Feminism for a Genderqueer Generation: Gender Dysphoria Under Capitalism
Comic, Sabrina Melendez, 14 pgs, $15
This short but potent zine engages with my often unanswered questions around where genderqueer and nonbinary people exist within feminist movements. How the body and mind relate (or don’t). The big question around transness: would we want to change our bodies to “pass” if we didn’t live in a world that subjugates women and female bodies?
Melendez identifies as agender. It can feel like there is no escape in our society from being gendered by our bodies and the way we adorn ourselves, so often the answer for many is to alter the body. The zine reminds us that the gender binary is a way to retain the status quo that “women biologically enjoy the work, so they don’t need to get paid for reproductive labour.” The tangle of technology, capitalism, and the patriarchy can disconnect our minds and bodies. Then add transness to the equation, it becomes more complicated. The author returns to the theory that the mind and body are the same, and can be reconciled, rather than succumbing and fitting the body into the binary box. The work to make peace with ourselves shouldn’t just be internal and individual, we all must work together to dismantle that box.
The way Melendez mixes theory with personal anecdotes is a graceful way to deliver intellectual critique with relatable humour. This is a strong, accessible read that even someone who might be hearing about “agender” for the first time can understand and empathize with. The handwritten text can get quite small, but if you have your readers on, you’ll enjoy this rich and nuanced take on transness within our society’s limiting structures.