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f1ghts0ftly · 11 months

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As the country lurches forward into what I’m predicting will be a decade long conservative reaction against LGBT people, I can’t help but feel a little defeatist about our prospects.

I do not think trans activism, the way we understand it, will last as a cultural movement. Certainly not with popular support.

That being said, this isn’t going to usher in a new era feminism but rather a conservative reaction to anything and everything LGBT as well as an accelerated return of women back to their “traditional” place. An excess of left radicalism will be blamed for the rise of transactivism leading to a banishment of these things from public life. Child transition is the major flashpoint.

This is obviously already happening but I think things will accelerate and even liberal strongholds will become affected.

While I agree with some of the immediate effects of new conservative bills limiting access to transition care, I don’t like how much power conservatives have gained around this issue and I especially don’t like how organized queer and trans organizations have been unable to fight this.

Here are some things I do believe will stick around:

-Transition as conversion therapy for GNC gays and lesbians will not only continue but may become even *more* institutionalized. As LGBT backlash gets worse, more and more gay people will see this as a preferable “alternative” to living closeted. As a more patriarchal world becomes the norm, GNC individuals from the past will be automatically assimilated into a trans friendly framework making gender and sex seem inevitably intertwined meaning that LGBT people will lose examples and a sense of themselves outside of the trans framework. As backlash grows against gay people and Queer Politics, gay people will want to escape and hide. Im considering closeting myself again at work in New York, can’t imagine other gay women can’t feel the pressure from both sides all around the country.

-the widespread idea that if women don’t like their objectification, they are not women and that, to “be” a woman is to agree with misogyny. This will be reinforced and institutionalized with extreme public pressure to have children. There is an unholy alliance brewing between pop culture “anti capitalism” and “traditional values people”. Zombie Cottagecore.

So, what can we do?

There are 4 prongs we need to have in order to effectively fight this.

1.) CHANGING THE NARRATIVE:

Propaganda works, images, slogans, stories, songs works. We wouldn’t have misogyny constantly beamed into our eyeballs if it didn’t.

One of the most important things Marxist Theory has taught me is that individual people are responsible for their own collective liberation. Deeply internalize the mindset no one is coming to save you and things will keep getting worse. We save us.

That being said. We need to be ready to get more open, to be more bold and especially to demand that the more financially comfortable and established of us declare their allegiance to this movement.

This is a fight that is won through social networks and solidarity but we can’t form those networks of support without knowing who we all are. Be smart, take care of yourself, but really take stock of where fear is holding you back vs. good sense.

There are millions of women who can feel something is wrong, who feel uncomfortable in our male dominated world.

2.) GET THE GOODS AND INSTITUTIONALIZE OURSELVES AND GET CHECKS (again) :

Look, I am a communist. Nothing makes me more exhausted then the absolute minefield that is changing laws, building orgs and getting funding for our projects by manipulating politicians and trying to convince horrible, evil people that it’s in their best interest to support us. I’ve worked in mainstream politics before and I hate it.

But we need avenues to protect ourselves as we accomplish goals three and four, two is a stepping stone. Most importantly, we need to protect women from losing their jobs if they speak out. We need to create ways to protect private political speech and protect women who refuse to go along with misogyny on the job. This means bail funds, legal action, petitions, protests, news stories, actions etc...the works.

3.) BUILD AUTONOMOUS POWER/ UNITE ALL WOMEN:

I am still a ideologically a communist and not a liberal (this DOES NOT mean I think feminists should submit to the dictates of male led radical left) . What this does mean is that I do not believe reform is enough. I do not envision a future where men treat women well by choice. I envision a world where women are so powerful a man would shit his pants before acting up. A would were women are free. We must have real and solid power bases that only we can have access too.

We need to funnel money, womanpower and energy into both large women’s organizations and political parties as well as into autonomous women’s projects. Money, resources and labor. Money, resources, labor.

