Community Issue by Bird Commission

feminism is in.

in Commission Nov. 2011 Issue 5

$FREE

The Community Issue

Table of Contents “People From the City”

Fucking While Feminist

Feminism For Real

Feminist Grammar

A local feminist zine

Contact incommission@gmail.com Editor: Bird Commission Co-Editors: Pepper and Daphne Submissions: We excitedly accept: articles, rants, personal narratives, short fiction, poems, prose, photographs, events to advertise, artwork, comics, cartoons, comments, anything really. If you’re interested in being a contributing member (ie passing out zines, helping to bind, writing articles, etc.) of the In Commission project, just ask.

Sisterhood is powerful 14

All Right, All Right 18

By Bird

“People From the City” This zine issue is not only for the feminist community, but also for the DeKalb community at large. I have learned to love DeKalb. My freshman year, driving down I-88 and seeing nothing but corn and more corn was a little discouraging, but I have made a home here. So nothing pisses me off more when I see self-appointed gatekeepers excluding "others." After a bad string of violence in the DeKalb community this semester, a then-acquaintance of mine wrote some fucked up bullshit, blaming "people from the city" for the violence. Zhe was upset that non-NIU people had negative opinions about NIU and DeKalb, and said, “so a few people come in from the city and ruined things for the rest of us.” And this is a sentiment I have heard quite often and one that needs serious addressing. Who are these elusive "people from the city" that are charged with being held responsible for all of DeKalb's violence? And who is zhe excluding and including when zhe writes "us"? Oh, I get it: "people from the city" means people of color! Masking racism with political correctness. Because let's be real, when zhe says, "people from the city" zhe is talking about a very specific group of people zhe is assuming come from the city.

Zhe doesn't mean professors who commute, students who's parents may own property in Downtown Chicago, or students who live in suburbs very close to the city. Zhe means people of color. And when you use those two phrases so interchangeably, you infer plenty of racist things. One being: people of color can never call DeKalb or any rural community their own, because people of color must always hail from the city. Holding "people from the city" (i.e. people of color) responsible for all of DeKalb's violence scapegoats people of color, as if white people or rural people can never be violent. To not realize that white or rural people are also responsible for DeKalb's violence is to intentionally ignore facts. This trope places the responsibility of DeKalb's violence so squarely and solely on the shoulders of people of color. And specifically, men of color. And pegging men of color for DeKalb's violence perpetrates the myth of "scary and dangerous brown men." Instead of citing specific people that are responsible for specific crimes, by blaming all violence on men of color, infers that all men of color are dangerous to decidedly white rural areas and white people. I don't know if my former acquaintance meant to infer all of these racist beliefs, but it is so difficult to not analyze hir remarks through a racial lens. What do we mean when we use seemingly politically correct phrases like "people from the city" or "urban people"? While blatant racism is still around and still has its card-carrying members, subtle racism is a new art and is getting sneakier and shiftier. DeKalb, and any other goddamn community -- rural, urban, or suburban -- is home to people of color. Not because I, or any other white person, "gives them permission to" but because everyone has the right to call anywhere they like "home." There is no gate-keeping in DeKalb, and I will be kind enough to remind this to anyone who is under the false impression that DeKalb can only be home to a specific kind of person. There's enough room for us all.

