We Exist and That’s Pretty Radical
wherein I disagree with a recent article from Slate
A recent article from Outward: “Slate’s home for coverage of LGBTQ life, thought, and culture.” by Delilah Friedler entitled Gender Collusion poses the following question in its subtitle: People living outside the binary used to be outlaws. Now, gender nonconformity is fashionable. Can the GNC community still claim to be radical?
The article hones in on the appropriation of gender nonconforming identities by corporations – especially in the fashion industry – and calls for a rejection of this superficial victory. Friedler’s article has two main points: 1) “As a genderfluid person myself, I’m concerned that our normalization comes at the expense of our radical edge.” and 2) the urging in an investment in “the things that make us different and strive toward forms of liberation that will never be for sale.”
I’ve got some issues with these, so let’s address them one at a time. (more…)