In the grand tradition of Peggy McIntyre’s Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, many folks have contributed to growing awareness of privilege by adding to lists of privilege held by various identities in America. This list of privileges and benefits held by a man has an unusual but incredibly powerful perspective, since he is transgender. James St. James has the unique experience of having lived without the benefit of male privilege, which provides an uncommon view of the topic:
Category: Social Justice
Dangerous Curves
Pinup Girl Clothing released their new line of sexy pinup fashion specifically for sisters of size. The models and clothes and photography and makeup and hair… all of it…are absolutely gorgeous… I couldn’t stop looking!!
See the Beautifully Breathtaking Lookbook here.
“Groundbreaking, glamorous, and most of all, gorgeous are only a few of the words that come to mind with the Beautifully Breathtaking Lookbook. Featuring women ranging from sizes XL to 4X in clothing from Laura Byrnes California, Deadly Dames by Micheline Pitt, and Pinup Couture, this Lookbook celebrates curves, body positivity, and our belief that Every Body deserves clothing that captures how truly beautiful they are. Starring models Kelsey Olsen, Rosie Mercado, English Cleveland, Rhapsody Artajo and photographed to perfection by our gifted guest photographer Lars Kommienezuspadt at the Melrose Umbrella Co. in Los Angeles, we are honored to present this remarkable Lookbook to you all!”
Fashionably Genderish
Increased media visibility means increased capital investment – meaning new and better products for Trans and gender non-conforming folks. Hooray for fabulous fashion! Ivette Feliciano reports on fashion and gender in America today.
Watch the video, or read the transcript here: The Right to be Handsome
(it is a tad trans-masculine focused – hoping for a similar story looking at women’s clothing soon!)
Affirming Others
It takes a lot to go onstage. Standing under bright lights while a group of people sit and stare at you is, to put it mildly, an incredibly vulnerable position, and it can be doubly so for those who have experienced marginalization and oppression throughout their lives. Last night I watched fifteen performers pour their hearts out at the Glitterbomb Queer Variety Show, and I watched a packed audience respond with so much love and support and overwhelming positivity, it blew my mind.
So today I’m reflecting on what it means to affirm someone. More than just tolerating or accepting a person – truly lifting them up and celebrating who they are.
I think that’s my favorite thing about DFW’s queer performance art scene – the ways in which the audience’s cheers and hugs and dollar bills speak so loudly of affirmation. All those things mean the audience is saying more than just “I see you.” When they give such enormous affirmation, they’re saying “I see you, and I celebrate you!”
And isn’t that what we all need, to be seen and celebrated? Not put on a pedestal, not idealized, not depersonalized, but actually seen, and actually celebrated.
It’s a skill I wish I could see more of in my communities. Because I move among lots of people who belong to marginalized groups, I am around a LOT of folks who are rendered invisible on a systemic level. I’m talking about Queer and Trans folks, those with chronic pain and other physical differences, Brown, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPoC), and many, many more. It’s my hope that I can make myself a better friend and ally by being deliberate about my own affirmations of others’ identities.
I’m inspired (as always) by the performers and the audience from last night’s show, and I am thinking hard on ways to be more actively affirming for those around me. Here are some of my thoughts, feel free to add your own!
Ways to Affirm Others
- make eye contact
- smile often
- offer a genuine compliment
- ask about preferred pronouns, and use them
- make sure I’m knowledgeable about cultures other than my own
- mirror language (using the same words the person used to describe themselves)
- a quick Facebook message when I see someone having a hard day
- in-the-moment self-correcting things I say wrong
giveoffer a hug, pat on the back, or hand squeeze- offer a quick check-in when I sense something might be wrong
- stand up for others in the moment
- challenge oppressive language
- tell people when they do a good job
- own my personal privilege and set it down whenever possible
- know when to be quiet
- be willing to hear feedback
- encourage self care
- check/ask for gender-neutral bathrooms
- share my belongings, time, knowledge, and energy
Big Bang for Your Buck
An important announcement – hoping to see diverse genders/cultures/abilities in their incoming class!
“Starting this week, Big Bang Theory and The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation have established The Big Bang Theory Scholarship Endowment—valued at $4 million dollars.
The endowment will go directly to 20 low-income students entering the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields at UCLA this year and then benefit five new students each academic year in perpetuity. The inaugural class will be announced this fall at the show’s set in Burbank, CA with cast and crew in attendance.”
Read the whole article here, including a list of donors.
I’m Pissed Too
A solid read on maintaining allyship, by Hasira Asheuma.
“These intransigent forces would be ecstatic if I were to adopt the paradigm that informs me that he’s nothing but a privileged cracker menace that walks these fruited plains of America with the blood of my ancestors stained with each step. However, for either one of us to adopt these views we would have to conveniently ignore the history of black/brown justice movements in this country. We would be suffering from historical amnesia if we were to forget who fought along side us, paid heavy prices and sometimes sacrificed their lives. #blacklivesmatter”
Read the whole article here: “I’m Pissed Too!!” Acknowledging and Maintaining Our White Allies
Milk Farms = Exploitation
When corporate interests commodify women’s bodies, there’s no way to avoid exploitation. Good intentions aside, this system doesn’t put the power in women’s hands. Women who are suffering might end up having to sell their nutrient-rich breast milk, and feed their own babies low-cost, low-quality formula.
“As the established for-profit companies totter down the line between ethics and profits, the liquid gold rush continues. Glenn Snow, who says he founded Only the Breast as a community service, has just stepped down. He says he never made a profit from his first venture, but that should change with International Milk Bank, his new, for-profit company. He plans to tap women on Only the Breast for the opportunity to sell directly to his new business, which will pay prescreened donors $1 to $2 an ounce for their milk. “Reimbursing the mother is absolutely crucial,” says Snow. “By serving their needs, they are able to serve their baby’s needs.” International Milk Bank plans to sell sterilized donor milk to hospitals in the U.S. and abroad, as well as to any mom who can afford it.”
In Defense of Safe Space
Aeman Ansari writes about the value and critical importance of safe spaces for marginalized peoples in response to a controversy that stormed social media after white students were asked to leave an event organized by Racialized Students Collective.
“It’s not just important, but it’s essential, for marginalized groups to have safe spaces on campus to engage with people who understand what they go through. Though this group is funded by Ryerson’s student union, it works to serve a particular group and a particular purpose. Many students at Ryerson have encountered racism in their life that is impossible to forget and many are exposed to discrimination on a daily basis. This group and these sort of events allow people of colour to lay bare their experiences and to collectively combat this societal ailment. These spaces are rare places in the world not controlled by individuals who have power, who have privilege.”
Tumblr Greatness
No Cookies for the Bare Minimum!
For allies, gratitude can sometimes highlight privilege in uncomfortable ways. The Frisky Fairy offers some insight into their own process of receiving gratitude, and reminds us that “acceptable behavior” shouldn’t be a pre-requisite for allyship.
“And then I realized how f** it was. I was being thanked for doing the bare minimum. This isn’t to say that I didn’t enjoy the thank you. I truly did. It’s wonderful to be appreciated. But why was I being appreciated? I was being appreciated for being loud and yelling at other white people, because we live in a society that has made people of color afraid to speak up for themselves. How absurd is that? How ridiculous is that. That even among a number of liberal minded folks and friends, people of color are still afraid to speak up in favor of people who are behaving in a way they agree with. Because white people will no longer see them as a ‘good’ person of color who behaves in a way that is acceptable.”
Read the whole article here: No, Seriously, Tell Me I’m Racist
Dr. Karen McDowell 