Cultic Studies Journal, Vol. 9, No. 1, 1992, Page 11
leadership, to adopt security measures, to elect a Central Committee, with even her bold
suggestions of who should be on that leading body.
The First Year
The 13 founders held numerous meetings throughout the summer of 1974. At Baxter’s
urging, a Central Committee was elected by secret ballot. She assured the others that despite
their small size a leadership body was needed. As a supporting argument, she pointed to Mao
Tse-tung and the Chinese communists, stating that Mao’s party began with only six people
and had a Central Committee right from the start. Baxter left San Francisco to return to
Canada for the fall session the others continued to read and study. They felt strongly that
they were onto something special, so they kept their newly formed group very secret.
Baxter returned for a visit at Christmas break (1974) she presented her work on Dialectical
Leadership and the group wrote its first constitution. At Baxter’s suggestion, the Central
Committee assigned itself the task of writing a position paper, to be called “On the World
Situation,” a title that suggests the grandiosity of their vision. Baxter visited again at spring
break (1975) at this time they made the decision to let men into the group. Despite the
radical lesbian background of most of them, they did not want to be part of a separatist
movement they did not see men as the enemy. Baxter left to finish up the semester the
others carried on with their studying and writing of “On the World Situation.” During this time,
some very cautious recruitment was going on, bringing in a small number of close friends,
spouses, and relatives.
From the start, Baxter insisted on setting up various units. She began a process of dividing up
the group, small as it was. Some were put in leadership over others. Already there were
separate meetings of the “leadership” before and after the meetings with the rest of the
group. Immediately there was a recognition that some of them were being favored for and
pushed into leadership, that there was going to be a lot of hierarchy and structure, and that
there was a right or wrong way, according to Baxter.
Also, at this early stage, Baxter instilled a sense of discipline, as well as an aura of secrecy.
She described the group as a “paramilitary formation.” She impressed upon the others that
what they were creating was so potent that the State would immediately infiltrate if it knew
what they were doing. They were decidedly an “underground” organization. One founder
described walking into her house, where Baxter was staying at the time, to find her playing
with and cleaning a gun. “Baxter threw the loaded gun across the room for me to catch. She
said it was to make me stronger, harder, and get my reflexes in shape. Baxter talked me into
buying a rifle. As usual, instinct told me that something was not right about this, and, as
usual, I was afraid to say anything. We did drills, broke down guns, and things like that.”
(Over the years, Baxter amassed a cache of guns, which very few members knew about. She
referred to them in inner-circle meetings, saying we’d never know when we may need them.
Occasionally she would brandish a gun at a public meeting.)
Their study in the formative years included texts on communist party organization (Chinese,
Soviet, and American), on political theory (Marx, Engels, Lenin, Mao Tse-tung, Stalin,
Dimitrov, Gramsci, Le Duan), on U.S. labor and working-class history, and on China and the
Chinese Cultural Revolution in particular. According to one of the founders, “She was forming
us into the model. We did our first study of Meyer’s cadre training.4 It was very slow and very
serious. We studied, wrote papers, did a lot of criticism/self-criticism and class histories. She
set it all up.”
leadership, to adopt security measures, to elect a Central Committee, with even her bold
suggestions of who should be on that leading body.
The First Year
The 13 founders held numerous meetings throughout the summer of 1974. At Baxter’s
urging, a Central Committee was elected by secret ballot. She assured the others that despite
their small size a leadership body was needed. As a supporting argument, she pointed to Mao
Tse-tung and the Chinese communists, stating that Mao’s party began with only six people
and had a Central Committee right from the start. Baxter left San Francisco to return to
Canada for the fall session the others continued to read and study. They felt strongly that
they were onto something special, so they kept their newly formed group very secret.
Baxter returned for a visit at Christmas break (1974) she presented her work on Dialectical
Leadership and the group wrote its first constitution. At Baxter’s suggestion, the Central
Committee assigned itself the task of writing a position paper, to be called “On the World
Situation,” a title that suggests the grandiosity of their vision. Baxter visited again at spring
break (1975) at this time they made the decision to let men into the group. Despite the
radical lesbian background of most of them, they did not want to be part of a separatist
movement they did not see men as the enemy. Baxter left to finish up the semester the
others carried on with their studying and writing of “On the World Situation.” During this time,
some very cautious recruitment was going on, bringing in a small number of close friends,
spouses, and relatives.
From the start, Baxter insisted on setting up various units. She began a process of dividing up
the group, small as it was. Some were put in leadership over others. Already there were
separate meetings of the “leadership” before and after the meetings with the rest of the
group. Immediately there was a recognition that some of them were being favored for and
pushed into leadership, that there was going to be a lot of hierarchy and structure, and that
there was a right or wrong way, according to Baxter.
Also, at this early stage, Baxter instilled a sense of discipline, as well as an aura of secrecy.
She described the group as a “paramilitary formation.” She impressed upon the others that
what they were creating was so potent that the State would immediately infiltrate if it knew
what they were doing. They were decidedly an “underground” organization. One founder
described walking into her house, where Baxter was staying at the time, to find her playing
with and cleaning a gun. “Baxter threw the loaded gun across the room for me to catch. She
said it was to make me stronger, harder, and get my reflexes in shape. Baxter talked me into
buying a rifle. As usual, instinct told me that something was not right about this, and, as
usual, I was afraid to say anything. We did drills, broke down guns, and things like that.”
(Over the years, Baxter amassed a cache of guns, which very few members knew about. She
referred to them in inner-circle meetings, saying we’d never know when we may need them.
Occasionally she would brandish a gun at a public meeting.)
Their study in the formative years included texts on communist party organization (Chinese,
Soviet, and American), on political theory (Marx, Engels, Lenin, Mao Tse-tung, Stalin,
Dimitrov, Gramsci, Le Duan), on U.S. labor and working-class history, and on China and the
Chinese Cultural Revolution in particular. According to one of the founders, “She was forming
us into the model. We did our first study of Meyer’s cadre training.4 It was very slow and very
serious. We studied, wrote papers, did a lot of criticism/self-criticism and class histories. She
set it all up.”
