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