By Daphne

Dating and Fucking While Feminist There is no doubt in my mind that sex and community jive together like hearty bread and butter. Sex? We know it well. And what of community? It is perhaps most easily understood as a group of individuals that gather around a common goal. I’ve made an academic career at the intersections of sex and community, more so in talk than in physicality. By this I mean to imply that as it now stands I don’t employ sex to create community in the ways swingers [non-monogamous, committed couples that socially engage in sexual activities with other couples] or BDSM [dominance/submission/ sadism/masochism] folks might. Rather, I discuss sexuality in an openly consciousness-raising way and luckily have befriended many who can partake in such discussions without the telling novice giggles associated with saying “penis” or “vagina” out loud. Where is this sexmmunity (that’s right, I just coined a term: sex + community=sexmmunity)? Everywhere. As with any non-physically manifested community (i.e. LGBT, Navajo nation), it is the unifying beliefs that place us rather than a fixed locale. Conceptualizing the feminist sexual community is potentially troubling because it’s members are as diverse as they are they same. To me “fucking while feminist” (as with most other sex-positive persons) summarizes that I believe in the validity of all forms of sexual expression so long as they are consensual AND safe[r]. Fittingly enough these terms are intended to be open to interpretation and desire for the reason that sexuality exists on an incredibly diverse spectrum. Simple, yet complex eh? I know, I know…you are wondering what in the hell that means. Do I think it’s

ok for elders to have sex with minors? To that I recommend thinking about the role of consent and what it means to be able to provide consent. A child is likely on a very different page than an adult, thus my answer is likely NO. Do I believe perceived acts of violence within the realm of BDSM expression are acceptable? Assuming the lines of communication are way open and it is a consensual interaction between two adults, YES. Mind you, such expressions of intimacy are not congruent with my vanilla preferences but I appreciate and respect the choice and necessity for extreme honesty and communication (ask anyone who regularly engages in BDSM-related activities and they will tell you that it’s nothing to be taken lightly or without forethought. I’m talking signed consent forms and such). Abstract rambling aside, it is a finite truth that talking about sex in a real way with close compadres is a solid step towards establishing sexual community. Still, an even more tangible way to improve this sense of community every day is by discussing concerns and interests with your partners (aka the co-captain of your sexual past, present, and future). Believe me, I have first-hand experience with not feeling comfortable or courageous enough to disclose my desires when partaking in horizontal congress. That, my friends, is blasphemy. Want a hand there or a finger here? Speak it and it shall be so (unless said partner is a jerk who never deserved to get naked with you in the first place)! You might not have your sexual priorities lined up exactly, but discussing such differences and how to find a common goal is perhaps the most surefire way to cement together sex and community. If sex truly is the most base way of relating to each other in community, is it not clear what you must do? Have sex. But don’t just have sex….BE sex. Be it in your words, your actions, and your expressions of affection and direction. Don’t be afraid to think outside the sexual box. Push on your buttons and prescribed limitations. Read some manuals or sexual manifestos. Be the sex you want to see in the world.

Feminism FOR REAL A book review

[By Bird]

I firmly believe in accessibility in feminism. What good does it do when only a small fraction of feminists can read a lofty, jargony, elitist article or book on feminist theory? None. And I'm looking at you, Foucault. Feminism is for all, not just those with Ph.D's. Jessica Yee, the editor of Feminism For Real, agrees with that vision of feminism. I was thrilled to first read this amazing anthology, as the elitism of women's studies / feminism can really weigh down on accessibility and activism. I loved the tongue-in-cheek subtitle “Deconstructing the academic industrial complex of feminism”; using jargony words straight out of a women's studies textbook to describe the very problem they find most troubling with feminism. I was sold. Jessica Yee starts off straight away telling the reader zhe doesn't have any fancy shmancy college degree, and if the reader thinks hir less credible for it, well, so be it. The collection as a whole is about (academic) feminism discounting opinions of those if their CV doesn't read well (or read at all). This collection also critiques fellow feminists who find more value in opinions of those who have Ph.D's over opinions of those who are speaking from real life experiences, or the self-taught feminist. One doesn’t need a Ph.D to enter a library, after all. And somehow a feminist who wrote hir Ph.D dissertation on Renaissance gender roles is an expert in everything feminism - from single motherhood, to sexuality, to class, to globalization. That a Ph.D isn't just valuable in what you research in, but has an overarching authority to speak about everything – and not have your