Living with men is a political choice, working for men is a political choice. Now, we all have to survive, so I don’t endorse shaming or blaming women doing the former but building roads to separatism needs to be at the front of our agendas. Supporting male dominance isn’t just “the way it is”, it’s a choice made to perpetuate the way things are now.

Many women do not see their continued support of political parties, organizations and charity organizations that endorse misogyny (both right and left) as a problem or even as a choice.

They also falsely see conservative women as the enemy when many socially conservative women can be easily flipped to our cause.

We need to be the alternative everywhere to everywoman and emphasize that we support both women in caretaking roles alongside women in other professions. What feminists do not support is male dominance.

Too often, left wing women are manipulated into supporting anti woman positions, like being pro pornography, making it easy for conservative women to distrust them. It’s important to underscore that we are for women and for moms and for female choice.

“Oh! You want to live your cottagecore dream?” Here is how you can do it without risking your safety.

“Oh! You want to go into business? Here is a whole network of industry contacts for you to work with.”

Women are not resource poor because we are stupid and don’t work hard we’re resource poor because we give all the good parts of us away to men, usually for free and this goes from women out in LA working in film, to women in education, to housewives. Men steal from all of us. Constantly.

And lots of women know that who don’t see themselves as feminists. We are protecting the fruits of our labor. Together.

I might become a mom but the tradwife life is not for me but I know there are lot’s of little Char’s growing up watching their moms try to be good little submissive wives (or rebellious wives like my mom) wondering wtf is wrong with them. Encouraging women involved in traditional roles to be autonomous can only have positive effects on the movement.

4.) CREATE SELF REINFORCING AND SELF REPLICATING SOCIAL STRUCTURES/FIGHT FOR THE FEMINIST FAMILY:

This is a neglected by necessary part of feminist vision. Not only should women control reproduction because it’s our right was women, it’s also how we can transmute our values to the next generation of young people.

How many second wave and third wave feminists ended up in a patriarchal marriage? How many others ended up in careers controlled by men and ending up adopting male supremacist ideologies? I know plenty. What do you think that taught their children.

Patriarchy is about Males controlling fertility. That’s it’s purpose. Therefore we need to ideologically capture mothers, motherhood and the childrearing process through rigorous support of female only co-living spaces, wages for childcare and dedicating ourselves to raising wages and working conditions for women in pink collar jobs. I want teachers and nurses to be respected (and paid) like Doctors and Engineers. Winning raises and increased financial autonomy for the masses of women will mean more money and ability of women. It will also mean children grow up cared for by, ensuring our success over and over for the next generations. It also means that women won’t have to seek male dominated career paths if they want cash money (and if she still does, we’ll have those sick autonomous female social structures, legal funds and orgs to help her navigate misogyny with as many resources as we can muster bc lemme tell you it’s a cruel ass world rn as a woman in a male dominated field).

Motherhood is expensive and labor intensive. Over 80% of women will become mothers in the US. Imagine if we could give 80% of women a fucking raise. Not just a raise, but the ability to completely walk away from the nuclear family model forever, without any negative financial consequences will undermine male supremacy at it’s very core. Leading not only to immediate positive impacts for women, but self replicating impacts for girls.

Even if say 30% of that 80% became serious feminists after that, it would be a huge, huge boon for the movement. In terms of reputation and power.

Boys won’t grow up seeing dominating fathers, girls won’t grow up seeing submissive mothers. Children will be neglected less, less likely to be sexually abused and cared for better across the board.

Mothers would be abused less, have more time for themselves, have stronger negotiating power at work and be more self reliant. Increased purchasing power means the market will pivot to cater to their needs and perceptions, shifting popular culture further away from misogynistic depictions of women.

This sounds like a big goal, but I think it’s more achievable then we think it might be and imo it can be pretty easy to exploit a lot of the tradwife rhetoric to convince women that our way is better. I’ve gotten A LOT of enthusiasm from conservative moms over this idea but the fun thing is, if we’re able to organize women as both unpaid care workers and paid professionals-we can undermine male power over women in the domestic sphere and in the public sphere, undercutting patriarchy and making it weaker over time.

