The Sydney Feminists

When working through issues both political and social, it often seems we operate based on the way we wish things were rather than the way the world really is. You see this all across the political spectrum; anti-choice advocates operating off the idea that successfully banning abortion will be the magic wave of a wand that stops all abortions forever, when all available data suggests that, of course, this is not the case. This philosophy is also employed, to no great effect, in the War on Drugs (ban the drugs and no one will ever do them again!), immigration (stop the boats and refugees will stop coming!), and so much more.  Another socio-political technique in which this wishful thinking is evident is in "call-out" culture. For the unfamiliar, on paper, this is what it looks like: a respectful "calling out" of behaviour deemed problematic by peer advocates in order for equally respectful behavioural adjustments to be made and everyone to move forward in har...

Alienation and delegitimization of queer identities within the LGBTQ+ community is nothing new. From isolating members who are not ‘gold-star’ lesbians or gays, to doubting the legitimacy of transsexuality and genderfluidity, and completely ignoring the identities of asexual or agender people. And these examples do not even address the extending layers of oppression that people from intersectional backgrounds face. Bisexuals (focusing on but not ignoring the others), unlike monosexuals, suffer stereotyping from both within and outside the queer community. This is unique to other subgroups of the LGBTQ+ community, because dominant stereotypes which exist in straight or hegemonic narratives, also oppress individuals within the queer community. Some stereotypes include: bisexuals are confused, promiscuous, opportunistic, ‘actually’ gay or ‘actually’ straight and carry STI’s. These ideas create suspicion and doubt of bisexuality and mistrust of individuals identifying as bi. This ...