your qualifications questioned. More troubling even, is the currency a Ph.D holds in non-academic venues. One essay, titled, "No, I Would Follow the Porn Stars Advice" is about a Latina magazine that chose a non-college educated Latina who's resume holds honorable professions such as "porn star" and "stripper" to write a sex column. One professional sexologist with a Ph.D (and probably a lengthy C.V.) was upset and felt snubbed the magazine didn't choose a degreed sexologist like, well, hir. The author of the essay, Andrea Plaid, highlights the strain between the degreed sexologist and the self-taught one. I'll let you guess which sexologists have self-appointed themselves as more knowledgeable, authoritative and all knowing. There were many profound essays and poems, but one poem stood out to me in particular, "A Slam on Feminism in Academia" by Shaunga Tagore, in which zhe writes about not being the ideal graduate women’s studies student that professors, diversity committees, and other academics were hoping for. Zhe's too busy being an activist to read the 900 page weekly requirement for hir professor's women's studies class - ABOUT ACTIVISM. The ideal graduate student, though? Tagore writes, "is / someone who doesn't have to experience community organizing / because you've already assigned them five chapters to read about it." Believe you me; I recognize the irony and sensitivity of writing this review in a zine that's distributed primarily on a college campus. There are some badass feminists at NIU, some with Ph.D's and Masters, and some without. While I have never experienced academic elitism and have always been welcomed to voice my opinion in this feminist community (even though I have yet to write a dissertation), that's not to say academic elitism doesn't exist. Because after all, I am in the academic world, I am just on the lower end of the ladder. Not all degreed feminists are guilty of discounting non-degreed feminists opinions. Hell, some Ph.D holders even write some amazing articles in Feminism For Real.

Feminism For Real is published by The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) and can be purchased on their website www.polictyalternatives.ca. The cost of one book and shipping to the U.S. is $25. Which is pretty steep for a poor college student, but perhaps some salaried Ph.D holders might be interested. ;-)

Feminism Was Here

Feminist Grammar: action words in heterosexual sex

by Bird

When we talk about heterosexual sex, the words we use: "penetrate", "screw", "fuck" made it clear who is doing the action and who is receiving the action. With this model, the man is the actor and the woman is the passive receiver. Though this doesn't reflect all or even most heterosexual sex; women aren't passive and inactive. To use these words is to discount the effort, art, and skill women put forth in sex. Why can't we add words to that repertoire that acknowledge women's agency in heterosexual sex? Words such as "engulf," "surround," and "envelop" embolden women's active role in sex. To say, "the man's dick penetrated the woman," on a grammatical level the dick is the subject and the woman is the direct object. To convey the same act but change the subject and thus actor in the sentence to the woman's body would be: "the woman's cunt enveloped the man's dick." To use both sets of words is to depict reality in sex: both men and women are equal contributors, actors, and receivers, but perhaps at different times though. 12

Sisterhood is Powerful

[by bird]

I love women. Which, coming from a queer woman might be met with: "Well, no shit." But what I mean is, I love, value, and support women. Not that I don't have those warm feelings for men as well, but I feel a particular bond and sisterhood with other women. I love women, not just women I am in love with, but I am attracted to women on a platonic level. Feminism has the ability to radically change relationships between women. Feminism teaches everyone to stop policing other women, stop slut-shaming, and respect different choices and cultures than our own. Attaining sisterhood is hard work. It's hard (at first) not to fall into stereotypical cattiness of critiquing women unfairly in our heads and behind their backs. But I also believe it would be too easy to think, "I don't agree with what zhe just said," followed by, "Those shoes are goddamn ugly." I am weary of other women who don't really love and support women individually and collectively. My mother and sister are often very critical of other women, strangers, friends, and even other female family members. It's a culture shock to go to my parents house and be in an environment of woman-on-woman hostility. My sister, who I love, is critical of my sister-in-law on all levels: what zhe wears, what zhe values, for being bossy, for not being bossy enough. My mother is hyper-critical of hir friends: what they eat, what they wear, how they present themselves, how they assert themselves. This environment is radically different from the home I have made for myself and the sisterhood I surround myself with - and it is always a difficult transition. To be catty and attack other women for superficial reasons is to embody sexism. I have seen both my mother and sister be suspicious and mistrusting of women just by virtue of being women, and prefer friendships with men. They find certain qualities attractive in men and believe those qualities incapable of being in women. Or at least not in any other woman than themselves. They believe themselves "special" and "different" from those "other" catty women, yet they embody that cattiness they so despise in other women. I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that irony. Being for sisterhood is not to be against legitimate criticism and conflict between women. I can't say I feel all sisterly when a woman says something fucked up like slut-shaming, victim-blaming, racist, sexist, fat-phobic, classist, or homophobic. But, sisterhood does create an environment of being able to call a sister out, and say, "what you just said was x , and here is why." I also do not indiscriminately view all women as my sisters. For example, Ann Coulter, and women like hir, are not my sisters. Sisterhood is supportive and self-critiquing at the same time.

