video by: sub.media
Gender has become a huge topic of discussion in the past few years. From the clusterfuck of assimilation by liberals to projects of gender liberation by radical activists and without ignoring the “traditional” concept of gender that the right insists on, gender isn’t something you can avoid in conversation.
The reality is, you can’t avoid gender in society either. Gender qualifies you even before you are born, setting parameters about who you are, how you will behave and how society will see and understand you. It infiltrates everybody and categorises them within a binary concept of male and female that for the most part we have accepted, assimilated and perpetuated. The problem with the assimilated gender binary comes in two separate arguments. The gender binary acts as a societal marker that defines the opportunities you will have, the privileges you will benefit from and the abuses you will face. Secondly, it further erases the variety of identities already under attack by western globalisation and colonialism.
Throughout history and in different groups around the world, gender has been defined as a lot more than the current gender binary. It has only been through colonialism that gender has been constricted to the binary. A blatant example of this is Vasco Nuñez Balboa, a Spanish invader who in 1513 fed forty two-spirited people to the war dogs after deciding they were “devilish, sinful sodomites”.
So what is the alternative? It lies within. The main aim when talking about gender is to stop thinking of people in terms of gender. We all do it. The first thing we do to describe someone is to split society into the binary and explain the gender we perceive they express. We assume that the bearded person walking down the street is a man, for example, as we have learnt what gender markers define someone within the binary.
Gender Anarchy is a do-it-your-way gender expression. There is no “right way” to be a woman, a man, or a skirt-wearing femme boi. This means you can express yourself how you want, regardless of how you identify, and that you do not owe an explanation to anyone on either your gender or your expression. The whole idea is to destroy what society understands as masculinity and femininity, as it is the fastest highway to destroying transphobic, homophobic and sexist behaviours.
Gender Anarchy does not mean to be forcefully out and proud, or to practice Genderfuck regularly. Whatever makes you comfortable and keeps you safe is your personal Gender Anarchy. Whilst Genderfuck is a great way of expressing oneself and conflicting society with their internalised concepts of the binary, you are not a flag to be waved by the movement. Regardless of how you express your gender and even who knows the reality of your identity, you still are you.
To fight patriarchal society we must destroy what we understand as the gender binary and we must destroy what society perceives as gender roles. For that, community organising, victim retribution, collective problem solving and the creation of inclusive spaces is a life-saving necessity within our neighbourhoods. The whole concept is simple; by identifying abusive behaviour we can solve problems before the transgression goes too far.
So be gay, do crime, express whatever you want to express, take care of one another and remember to cause a whole lot of trouble.
