Transgender as a Beautiful Weapon of Social Revolt
Contrary to ordinary belief, the word “transgender” does NOT stand for a “politically correct” version of “transsexual” but has a nature and significance of its own. It's not even necessarily a passage, a “transition” from male to female or vice-versa. Transgender on the contrary is the philosophy of creating our own identity using all materials and influences available, as a painter that has a palette of 16 million colours, the whole rainbow, not accidentally the LGBT worldwide symbol. Helena Velena was born in a male body, but didn't refuse his genitalia nor his/her attraction toward females. What she refused was the identity and behaviour that was requested by society.
In western society and in monotheist religions the strongest form of social control is through sexuality - hence also gender identity is heavily sanctioned. As a result men and women must follow unwritten but apparently unbreakable rules regarding behaviour, interests, and especially hairdos and dress codes. The existence of differently buttoned blouses or jeans for males and females is an absurdity justified only by the need to have social control respected.
Helena decided to refuse all this. She wears suspenders and miniskirts but loves tanks and fighter planes, and so on with what could appear as contradictions, but are not. Because they are instead a “beautiful weapon for social revolt”, since starting by breaking the rules of social conformity, then everything can be questioned.
Let's do it!! (Helena Velena)
Public interview will be conducted by Anja Koletnik (Transfeminist Initiative TransAkcija). Anja Koletnik is a transfeminist
queer activist and freelance academic holding an MA in Gender Studies. They is the
founder of the Transfeminist Initiative TransAkcija, the first trans specific NGO
in the field of transgender identities in Slovenia
where their activity is
focused on the support, informing, empowering and alliance of transgender
people in Slovenia. Anja is a transfeminist whose activism is based on the
principle that what is personal is political. As an
academic, they is particularly interested in the fields of transgender studies, queer
theory, embodiments and feminist new materialisms.
Organised by: Aksioma; In collaboration with: City of Women.
Free entrance.
