Forging gender and racial solidarities at trans-inclusive women's festivals
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2024
Department/School
Women's and Gender Studies
Publication Title
Journal of Lesbian Studies
Abstract
This article explores the interweaving of successes and failures at trans-inclusive women’s festivals. I analyze conflicts that occurred at the Mystical Womxn’s Magic Festival and the Ohio Lesbian Festival. In the process, I demonstrate that working across racial and gender divides in these spaces is possible but only if we understand that solidarity is processual and relational but also, quite simply, hard work. This labor requires acknowledging that failures are an integral part of the praxis of forging alliances. By failures, I am primarily referring to moments of insensitivity, casual macroaggressions, lack of deep listening, and other common occurrences of harm. Ultimately, I argue that solidarity is a journey not an end point and that a crucial aspect of the journey is grappling with collective and personal failures along the way.
Link to Published Version
Recommended Citation
Currans, E. (2024). Forging gender and racial solidarities at trans-inclusive women’s festivals. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 28(1), 175–188. https://doi.org/10.1080/10894160.2023.2187160
Comments
E. Currans is a faculty member in EMU's Department of Women's and Gender Studies.