Anyways, a bit of a long one but Tumblr won’t let me break this easily into small posts.

#radical feminism #radfem #radfems please tough #marxist feminism #socialist feminist theory #radical feminist theory #feminism #terf safe

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betweentheracks · 3 years

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LGBTQ+ and Queer Operated/Founded Brands

A composite list of some of the notable brands I have worked with or been in contact with throughout my time as a stylist. Rooted in queer communities, founded by LGBTQ+ designers, and dedicated to pursuing gender inclusive styles as well as providing an uplifting community committed to showcasing the talents of LGBTQ+ persons. A number of these also have a deal of activity in supporting POC or black owned and operated fashion brands and design studios.

Otherwild: Los Angeles, California.

Queer identified and woman-owned, Otherwild was established in 2012. It is a store, design studio, and event space. They offer apparel and accessories, as well as lo/no-waste home cleaning products and personal care products. Very grassroots and have a foundation of ethics and sustainability, working in earnest to establish a countercultural relationship to exploitative, extractive, and excessive consumer capitalist culture. They’re quite cost-effective with fair pricing on their range of products.

Rebirth Garments: Chicago, Illinois.

Entirely gender non-conforming, Rebirth Garments caters specifically to all non-binary, trans, and disabled. Their clothing line is custom made upon order, touting a distinct lack of standard sizes since part of their mission and manifesto is to tailor their styles to exactly the consumer’s specifications regardless of body type. Their party line is “Radical Visibility” and have a zine under the same name; their manifesto expressed as a desire to establish and nurture a community of people that have been excluded from mainstream fashion but are still deserving of an outlet to feel confident in expressing pride in the intersections of identity. Their materials are all vibrant and wild, bold and exuberant as a means to challenge the ableist and sizest ideals of mainstream fashions which still centers on gender and binary conforming styles. -- They also offer virtual lessons on accessibility, entrepreneurship, and much more.

Automic Gold: New York City, New York.

Queer owned and queer operated all inclusive jewelry, Automic Gold promotes their products as the most comfortable and versatile jewelry available. The founder is genderqueer and makes a point to create truly genderless accessories and does so with designs that specifically mix and warp the essence of masculinity and femininity, bringing together that which is both outside and inside to form that which is beyond. Sustainable and eco-friendly, all of their jewelry is made from reclaimed gold and 100% recyclable material. Automic Gold is the only known jeweler that carries rings in sizes 2 to 16 and utilize this point to shade the fashion industry for being so constrained by sizing standards.

Wildfang: Los Angeles, California/Portland, Oregon.

Women found, women run, women oriented. Wildfang is seated in the belief that women can and should wear whatever they want and be whatever they want. They give much of their profits to charities and organizations that center on the rights of the oppressed communities, namely queer, reproductive, and immigrant activism. Their collections offer full suits tailored to a female body, workwear made of truly durable materials to outlast even the worst of working conditions, and button ups that won’t gap at the boobs and are not super form-fitting. They promote the sort of modern feminism that holds no underlying toxic ideals of woman’s superiority, and works in the name of women having their rights unrestricted so that they can live their fullest lives with a true sense of self and self-worth alike.

STUZO CLOTHING: Los Angeles, California.

Steeped in the ideals of love, people, and life STUZO celebrates existence without emphasis on identity. Women owned and black owned, STUZO offers apparel with no gender bias with designs meant to invoke thought and feeling; an experience of the self, expressed without boundary. STUZO looks at clothing as being without life and therefore cannot be limited by borders of gender; textiles worn and filled out by consumers breathing life into them.

PYRAMID SEVEN: Chicago, Illinois.

