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GENDER ESSENTIALISM 

There is no such thing as a real woman 
There is no such thing as a real man 
Not in biology 
Not in gender identity 
We don’t exist as definitions 
We exist as individuals 
And even that is an abstraction 
Where is it, exactly, that I end 
And the rest of the universe begins

The problem is… 
History makes definitions 
How does it do that? 
By making victims 

The definition of woman has been written in blood over thousands of years 
The definition of woman is a gaping wound in the heart of the human race 
The definition of woman is a fairy tale that began with the crack of a whip 
Because women are enslaved 
Men are enslaved 
Because women are enslaved 
Children are property 
Because women are enslaved 
Sexuality is in chains 
Deviation is a crime 
Gender is a cage 

How do you fight a definition? 
First, you take over the prison 
Then you burn down the walls 

I am woman 
Becomes a statement of power 
You have given me a name 
I will own it 
And turn it into a weapon 

I am woman 
Becomes a battle cry 
You have made us into an army 
When we march 
The earth will tremble 

I am woman 
Becomes a mighty fortress 
But in a fortress, you are safe behind prison walls 
Now is the time for fire 
Burn down the walls, march out, and free the world 

In the meantime 
Before breakfast 
Do the dishes from last night 

One day there will be no such thing as woman or man 
Only a rainbow 
But the definition of woman is still being written today 
The fortress still has walls, because they are still needed 
After centuries of war, maybe the gatekeepers are edgy 
But in a man’s world, mistakes can be deadly 
If you’re knocking on the door, knock gently 

TRANS PEOPLE IN PRISON

First, about prisons 
Tear them to the ground 
Build new buildings 
Make something new 

Never gonna happen 
Of course not 
This is capitalism 
There’s money to be made 
Power to be held onto 

But let it be said 
Before we start talking about band-aids 
This is the swamp we live in 
The pit we have to dig ourselves out of 

So… 
Where should trans people be put 
If they’ve broken the law 
And they end up in prison 
Prisons are binary – humans are not  
There is no correct answer, only the least bad 
It’s all about statistics – who is most vulnerable 
Who is most likely to come to harm 

This is a practical question 
The guiding principle is love 
Revolution is love, armed 
Love, given power 
Love, unleashed 
But love is fighting in a world of ignorance and hate  
Who is most likely to get raped? 

Do you see how twisted the whole thing is 
The answer should be nobody 
Anywhere  
Prison should be safer than the street 
And gender should be a festival 
A rainbow 
Even in prison 
Especially there 

Imagine you’re visiting another planet 
They’re showing you around 
Showing off their world 
You come to the last exhibit 
The thing they’re most proud of 
They show you a prison 
What? 

This is how we judge other worlds, they say 
The strong, the intelligent and brave
The loving and kind
We live in an almost paradise 
We make the world and the world makes us 
But the weak, the damaged, the dangerous 
We make them too 
If they’re not safe 
If they need to be locked away 
That’s not a judgement on them
It’s a judgement on us 
We haven’t loved them enough 

Show us your prisons 
And we will tell you 
What kind of world you live in 

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