Keywords: Gender / Spectrum / Multiracial Feminism / Race / Hierarchy
Maxine Baca Zinn and Bonnie Thornton Dill (1996), “Theorizing Difference from Multiracial Feminism”
Women of color have long been pushing back against the oppressive and narrow-minded structure of feminism. Since the late 1960s, they have been vocalizing their exclusion from feminism, their experiences being misinterpreted, and their need to challenge systems of power- not only on the basis of their gender but on all fronts of their oppression. Even though women of color have different perspectives and take different stances on feminism, their goal remains the same- to dismantle existing systems of oppression. Multiracial Feminism is an accumulation of multiple different perspectives from different races developed primarily by women of color. It acknowledges the limitations of traditional feminism and establishes that gender is constructed by multiple systems of oppression.
“Power is the cornerstone of women’s differences. This means that women’s differences are connected in systematic ways. Race is a vital element in the pattern of relations among minority and white women.” (p.327)
The Replacements (1984), “Androgynous” (lyrics)
Another group of people who fought against narrow-minded views was the band The Replacements. In the 1984 song “Androgynous” sings of a couple defying gender roles. The first time I heard this song it was a few years ago and I remember feeling extremely touched. I see myself and every relationship I’ve ever been in within this song.
“Now, something meets Boy, and something meets Girl. They both look the same, they’re overjoyed in this world”
This lyric is playing off the cliche of “boy meets girl” replacing “boy” and “girl” with “something”. Referring to a person as “something” may sound demeaning, but can actually be seen as freeing. It is a placeholder that is allowing you to set your own terms, not abiding by typical gender roles.
Catherine G. Valentine (2020), “The Prism of Gender”
“Most of us cannot remember when we learned gender stereotypes and expectations or came to think about sex, gender, and sexuality as natural, immutable, and fixed. It all seems so simple and natural. But is it?” (p.4)
This paper speaks about how humans aren’t just stereotypes and there are no absolutes or certainties in our preconceived notions of “masculine” and “feminine”. It dives into how gender roles aren’t simply “roles” that we play. Unlike other roles, we play like a job, and we really can’t “quit gender”. Well, as we become more aware of them and understand the prism of gender we sure can try, but it’s so ingrained in our western culture that even if you try to reject them, people will still force them onto you. But in other cases when we defy the gender assigned to sex at birth we are forced to “quit gender”. Or like a job, “leave our gender at work”. This would be like performing as or assigned sex at birth is expected in some scenarios, and expressing yourself freely in others.
As a cultural artifact, I have included a recent picture of myself and will share a recent experience I’ve had. This picture was taken at a protest this past week against the SB43 bill restricting drag. Defining drag itself is very difficult but in short, it would make performances of the “opposite” gender a strictly 18+ affair. Many fear that this will infringe on people expressing their gender the way they want to. This bill only reinforces the western ideas of gender and gender roles. But as we have learned from this text our behavior is flexible, malleable, and constantly changing.
So on that note, I leave you with a question: Why would the government want any sort of jurisdiction over a form of art and self-expression? Why do people in general want to keep systems of “traditional” gender in place?
I believe that people are simply afraid of change. The one thing that I believe people are quick to do is to judge someone and it’s too hard to accept that “traditional” gender simply does not exist. Does it mean that they have to accept it? No, but we must respect it and not become judgemental of others.
Hey you hit on some amazing points in your blog. I would love to answer one of your questions. I feel that some people feel that the traditional way of gender helps to balance out a household and creates this perfect family from what i was told by my elders. I have to disagree with them i feel that they are afraid of gender change because of the fact that women will finally be able to develop their own personal abilities. There will be more women in power and most people just don’t want that.
Hey Sunny,
This is George Ward. I really enjoyed reading your discussion post. I think to answer your question about why the government wants jurisdiction over gender is because of the post technological society we live in today. Technology has become so advanced over the last 10 or 15 years that most, if not everything is done online. People have access to expressing their thoughts, and themselves to thousands of people all around the world. I think that as children grow more to being in-front of screens such as TV’s phones and computers, they are able to see a lot of what is going on in the world including the things that surround gender. I think the government is fearful of children getting the wrong message from the internet about gender. I think the government want to keep it strictly about informing people that there is only male and female, masculinity and femininity definitions because this sort of stigma has been taught for centuries to children and individuals. Overall, great blog post!