• List a few ways you have engaged in activism and how you think you can realistically engage in activism around gender justice.

Activism is fighting for the rights of the things we deem essential. When our government fails us, we must take action upon ourselves, or the ruin spreads. The film I chose to write about was “Girl Connected.”. “Girl Connected.” is a fantastic film that documents the stories of five teenage girls and their activism within their community. Their shared goal is to fight against “gender discrimination and violence.” I was very empowered and saddened by their hardships. It was amazing to see women who were a lot younger than me take a stand to find sexism. To raise awareness on sex education, child marriage, women’s creativity, and education. I thought one of the most interesting ones was Latifa from Bengaladesh. Her focus was to stop child marriage and help girls instead focus on their education. It was very inspiring to see another woman risk her safety and defy multiple communities by being a full-time activist and help young girls and their families realize how unethical and immoral it is for a child to get married at such a young age. She raises awareness of the harm it can do to one’s future. She asserts the respect and worth of a woman’s individuality by doing this. Another story that really inspired me was Josi from Peru. I felt like I personally connected to that because coming from a south American country such as brazil. These countries have conservative politics and a poor educational system. Josi took it upon herself to help unite a group to raise awareness on sex education. Being that the pregnancy rate increased in her neighborhood she felt like she had to take a stand since no one else cared about women’s health or sex education. Growing up there where many girls I knew that got pregnant at a very young age. They regret not being responsible because though you get to begin a new chapter a teenager can not hold the responsibility of an adult/ Furthermore you get to miss out on many things that you would wish you didn’t. Overall all the women showed me various way I can be a successful activist in a communal level which is much more valued. Michelle showed me that doing workshops with women to exercise self-love and passion. Host classes of karate for women to learn to protect themselves against rape or any violence. All of these little things heavily impacted the community each of these women lived in. It makes me overjoyous to know that people actively working for the future of women exist. I was genuinely inspired. The many ways I’ve down activism is constantly try to track down Go-Fund Me’s or Petitions about that are for law, or homelessness, or helping children etc. Constantly sharing to others. I also try to gather as much information on communist ideals and expose political leaders and parties for lying.

By understanding the patriarchy in a structural sense you become further informed on how to dismantle it. Our day to day occurs due to the structure of the system. It’s laws, it’s lack of representation for all others who are not white men, and lack of education. 

PERSONAL/INTERPERSONAL/INSTITUTIONAL/CULTURAL

Though every one has the right to their own opinion there are certain facts that can be turned into opinion. Example, all those that are for the bill in Florida towards not discussing anything LGBT in schools. By siding with this bill you are siding with homophobia. Many have said that homophobia is a wrong descriptor for those who “oppose” homosexual relation, it instead directs the narrative of fear of homosexuals. However, the word is true. Being afraid of accepting and understanding a complete normal way of life and human nature only due to “societal beliefs”, is homophobia. Which as the patriarchal system proves is for, it is very simple to not turn a sexuality into any legal matter yet it still occurs. Any lgbtq+ issue does not need to be legalized it needs to be understood and accepted as day to day life. Many people have to live their life’s dictated by someone else’s opinion that do not go through the same experiences as those who are oppressed. 

Another example would be the issue surrounding abortion. The first few readings of class we touched upon Bell Hooks understanding of feminism. Her perspective, in my opinion is by far the best defense for when feminism meets conservatism. Being a feminist entails the support and advocation for women’s rights. Being so, the advocation for women’s right to their reproductive system regardless of your own faith. I too have always stressed this perspective. No matter what your personal beliefs are it should not stop others from the right to control what is happening to their bodies. Being that there are a multitude of reasons why a woman might not be able to go through a pregnancy none of which is anyones business other than their own. Of course having this right means rules and laws that set limitations so the right is not abused and it becomes a lack of sexual education. -Which too gets checked off once there is a system in place that deeply educates people on said topics. Lack of information and knowledge is the sole reason for the abusive system and it’s draining power.

• What does it mean to move beyond the gender binary for Alok?

 Moving beyond the gender binary means understanding that being non—binary or gender non-conforming is not a “prop” or an “accessory”. As Alok bests puts it “If you remove our clothing, our make up, and our pronouns, underneath the surface we are just men and women playing dress up”. Many people who aren’t the “norm” of society are constantly harassed and not able to experience simple things like going to the store. The narrative by the law is if you see someone who is beyond society’s gender understanding, pick on them.  An example stated was “Texas proposing financial compensation for reporting us using the restroom”. Things like this and worst are the world of those who go beyond the gender binary. It is something that not just as a society are we supposed to correct but educate very early on in the lives of children. This is something to be normalized and not demonized. As Alok says “I do not have the luxury of being”, and no one should have to feel this way. I completely agree with him. I’ve grown up with a very open-mind about things. And it’s shaped me to view the world very differently than others. I think the educational system has many flaws but, not updating kids and children to accept and perceive lgbtq+ related issues to be accepted and respected is a major one. If issues like this aren’t taught to be understood and accepted from the beginning it will leave people to hide as they get older. (teaching in the sense of societal acceptance.) I was very taken when Alok said they fear going anywhere and they don’t really have time to just be themselves and live their life.

• In what ways does your gender identity go against the binary norm and in what ways does it fit the binary ?

  The way my gender identity goes against the binary norm is essentially the fact that I’m not always feminine. There are days I choose to dress leaning more towards my masculine side and I love it. I like changing it up depending on how I feel a certain days. However, I also fit the binary because I love dressing girly. Lately I’ve been thinking about trying out hyper-femininity. I’ve really that style for a while but I don’t know if I could pull it off. I think its just so cute and so lovely that it kind of scares me in a way. I feel like I’d look more vulnerable or maybe its like one of those things where you go through a phase of hating pink because its super girly but then realize wow I actually love pink. 

