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art_by_gillian

“Cloaks of Selective Visibility” Oil paint on

“Cloaks of Selective Visibility” Oil paint on netting, 2020 Cloaks of invisibility are a magical literary device, found in western fairytale and folklore. Such fantastical devices picked up, worn, manipulated, and cast aside by the white hands of fairy tale protagonists allude to the power that the choice of invisibility can grant. And surely there is such a power in an American landscape where whiteness is pumped into the air we breathe, christianity is carved into the mountainsides, and capitalism is the language through which we are asked to understand needs as basic as hunger- the magic of invisibility is that it keeps these cycles in motion, unchallenged. To exist in such a world with the power to pick up or set aside one’s visibility in these systems is to have a supernatural capacity to position yourself in society as the hard-earned hero. Less heroic or magical however, is to see these invisibilities awkwardly draped across or ripped from bodies who such ‘heroism’ excludes from agency to choose (in)visibility for themselves. Thus, the myth of the heroism of dominant classes needs to be contextualized by the ways in which a non-dominant identity is fragmented, made thin, and separated from itself under the strains of an external gaze exclusively interested in a selective visibility which fits neatly into cycles creating such vantage points of privilege. Such selective visibility can never see someone in their fullness. Work based on interviews with local activist, writer, and public speaker Liyah Foye. (And up on display at the center for craft until May 14th, as part of the exhibition fabricated- free during their normal business hours)

It’s trans day of visibility so here I am. I am

It’s trans day of visibility so here I am. I am non-binary. There’s all sorts of things I could write about the wild and fun transphobia I have experienced (and oh my god could I write a book on that after living in a commune/ cohousing space during part of the pandemic with a whole bunch of hippies who were super into Bitcoin and self actualization so long as it was cis, white, and capitalist), but with continuing to exist in a world hostile to trans bodies and trans people (legally, socially, medically), I am just tired. So some other day when I have more capacity I will more articulately discuss some of the more entertaining transphobia I’ve come across, but for today I’ll just stick with existing. I know I am by no means the most harshly affected by these damaging structures we inhabit- so for all my trans siblings who are affected in different but meaningful ways, thank you for existing, thank you for being visible, you are loved. Thank you for all the love you have shown me.

There’s a lot of difficult things in the world r

There’s a lot of difficult things in the world right now. I hope you can embrace some of the good today too, it for no one else then for yourself. Sending love and liberatory vibes to all from my rainy little corner of the world

Here’s me in a shiny costume and a bendy positio

Here’s me in a shiny costume and a bendy position to catch your attention. Now that I have it, I’m pretty exhausted with cis white hippies seeing themselves as too woke from taking some spiritual hot yoga class one time to be accountable for their transphobia/ racism/ antiblackness/ terfyness/ whorephobia/fatphobia etc. etc. a few basic reminders because I’ve been apparently surrounded by so many ppl here in asheville who forget these points: -transphobia (/racism/ homophobia/ etc. I speak to transphobia because that’s most of what I’ve personally been on the relieving end of) is not a “difference of opinion”- it’s biggotry and it has real and tangible detrimental outcomes on people it affects -refusing to mask/ distance/ vaccinate and escaping to a foreign country to not have to deal with accountability for your impact due to *minimal* restrictions in the US as a white person is part of a history of genocidal behavior by white people. Period. -being a “feminist” if you are transmysoginist is not liberating anybody -trans (and BIPOC, disabled, etc.) people don’t owe you hours and hours of education at their expense. There are resources out there if you take a moment to look for them, and someone you just harmed is not responsible for unpatterning your harmful behaviors -if “health and wellness” means skinny cis white able bodied people to you, you should not be in a role of power in any health or wellness industry (teaching, serving as a nutritionalist, etc) because you are actively damaging the health and well-being of everyone else by promoting those ideas -if your feelings as a person with privilege (white, cis, able bodied, etc) come before the tangible harms of your actions, you need to check your priorities (and no the people you harmed don’t owe you a healing circle or mediation or anything of the like if you’ve made your presence unsafe for them) Thanks for listening to my random brain vomit of trying to counter just a *few* of the fun perspectives I’ve seen pop up from mutual connections and no-longer friends over the past few months. (Also thanks @brandinghouse for the flashy photo for my rant)

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