January 24th: A Conformists Guide to Behaving Badly

An immigrant, gay transwoman of colour works her arse off for a life in politics where she is more than a punch line. The ever-extending funnel of minorities, united in pain yet divided by compounded injustices. It would be nice if we could swear off cruelty, go to an Arsehole Anonymous meeting twice a week and collect chips for milestones reached and conquered. But it’s an addiction, you see. There is one steadfast solution to cruelty. Love. Love yourself, love your friend, love your foe.

Love, and fight for love. Never forget, actively remember, but actively forgive. The past has nowhere to go, but the future is yours to shape and discover. Defying logic and expectation is exhausting. That’s it. It’s exhausting, primarily thankless, but not an option for those who want to succeed in natural selection. As it stands the ignorant will prevail, the intelligent will fade from the gene pool and the world we’ll leave to the apes will be little more than aggressive degenerates who know their heart as little more than where the thump-thump goes thump-thump.

As children, women are taught to be ashamed of their imperfections. To fat. To tall. To skinny. To flat. To much ambition, not enough arse. Girls are powerless until we’re told we’re powerful. But that is inherently wrong, a fallacy that gives power to others when our strength should echo through space and time and life until pussy power rains down on those who believe equality and oppression are one in the same.