SAY SOMETHING The next issue of IN COMMISSION will be the RELATIONSHIP ISSUE, and we want more people involved. If you have something to say about feminism and relationships, write it and we will print it. Here are some ideas to get you started: - How does feminism impact your relationships (romantic, platonic, friendship, familial)? - We think there is too much importance placed on romantic relationships and not enough on platonic ones. Do you agree? - If you could write a (love) letter to feminism, what would you say? - What are your experiences or thoughts on polyamory or open relationships? - What do relationships outside of the traditional narrative of relationships mean to you (age-disparate relationships/friendships, friends with benefits, etc)? - What is your definition of intimacy or an intimate relationship? - What is sex to you without emotional intimacy or one night stands? - What does the ideal platonic relationship look like after an intimate romantic one? - How do you handle a strained relationship with a family member or someone you love dearly? - What does ending relationships mean? 17

All Right, All Right.

Previous Issues

TARA HARDY Keeping with the theme of incredible queer feminist poets, Tara Hardy is a selfdescribed "queer femme dyke." In “Femme Mystique” Tara challenges the idea that queer and femme are This zine was tethered together with love on: incompatible by reminding the gatekeepers of queer: "femmes have been carrying the cause longer than you've been spelling womyn with a 'Y'." As a sometimes-femme, I love hir quip to butches: "the reason we carry purses is to save. your. asses. Any time you need a tissue, a tylenol, a tampon, you ask a femme." Femmes are fierce, and Tara puts into words eloquently what I and other femmes have been thinking all along. RACIALICIOUS is a blog "about the intersection of race and pop culture." The incredible Latoya Peterson is the owner and editor of the blog. There are some incredibly insightful and well-written pieces about media, race, politics, class, and personal experiences.

in Commission Sept. 2011 Issue 3

feminism is in.

ANDREA GIBSON is a queer feminist activist who writes and performs poems with such intensity and reality it’s uncomfortable and necessary. Listening to "Blue Blanket" for the first time, I had to pause it halfway through and wait for the goose bumps to go away and to regain my nerve. Andrea is definitely "not gentle with [hir] truths." Some favorites worth a listen: Blue Blanket / Dive / Trellis / Ashes / Name

feminism is in.

This whole feminism thing sounds okay. Where can I get some more?

in Commission Oct. 2011 Issue 4

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This zine was tethered together with love on:

The Sex Issue

To request previous issues of IN COMMISSION, email incommission@gmail.com

March – WHAT’S THIS ISSUE April – THE MEN ISSUE September – THE POP CULTURE ISSUE October – THE SEX ISSUE

The next issue of IN COMMISSION will be the RELATIONSHIP ISSUE.

GENDER FUCKING

[jen-der fuhk-ing] verb: the act of mocking traditional gender norms, identity, and presentation. “Nah, gender, I’m just fucking with you.”

This zine was tethered together with love on: