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!!!!