A niche brand; they provide boxer briefs for periods, not gender. Their philosophy and belief is that regardless of where you fall on the gender spectrum or identify yourself as, if you menstruate you should be wearing their briefs. Designed with comfort and protection in mind, PYRAMID SEVEN briefs offer assurance that there is no longer a need to worry about leakage or bagginess - discomfort does not exist in their brand. These briefs are made to be used either in tandem with menstrual products of all kinds or even for free bleeding, it’s all at behest to comfort during an uncomfortable time. They are also advocates of privacy and neither reveal themselves too freely nor make comments on their consumer base, only expressing the validity of their representation being that of all who menstruate.

Fluide: Brooklyn, New York.

Beauty brand founded by a mother’s goal to establish a gender-expansive beauty line to celebrate under-represented faces and voice, supporting young people’s self-expression and creativity. Fluide is queer oriented and offers a full range of vegan/cruelty free cosmetics for all skin tones + types and gender expression. Their belief is that makeup is joyful, transformative, and meant to be inclusive of all with a wish of being expressive and to invent themselves as they want to be seen. They are a platform of queer voices showcasing queer beauty and work with many LGBTQ+ non-profits and advocate for revolutionizing the world of fashion and all of it’s mainstream conception of beauty standards and create a style space of authenticity.

Official Rebrand: New York City, New York.

A unique brand founded by a non-binary artist, Official Rebrand revives discarded clothing and remakes designs by breathing life back into what was unwanted. The mastermind behind the concept paints or otherwise alters (rebrands) items that have been cast aside and turns them into works of art which in turn proposes an anti-waste alternative. The rebranding process strips clothing of their proposed gender categories and promotes the fluidity of identity. Official Rebrand dominates the medium where art and fashion overlap, reintroducing his pieces without any sense of today’s arbitrary societal constraints.

PHLEMUNS: Los Angeles, California.

Black and queer owned/operated, PHLEMUNS is a non-binary all inclusive brand that seeks to merge elements of nostalgia and modern contemporary fashion. With a goal of bridging the gap between high fashion and every day communities, this brand takes what is called a slow-fashion approach to their designs and crafts meticulously and intentionally on styles meant to be seen as accessible, inclusive, and wholly unisex. This is a brand which exists in the grey areas of society, fashion, and thrives on the idea of intersecting identity.

NO SESSO: Los Angeles, California.

The brand name itself is Italian for “no sex/gender” and the fashion it produces truly encompasses this meaning. This is a fashion house that cranks out collections specifically targeting conventions of art, fashion, and culture. Their lines offer ranges in color, fabrics, prints, and reconstructed materials but their true signature is hand embroidery. Much of their collections are made from upcycled fabrics and materials found at flea markets and make use of patchwork designs as a motif of their community-based foundations. Think streetwear but couture, and this is what NO SESSO is defined by.

gc2b: Maryland, USA.

Trans-owned, founded, and operated. gc2b produced the first chest binder and snapped off transitional apparel and established themselves as the first gender-affirming company in the industry. The credence of the company is comfortable, safe, and accessible binding options designed by trans people for trans people and to accomodate the vast spectrum of humanity. gc2b has donated over 6000 binders to those in need and sponsors over 100 LGBTQ+ organizations while working extensively with LGBTQ+ communities and charities to raise funds and awareness.

Likely I will revise this post from time to time and update the listing.

I really like being able to use my position as a platform to provide notice of undervalued communities within the fashion industry and world of style. I have often purchased outright and incorporated many key pieces of some of my most notable styles and ensembles from LGBTQ+ brands that deserve recognition and think of it as a soft promotion of their talent and falls within the conduct my company expects me to abide.

Originally I did intend to have links in this post to make checking them out easier, but I was having some issues with tumblr being crotchety and had to forgo them sadly. Still, I encourage anyone interested to take a peek at their online sites or social medias - they’re all very lovely and inspirational!

#racks chats #lgbt fashion #lgbt brands #style

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