberation Front (WoLF). Become a Sister in Action.

Sign the Declaration on Women’s Sex-Based Rights.

Apply to be a volunteer with Women’s Declaration International USA (WDI USA) or your local chapter.

Reach out to the WDI USA State Contact for your state. If there isn’t one, apply to be the State Contact.

Join Feminists in Struggle (FIST).

Follow each of these organizations on social media and subscribe to their emails. Keep an eye out for local news and actions.

When you hear about events happening, whether online or in-person, attend! Especially if they’re in-person - call in sick, drive across the state, whatever it takes! Networks of radical women already exist. Sometimes all you need to do is find a few people who can then plug you into their existing networks. The people with networks are the kinds of people who attend in-person events.

When you attend an event, make sure to be prepared with a phone number or email that you’re comfortable disseminating to people.

Libraries

Check if your local library has copies of feminist books. Check them out to show there is demand for them.

Request they order certain books.

Find out about the process for holding events at your local library. Hold a book club event at the library to read and discuss a book like Invisible Women.

On the ground

Volunteer at a women’s shelter.

Join a network helping women access abortion; housing and transportation are both needs.

Volunteer to be a clinic escort.

Legislation

Look up your state legislature (often called a General Assembly). Search with a variety of keywords for bills pertaining to women. When you find one, email your legislators with your feedback.

When you find one, search online (on social media and search engines) for people talking about it. Connect with them.

When you find one, write an online comment about it if written testimony is permitted. Include your email in your comment so that interested parties can reach out to you. When you find one, go to a public hearing about it if one exists. Keep an eye out for women on the same page - both legislators and constituents.

Lesbians

Subscribe to the Lesbian Connection magazine. Write something and submit it to be published. Include your email so women may contact you. If there is a Contact Dyke in your area, reach out to her. If there is not yet, apply to become your area’s Contact Dyke.

Subscribe to the Maize magazine and directory. Write an introduction to be published. Include your email so women may contact you. Make plans to visit some of the women’s lands listed.

Search for lesbian groups in your city or state. Even if they are “inclusive” (or more accurately, intrusive), attend a few meetings or events. Particularly seek out older lesbians. Drop hints. If they kick you out, so what? Just try to find a couple like-minded women before they do.

Miscellaneous

Plan a trip to a women’s festival. Even if technically “inclusive”, many of the older and smaller women’s festivals will in reality be entirely women, and are likely to be populated with many feminists and lesbians. Again, meeting women in-person is best because women who make the effort to attend in-person events are likely to have access to more extensive networks. Wear a “Save Women’s Sports” or “Keep Prisons Single Sex” shirt. Strike up conversations with as many different women as possible.

Wear a pussy hat around town.

Adjacent issues

Whatever your job is, join your union if one exists. A disproportionate number of feminists are also involved with union organizing. Even if you don’t find any feminists, you will likely learn valuable things about community organizing.

Do the same with organizations or movements involved in other adjacent issues, or issues that tend to have a lot of overlap with radical feminists, such as: Environmental organizations, green parties, and gardening clubs. Groups planting trees or removing invasives locally are generally dominated by (often retired) women.

Also try mothers’ groups if you are a mother; animal rights; racial justice causes; working-class issues; anti-war activism; and more.

Above all else

Speak up! You may be passing by ten other radical feminists each day, and never knowing it because both of you are silent.

After you have succeeded, I caution you against assuming that you will automatically become friends and especially against thinking that you will agree on everything. Even with a shared feminist leaning, it still takes an active effort to befriend someone and then to maintain a relationship. Even with a shared feminist leaning, you will still disagree on other things that may make you want to recoil; expect that and it will be easier to handle Good luck!