A collaborative zine for Fort Lewis College’s Anthropology Department by: LaManda Atcitty, Yohneh Danforth, Keely Doherty, Sage Hammer, Hailey Larson, Bella Rettenwander, and Alex Tran
This zine is a collaborative from the fall 2020 semester Anthropology of Gender class at Fort Lewis College. This zine contains poetry, an op-ed, and verbatim answers from interviews. Photographs in this zine are included with participant consent. This zine was made in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and was created with caution and consideration for public health. Thank you to Dr. Marnie Thompson for making this zine possible.
Irrelevant LaManda Atcitty Eyes glistening in the heat Hurting the great stumbling wind The great put down the hold Hot flesh mortified it walks between heaven and earth Deep down in the great depths of the cold heat Ripped the flesh as it aches walking alone Shiver the spine as the great outweighs the numb Have this day its hot breath to take We give you its all, the flesh and the pain Welded down in a fast pace motion It gives great glory sought to be man Heat so strong don’t let it go or it will burn the flesh From early morning in the wind from agony flow against its tide Morning sunshine Happy face put on a happy face Cover the flesh, fix its hair Oh great give me a smile and tell it what to do Don’t make flesh fuss only to disobey It thinks its smart it thinks it’s great Look down at the flesh and stay home Let the great be there near its side, look up at him and not its eye The difference between the great and the flesh Pay attention to one but don’t forget an admire the other
The Sweetest Sound Yohneh Danforth Tempestuous thoughts roaring through her mind, with current against current confliction. Clouding herself; the head and heart now blind, she loses sight of her true ambitions. Bottled emotions pumping through her veins, burn and accelerate with no escape, Yet, her unruffled facçade cloaks the pain, that suppresses her voice from taking shape. Sea to shining sea, vale to mountain peak… Hider all, but silenced she shall not be. Curses thus lift to the sound her words speak, from whence her inward demons have been freed A woman’s vindication has spoken; the sweetest sound, never to be broken.
Why you need to stop asking marginalized and LGBTQ+ groups to educate you on their struggle and start doing the work yourself Keely Doherty Nov. 22 2020
After the tragic murder of George Floyd and in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement this past summer, many of us were forced to ask ourselves how educated we really were on the issue of civil rights. This, being such a pivotal moment in United States history, taught us a lot about ourselves, our privilege, and our patterns of abuse of that privilege. We were forced to look in a mirror and ask ourselves how educated we really were about the struggle of Black Americans and reveal the ugly truth that most of us white folk are actually pretty blind to the systemic racial disparities our fellow Americans suffer on a daily basis. We have all been taught that, “knowledge is power”; but conditioned by the individualistic society we were raised in, we don’t always step outside of ourselves and use that knowledge to make others powerful. Now, these issues of racial inequality and inequity are just ONE of the many places this occurs in today’s society. All marginalized groups that face discrimination and injustices on a daily basis deserve our (by “our” I mean you, yes you, the able bodied, straight, white individual) willingness to be educated on their fight to equity. And no, it is not your gay friend’s job to educate you on what it means to be gay in the context of Trump’s 2020. Yes! It is your job to pick up a book, listen to a podcast, turn on a documentary and use the many many resources we are so fortunate to have in these pivotal times. The lack of education, understanding, and compassion about certain marginalized group’s history and current struggles has been discussed massively in the recent political climate. Especially in light of events leading up to and following the BLM movement. Though, my main goal is to expand
this narrative in order to include all groups, especially those related to sex, gender and sexuality. “Black and Third World people are expected to educate white people as to our humanity. Women are expected to educate men. Lesbians and gay men are expected to educate the heterosexual world. The oppressors maintain their position and evade their responsibility for their own actions. There is a constant drain of energy which might be better used in redefining ourselves and devising realistic scenarios for altering the present and constructing the future.” - Audre Lorde (n.d., para.1) As Kali Holloway, writer and founder of social justice campaign ‘Make It Right’ states, “Derailing tactics like the aforementioned essentially serve to divert the conversation back to territory where the derailer feels more comfortable, and perhaps most importantly, help reestablish the traditional power dynamic. Once again, a person of color must focus on and give precedence to a white person’s opinions and queries—and often, their expressions of disbelief—instead of merely being able to speak their experiences.” Although Kali’s point is centered around race, it brings an important perspective to the table. One of the many reasons it is important for us to educate ourselves and not rely on the LGBTQ+ community to have these conversations with us, is because we have a lot of work to do on ourselves first. We must begin to undo the biases and prejudices we hold and begin to empathise with the issue at hand. It is often extremely difficult to grasp the time, energy, and emotional toll these conversations have on individuals within marginalized communities. Asking them to teach us, rather than using resources to do our own work is yet another act of superiority and privilege. This is largely due to the fact that we have not personally or collectively experienced the historical and current traumas they have faced. Asking the LGBTQ+ and other
communities to spend their time constantly educating others takes away from their ability to heal, grow, and move forward. This being said, the most impactful thing you can do for your gay friend or trans family member is to do the work yourself. You have the power and privilege to make a difference, and the ability to be an ally in the best way. The weight of change should not be placed onto the shoulders of the oppressed, this is simply an act of ignorance and violence that perpetuates privilege. There’s no better time than now. Go and do the work. Here’s where you can start... - 50 educational resources by Courtney Sieter at Buffer: https://buffer.com/resources/lgbtqia-resources/ . Works Cited Holloway, Kali. “Black People Are Not Here to Teach You: What so Many White Americans Just Can't Grasp.” Salon, Salon.com, 14 Apr. 2015, www.salon.com/2015/04/14/black_people_are_not_here_to_teach_you_wh at_so_many_ white_americans_just_cant_grasp_partner/. “A Quote from Sister Outsider.” Goodreads, Goodreads, 0AD, www.goodreads.com/quotes/851598-black-and-third-world-people-are-exp ected-to-educ ate-white.