  I think I’m very privileged. I grew up in a favela in Brazil, and though we had happiness and family, there weren’t as many opportunities to further ourselves in life as there are here in the U.S. Though I dislike this country and its politics. It’s clear that you can move up in life through its capitalist system through its educational opportunities. This isn’t the same case in Brazil. I’m fully aware of the hardships in the U.S, I too, fight against them. However, it is needless to say that the poverty experienced in Brazil is not as drastic as the one here. And yes, I’m aware that these are two different worlds I’m comparing (brazil is considered a third world country vs. u.s being considered a first world country), but it is precisely my point.

Growing up in the u.s made my relationship with my parents very inexistent. As fresh immigrants, they were trying to make ends meet and excel and grow. This meant more time by myself because I could not see them all the time. I remember when I asked my dad for a photo of my mom when a couple of months went by because I rarely saw her, and I had forgotten what she looked like. This has bought a vast space between my parents and me, where I don’t necessarily feel like I have to talk to them every day, and I can go probably more than a month or two without speaking to one of them. Another oppression I experience is mainly during the times that I tan out. I don’t like to tan or wear my hair curly because I realize how differently I’m treated. I noted this when I decided to tan during the summer, waiting for my dad outside my apartment. And this white man called the cops and said that I was trying to break in and didn’t live there. I was so sad and scared because he had been taking pictures of me, yelling at me, and telling me he would call the cops. He said people like me aren’t good.

This past summer, I decided to tan and wear my hair curly most of the time. I was embarrassed to be in my skin. Since then, I chose not to tan or wear my naturally curly hair. I would notice how nothing would happen during the months where I paled out. I spent some time in Brazil and noted it is celebrated to get as tan as possible in my region. I hadn’t had applied heat to my hair for a while, and I was just me. I just hated it. I didn’t like just being me. I consistently complained about my appearance and talked about how much I regretted allowing myself to tan as much as I did. This is something I’m trying to work on. I at least can stay away from the sun and do things that change my appearance, which is saddening really. Writing this makes me feel awful to admit how I tend to comply even aware of the effects of the white narrative. Which is the opposite of what I tell others to do. But anyways. Yeah, it’s something I’m working on not caring about and just being me without fearing someone not accepting me.

  I believe that systems in place affect those who want to live a life where they are not harassed or traumatized by experiences. Privilege is being able to live a life fulfilled. You do not fear your emotional or physical well-being because all those boxes are checked out. Oppression is constant harassment and the inability to move up in life or just live because of who you are and how it does not fit into society’s checkbox. It is disgusting as humans that we allow other humans to have only the right to exist but not experience or live.

Bell Hooks Response:

I have always understood the feminist movement to be about ending sexist oppression towards women. I completely agree with Bell Hooks when she says, “Feminist politics is losing momentum because the feminist movement has lost clear definition.”. There is an intense polarization between the sexes concerning feminism in today’s politics. The different waves which Bell Hooks briefly touched upon are the reason for so much misunderstanding and redirecting of the feminist movement. I know from personal experience it is tough to talk to men about feminism, and defending women has just become a challenging task to do. In general, being a feminist proves to be difficult due to the negative portrayal by social media. It has turned the movement into a form of anti-male. Now, if you’re a feminist, it becomes less about being treated like a human being and more about just hating men in general. It’s a disgusting dark form of feminism that I disagree with. Bell Hooks talks about how the media controls the narrative, and we, the people, have to be the ones to change it. The movement got lost in translation. So many radical ideas do not align with the actual feminist movement. I don’t think in recent years anything has changed. If it has, it’s only going backward. Also, I loved this piece by Bell Hooks she is such a great educator and is able to articulate and explain difficult issues so beautifully.

Sex and Gender 101 Response:

I have always found it hard to explain the differences between sex and gender, and this article was incredibly insightful in better understanding the differences of said notion. The author highlights that “biological sex is universal and static. Gender is a cultural construct that shifts between societies and across time.”. When it came to gender expression, I was very confused because I understand it but still have a few questions because I don’t think I fully comprehended what she meant about being nonbinary. I identify as a cisgender woman, but I don’t necessarily always dress girly or feminine. There are days where I want to dress like a tomboy, but I feel like I still do it in a feminine way? I don’t know if that makes any sense. I consider the way I dress to be fluid, but I don’t identify as gender-fluid, so can someone please help me understand this deeper. I look at it more through a fashion lens when it comes to dressing. Still, fashion is a form of expression, and I liked how she tied physical representation to how you express yourself not just creatively but also through a gender lens. I gathered that your wardrobe isn’t the only telling of how you identify your gender. However, I wish I could understand more about what it means to identify as non-binary. So yeah…
I need help on that part. I also adored when Kyl Myers said, “sexual behavior does not align with sexual identity” because this is true for many people. I have a few closeted friends who are also bisexual but feel guilty when they want to experience a same-sex love. They never pursue the person they want because of the fear of being judged. It also made me think about this character named “Cal” from Euphoria, who seems bisexual. He pursued relations with a female for his father’s approval, but he was ultimately really in love with his best friend “Derek.” The show demonstrates the turmoil he experiences due to living a double life. In a recent episode, he came out to his family and started by saying, “I am so alone, really, really alone.”. It shows how there is such positivity and acceptance in society for “everyone,” though it is not the reality of many.