c.l.i.t.fest has been happening around the world since 2004, as a feminist DIY punk festival, challenging oppressive norms within punk and alt scenes. We are widening it beyond punk, into other scenes which we (the organisers) are a part of.
What does “combating latent inequalities together” mean?
In punk, activist, feminist, gay, lesbian, queer and radical spaces, folks often think that racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, classism and other forms of oppression are absent, or that experiencing one of these things exempts us from ever doing bad.
Some of us experience multiple oppressions and we are tired of being ignored. We’re sick of being alienated. We’ve had enough of men dominating, we’re over queers doing blackface, and feminist womens events where nothing is about or relevant to trans women, we’ve had enough of trans guys saying ‘fat is feminising’ and we’re sick to death of hearing ‘but your food isn’t ethical’ and ‘thats insane’, ‘how retarded’, ‘oh lame’, and ‘gaaay’.
We don’t want to hear how we shouldn’t exist when we say we’re sex workers , we don’t want to have racism brushed off as though being otherwise marginalised exempts it, we’re sick of the only feminist events in town having no disability access, we’re tired of gays and lesbians running separate scenes and trans folks aren’t invited to either party, social scenes revolving around drinking, trans men speaking over trans women, butches getting all the credit and femmes being seen and not heard, people of colour having to choose between PoC only events and everyday racism. We want more than that!
We want to challenge ‘eurocentric’ (AKA white supremacist), abelist, patriarchial, transphobic bullshit and we want more than continual 101!!!
We want spaces that are not only safe for white cis women survivors, but for all of us who experience the daily trauma of a colonised reality, of transmisogyny, of alienation not just in society but within our scenes.
We want solidarity in exile!
So, who are the organisers?
We are a group of 8. We’re coming from different backgrounds, cultures and classes, and we think its really important to situate ourselves. At present we are self identified:
- punks
- Maori
- high Femme
- Anarcha-feminist
- trans* women
- cis women
- working class
- non binary (transmasculine)
- non binary (transfeminine)
- people of colour
- Filipino
- hard femme
- queer
- butch
- intersex
- neutrois
- sapiosexual
- bipolar
- autistic
- feminist
- kinky
- disabled
- poly
- kick ass
- fat bitches
- underclass
- fucking fabulous
- Musicians, programmers, parents, med students, (f)unemployed, sex workers, social workers, cyclistss, post vegans, performers, drunks, artists, and really, so much more.
- We’re about 25% cis women, 37% transfeminine people and trans women, 37% transmasculine, and 12% neutrois.
We’ve been asked about the name c.l.i.t.fest, and it was suggested that we change the name to avoid alienating trans women. We all felt that it was important to let the trans women in the organising crew have their voices prioritised and respond to this if they wanted to, and we all had some good discussions. Here is what the trans women organisers have to say, with 100% agreement and the complete support of the rest of the organisers.
We’re really looking forward to seeing/meeting y’all at c.l.i.t.fest!
Nga mihi,
Jess, Anna, Trixie, Kiesia, Bex, Dee, Rouge and Alex.
c.l.i.t.fest is coming at ya with support from The BOX Collective and Trans* Body Reclamation Project.
For some general background, here are some links to past c.l.i.t.fests:
And! theres also clitfest 2013 in Chicago! So, if anyones headed there this August, make sure you check it owt!
c.l.i.t.fest Wellington 2013 