Searching for Keys Sage Hammer
I look around at all the people around me And I wonder Why am I different
A fleeting thought Gone before I can catch it Locked away in a place I Forgot
The hallways fill and empty I slip through jostling Bodies. Never connecting
I look around at all the people around me And I wonder Why am I different
A fleeting thought Gone before I can catch it Locked away in a place I Forgot
College New city, new school, new room I look around at all the new people And I feel lost
I look around at all the people around me And I wonder Why am I different
A fleeting thought Gone before I can catch it Locked away in a place I Forgot
I look out of place I pull the first shirt I can grab out of the drawer Even when we wear uniforms, I still Dress odd A fleeting thought Gone before I can catch it Locked away in a place I Forgot I look around at all the people around me And I wonder Why am I different I feel out of place No connection to the people I call my friends Just a shared lunch table I never stay for very long
I look around at all the people around me And I wonder Why am I Broken Theatre is a family But friends are hard to find As friendship blooms Ignorance is not bliss A fleeting thought Gone before I can catch it Locked away in a place I Forgot I look around at all the people around me And I wonder Why am I Broken I find other people And learn things I already knew
But chose not to know I find a key A fleeting thought Gone before I can catch it Locked away in a place That now has a key I look around at all the people around me And I wonder Why am I Broken When the words feel right You shouldn’t be afraid It’s ok to explore Who you really are A fleeting thought Gone before I can catch it Locked away in a place That now has a key I look around at all the people around me And I wonder Am I Broken Now that I know I start to remember, and see the signs But with this realization I start to notice something, uncomfortable A fleeting thought Gone before I can catch it Put away in a place With the door now unlocked I look around at all the people around me And I wonder Am I Broken A friend Who treats me different Who picks me up when he hugs me And walks me back to my room
I do not see the warning signs We lay on my bed to watch a movie He asks if I want to cuddle I say no. nothing happens The holiday arrives I am out of town. I have my suspicions they turn out to be true Everyone else knows I did not want it to end up this way I look around at all the people around me And I wonder Why am I Broken He doesn’t come to class He is distant I have lost a friend Why am I Broken Time passes The wound scabs The scar remains A fleeting thought Gone before I can catch it Locked away in a place I Forgot The door was unlocked once It might be closed now But I think something might have Escaped A Curiosity A discomfort Something that I tried to hide But is now edging towards the light A fleeting thought Gone before I can catch it Locked away in a place I Forgot
I look around at all the people around me And I wonder Why am I different
I look around at all the people around me And I wonder Am I different
A decision A class A realization fear
I think and explore I open a forgotten box in the cobwebbed corners of my memories there is another Key
A fleeting thought Gone before I can catch it Locked away in a place I chose to Forget
Anthropology Through Haiku Hailey Larson Spectrums The gender spectrum Beautiful, varied, and vast You cannot assume
Diversity To me that is male To you it is something else There is not one way
Outside the Box I am not a girl I do not fit in your box Just let me be free
Gender Gender is given It is a learned behavior It is not innate
Girls Be quiet and small Don’t take up a lot of space Now you are a girl
Love is Love Sexuality Attraction and desire Love will always win
The Illusion Penis or vulva Are you a boy or a girl They’re one and the same
Human You are not a man You are not a woman too You are a human
Bodies We are not the same Every body is unique We are all human
Get Home Safe Bella Rettenwander November 20, 2020
The woman before me, a lady, cataracts shimmering searching in mine she whispers, what a nice dress, baby, And O! your necklace and the shine Looking up, twenty lips move; Their drinks are endless rivers, Dancing like the heavens approve; Words heavy, stained red with shivers, A smirk crosses my flushed cheeks; eyes meet theirs but with no words of greeting, I wiggle away, my attention fleeting; My thoughtless faith disappearing Last light bounces off crystal glasses; Unearthing hidden secrets of the walls, Upon the twilight hour, must make it home Venerable beneath the covered sky; Night closes with smoky goodbyes, Carrying a forced lipstick smile, Inch to the door; black fur coat, collar up, head down
“Get home safe” lingers within; Darkness surrounding my uneasy strut, Eyes alert; reconnaissance with owl-like neck, Heels composing suspenseful music Two figures spotted, one across One behind; complete silence contrives Shameful thinking; quicken the pace and Phone my roommate, for evidence; Feelings of home, warmth, and safety Long gone with my sobriety they will say, “Where are you?” “Change your path home.” Turn to see them still following; heartbeat overdosing, Breathe differently rounding the corner seeing your friend outside; almost there, Rings through your mind; Undesired night complete, just in time.
Photographed & Interviewed by Alex Tran
“I think society expects a perfect man to be the base of a home, provide for themselves and their family, be an unstoppable force, and is a just a provider.” “Society would describe a masculine person as someone who’s strong, tough, and a leader.” “When I hear man up I just think it means to suck it up. I just take it at face value.” “All the prominent men in my life are good men because they care about other people, they’re generous, and work hard. But these are traits that make anyone a good person.”
Interviewed by Alex Tran
“I think society expects men to have a hard exterior and to not show their true emotions and be very hard and gruff.” “I don’t believe in the idea of a perfect man because gender is fake and I’m partial to thinking men are trash.” “When I hear things like man up or be a man, I think stop crying and don’t feel emotions like a normal person. ” “What I expect from men is that they respect women, gays, and theys, even if they’re not attracted to them. I also expect that they understand that no means no.”