Gender benders faggots Bull dykes and the like

     “The Party (Labour) has got to watch that is isn’t just seen as a party of Māori,
       Pacific Islanders and life stylers” Herald 22^nd Sept

It was in fact interesting that I read this about half an hour after having a verbal altercation with medical staff at Waikato hospital. I was there for a routine x-ray of my hip however found myself facing the usual ignorance of gender and sexuality when once again the question of whether I could be pregnant was raised. As per usual I have refused to answer. Why you ask? Well for one if you meet me you would know. Bit mostly I refuse to answer as I am not prepared to buy into the normalised idea that there exists merely two genders.  My gender is as far as I am conernced and has been for 37 years a butch dyke.

Unfortunately for the past 37 years my gender BUTCH DYKE has been marginalised as it does not fit into the genderised box of male / female. No I am neither I am not a women nor a man – my gender sits in the grey area between your dichotomised simplistic rankings.  As per usual the reply I received on sharing this startling information was one I have heard for 37 years ‘I am not interested in your sexuality’ Well honey I was not sharing that I was telling you my gender as defined by me for me.

So what does my X-ray experience have to do with the above statement – everything. See the writer of said statement believes that the Labour Party needs to return to its traditional roots of supporting the workers of this country not those others those ‘life stylers’ aka homosexuals, transgendered peoples and intersex peoples.  And whilst yes I am saying it – it goes without saying the writer is a racist.

I can hear some of my more conservative friends (yes I have a few) moan and decry the place of academics in the political arena. I know some of you think that we make things far too complex, especially when the answers are simple – like Feed the Kids – Workers Rights etc. But seriously is it that hard to think beyond the comment made in the Herald. This seemingly simple comment is a reminder that the Labour Party has been ‘pandering’ to specialist groups and to continue to do so will mean being cast to the opposition benches. But that is crap and I mean BIG CRAP.

See gender ‘transgression’ (a term used by the straight world in a negative way but a term I see in a political positive way) is not something that is unique to the upper classes – gender identity transcends class and race. And whilst many of us are accepted by our whanau – communities etc just as many are not. Our rangatahi, in particular, are often cast into the streets to sell themselves.  Those who make it into traditional working spaces are expected to down play their difference or expect the brunt of employers – workers and the union’s discomfort and jokes. So yes we, those who fall between the binaried notions of male / female are part and parcel of the issues labour is being encouraged to address.

Try going for a job when you look like a me a butch dyke – I can tell you it takes less than 2 minutes to know I am not getting the job – it usually starts with a small gasp as prospective employers  realise that I am NOT MALE. Even today when one expects tolerance and acceptance I find raised eyebrows and distain particularly when I walk with my mokopuna down the street. Apart for the “is that white man your grandfather’ questions, some people still hold some belief that I am a child molester or some such thing because of the way I look.  And do not say I am reading into things – I have had to live with this for 37 years; from extreme situations where people have literally dragged kids out of my arms to the double takes as I play with Nelsena at parks.

So what does this have to do with the political picture we now have in front of us? Lots, see Labour is being reminded that even in the 21^st century holding hands with the freaks is taking a risk and if they wish to come back from the barren lands of the opposition benches they should cast adrift those who make the centre left uncomfortable. If they want another shot at governing then certain groups must not be prominent in their policies.  Social liberalism aka feminism faggots and freaks need to be side-lined for real issues workers’ rights and union matters.

However like all you ‘normal’ people we also have children, need to eat, pay our rent, work and vote. Not all of us can open our own cabaret clubs, or become famous drag kings or queens. And our rangatahi are the most vulnerable if they transgress. It is time for people to understand that it is in the grey areas that those who fight for special justice must act – those who are not fully represented by a system that still relies on old dichotomies black or white – right or wrong – male or female it is between these fixed positions that our people gay / trans / intersex / children / Māori / Pacifica are forced to carve out an existence.

So to all of you that define yourselves as ‘left’ especially all of you associated with the conservative left – you can have your carrot but you cannot have it without us because we exist and we will not be relegated to the margins.  So remember gender is not fixed - it is fluid and we all of us prove this by in fact existing– this might be hard to swallow but is it really that hard not to grasp - – as the old saying goes we are here So GET USED 2 IT!!!!

the herald 23rd 2014

'The party (Labour) has got to watch that it isn't just seen as a party of Māori, pacific Islanders and alternative lifestyles'  

So did you vote for them?

Today I have washed away my tears and returned to the world bolstered by the wonderful messages of hope from MANA people around the motu. Messages that talk of not being defeated - reminders that whilst we have lost a place in the Westminster system, we never relied solely on that system to answer the issues facing our people. However, I must say things have changed in the world.
Years ago I lived with a degree of paranoia and rightfully so - the world hated people like myself - butch dykes. Much of my time was spent avoiding being bashed as I walked the angry streets of Wellington. This was achieved by being over cautious and extremely suspicious of people around me, predominantly straight men and women - actually most of the straight world in the 70's.

So as I stood waiting to order my coffee a loud group of older mostly conservative biddies pushed ahead of me and as I eyed them up and down I could feel their smugness ooze over me, their arrogance that said we certainly now own the world. I hissed loudly enough for them to hear that the war was not over and it might be best if they do not become accustomed to their sense of entitlement.

So my sorrow has been replaced by anger not of those who did not vote or of those who changed their vote at the 11th hour, nor actually of these righteous right-wing punitive racists. See I understand those who did not vote - I get their apathy - I was once apathetic.  I also get those who on election day changed their Party Vote once entering the polling booth - I did the same years ago when I could no longer fathom the direction of the Labour Party, but still voted for them because I was so afraid of a National lead country - fear cripples people.

No it is not them who I am angry at. It is everyone else who looks like they could have voted for change but did not. It is my parents who held such conservative views such anger for the right but ended up voting for them because they believed the country has lost that degree of discipline.  It is people like my parents who if still alive would have decided that whilst National aren’t the best of – they were lesser of two evils.   See my parents would argue that the left have sold out to the commies and the homo’s they would wrap their smarmy acts of charity in fundamentalism - their tokenism towards Māori would only go as far as those Māori who work hard and are not part of the great 'gravy train'. They would not have gone as far as voting for the conservatives as they were too far off but they would have voted national because as working class people they believe in the old discourse of hard work paying off.

So whilst the older brigade have got louder - ordering their cappuccino's and flat whites with far more gusto than should be allowed. The people I am suspicious of are all those who look like my parents you can tell who they are – they are walking around and not meeting the eyes of those they have imposed their punitive policies on. They attend church on Sunday's praying that when they enter the pearly gates the great unwashed (US) will not be present. After years of working hard and having achieved a sense of comfort and they have decided to hold tight to it - at all costs.
So this morning as I ventured out to have coffee at my favourite café, I felt the same nervous sense of suspicion. I felt my eyes roam across the faces of those who I grew up with the conservative working class and wondered 'did you vote for them then?"