Chapter 8: Responding to fascism, anti-trans and anti-queer political violence
Our work is always political. Of course, in many contexts queer and gender diverse people have long been fighting for legal recognition and protection from violence and discrimination. But now we are also seeing in countries that have made huge gains towards liberation, hard won rights and freedoms of trans and queer people being rolled back and dismantled by far-right governments and fascism. Alongside the rights and protection of First Nations, Black, migrant, and disabled communities and women. As overtly anti-trans and anti-queer legislation is becoming law across North America, Europe and the United Kingdom, what are our responsibilities as practitioners to respond and what practices can we call on? In this final chapter we will explore ways that we can respond to fascism, anti-trans and anti-queer political violence with narrative practice.
Let’s dive into this generous interview where Frankie Hanman Siegersma (they/them) and Drag Artist Belail B’Zarr (they/them) discuss their work together following the doxing and relentless targeting of Belial B’Zarr by Nazis and the way they responded to and survived the significant effects of fascist persecution.
Next lets hear from Tiffany Sostar (they/them) as they describe a collective documenting project uplifting stories of care and solidarity with and within trans community.
Caring for trans community – Tiffany Sostar
You can read the document here
Reflection Questions
- Are there ways that the global context or your local context of rising fascism is showing up in your counselling or community work?
- What do you know/not know about the kinds of effects queer and gender diverse people have been experiencing? (thinking also about intersections of queerness or gender with other identities targeted by fascism).
- What are helpful ways you’ve found of responding?
- What feels challenging or limiting about how you’ve been responding?
- What ideas have been sparked by this chapter about possible narrative practice responses to the effects of fascism?
- What are our responsibilities as practitioners both in and beyond our work to be robustly addressing the effects of fascism and political violence against gender and sexually expansive people?
To continue thinking about realms of responding to fascism and white supremacy with practice, check out Culture, politics spirituality and practice: A book of resistance and critical theory for disturbing times – Makungu Akinyela.
To learn more about the operations of anti-trans fascism check out:
- A guide from Aotearoa about recognising, preventing, and countering anti-transgender extremism, with a focus on keeping community events safe from anti-transgender violence created by Gender Minorities Aotearoa.
- The trans legislation tracker in the United states which details the many anti trans bills being rolled out.
- Forward: “Feminist and Queer resistance to Neo-Fascism’s anti-‘Gender Ideology’ movements” by Wen Liu,Laurie Essig,Ella Ben Hagai &Munia Bhaumik from the Journal of Lesbian Studies Volume 28, 2024 – Issue 3: Neo-Fascism’s “Gender Ideology” & Queer/Lesbian Resistance.
