we need to talk

hey y’all.

i need to clear a few things up about the rag.

some folx have interpreted the name of this lil’ experiment, the rag, as exclusively referring to the physiological process of menstruation. a process which is dependent on a person’s biology, hormone functioning, and organ availability. this was not my intent, and i am deeply sorry to anyone who has felt excluded by this. the rag is also a colloquial term for a newspaper of “low” quality, a diy project of participatory media. this is what I was primarily invoking in my choosing of the name, as the rag holds space for the stories that are not told or welcome in the mainstream. where the idea of expert is interpreted only as it relates to your own lived experience, to your truth. we are all experts in this work, while we are also very much not experts at all because we cannot be experts of anyone’s truth except for our own. this concept of participatory media, coupled with what is traditionally interpreted as a derogatory reference to the process of menstruation, felt like a full fuck you to the imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy* that the rag seeks to disarm, disrupt, and dismantle by making our stories known.

we also need to talk about this concept of feminism. i chose to use this word, this virtue-signal, to represent the rag’s philosophy not out of a dogmatic adherence to its common interpretation and misinterpretation. i chose it out of necessity: feminism is the word in this coarse english language that most adequately and efficiently represents our version of anti-oppression work. our version of anti-oppression work manifests through the lens of anti-imperialist white supremacist capitalist patriarchy.

but we cannot let the representation stifle the thing itself. feminism as it has developed in this country is a project of whiteness, of anti-blackness, co-opted by our cis-ters. feminism as defined in this country is a project that often denies the experiences of our trans siblings.

let me make something very clear: people of trans experience, our dual spirits, are welcome here. we see you as you are and we love you.

with that, I need to tell you this is not an affinity space.**

why is this not an affinity space? because the rag is called to model a world beyond the separatist spaces that supremacy necessitates of us.

lastly, that brings me to the theme of our second issue, we flow. there are many things that flow, yes including the shedding of the uterine lining during the process of menstruation. but do you know what else flows? gender. race. water. silky fabric. my body when I’m feeling fully alive and connected to this earth, as i do right now.

thank you for reading through to the end. i’m cosmically grateful for everyone who touches this project, and is touched by it. If you’re reading this I hope you’ll consider contributing. and if you’re reading this I hope you flow, and feel fully connected to this earth and to each other.

*deeply borrowed from our venerable elder bell hooks.

**an affinity space is a physical and/or non-physical space where people gather based on their identities.