With the current culture wars focusing on mainly trans people, singling out trans women in particular (and forgetting trans men exist), one would almost forget that Irish feminists were once involved in a feminist journal that had subscribers all over the world. It was revolutionary in its writing, trying to normalising LGBTQ+ lives, highlighting a layer of society not too many people were aware of.
Urania, which ran from 1916-1940, was started by Irene Clyde (née Thomas Baty), and had contributors like Eva Gore-Booth (sister of Constance Markievicz), Esther Roper and Anna Jessey Wade.
Every copy was printed with the following text:
“Urania denotes the company of those who are firmly determined to ignore the dual organisation of humanity in all its manifestations. They are convinced that this duality has resulted in the formation of the two warped and imperfect types.
“If the world is to see sweetness and independence combined in the same individual, all recognition of that duality must be given up. For it inevitably brings in its train the suggestion of the conventional distortions of character which are based on it.
“There are no ‘men’ or ‘women’ in Urania.”
What Eva Gore-Booth and her fellow writers advocated for, eventually, was a genderless society, which, in their eyes, would eradicate misogyny, as there would be no gender roles anymore to oppress men or women with.
Amongst the extensive subjects they wrote about were: crossdressing, intersexuality, trans-affirming health care and the people undergoing those processes, homosexuality, lesbianism, natural examples of intersexism, as well as Sappho and other writers like her.
In this we see a move towards radical emancipation by the abolition of gender, something that is inherent to radical queer theory and an early foundation of the theory of gender abolitionism.
“Gender critical” fear-mongers would tell you they’re against gender as a concept. They, however, perpetuate traditional sex based roles and would like to keep the world as it is.
Gender abolitionists want to erase the social, economical and political sentiments and roles behind the current repressive structure under the patriarchy and capitalism and replace it with something healthier and more freeing, as the status quo comes with a struggle and strain a lot of people are pressured into and do not feel comfortable in.
Think of the so-called “second shift” a lot of women have experience with: after a long day at work, they take on child rearing, cleaning, cooking, …
Abolishing that societal expectation would mean that everyone contributes equally, opening some of the evening after work and weekends up for fun activities with the family.
It would also mean more liberation for those who do not identify with the gender assigned at birth in various ways, and with it, open the floor for feminine men and masculine women to live, dress and go about their day as they please.
Marco Mieli wrote in “Towards a Gay Communism” about the function of radical queerness and the eradication of gender roles in his own words, before there was such a thing as queer theory, within the frame of being a communist. Being gay, lesbian, bi, trans, etc… is somehow overcoming part of these gender roles. He said, quote:
“To put it more simply, contrary to every stereotype, a macho guy can just as well be a queen, while a man with a slender and refined body can be an inveterate womaniser. A pure young girl can be a lesbian, and a strapping schoolmistress can be hopelessly heterosexual. That is the way of the world.”
He argues, and I would follow that argument, that to achieve true freedom we must do away with capitalism. We’re going into June, Pride month, where we see a bastardised version of what Pride is supposed to be. It has been overrun by capitalists who would use our identities solely to make a quick buck and who exploit our lives while also keeping us in our precarious position as queer people.
Our identities are used against us as a wedge issue in all layers of society, our issues denied solely on the fact that, on paper, we are all equals. Some reactionary gays have even become part of the web of oppression.
A gay landlord is still a landlord and a gay Taoiseach for Fine Gael is still a gay Blueshirt by any name.
It is time again that queer people think clearly about their standing in this world, and about the work that is to be done.
It is queer communists’ task to do this while also highlighting the issues we all face due to capitalism and to radicalise those who are not yet aware of their options in life.
Moderation is, after all, the main killer of our radical movements.
