Genderf*ck, also known as genderpunk, is a term for a gender as well as a declared opposition to gendernormativity. It is an identity that based on a resistance against gender norms, homophobia and transphobia, and oppression and societal status. One's actual gender has nothing to do with being genderpunk. One does not have to be trans to be genderpunk.
Culture
Genderf*ck originates from camp culture in the 1970s[1] and has become widely used in drag culture to describe a distinct type of performance that relies on exploring the grotesqueness of gender as a way to resist gender.[2] The origin of the term genderpunk is unknown.
Genderpunks do not care about the gender binary and challenge the expectations of society. This does not mean that genderpunks do not respect other's gender identities. Instead, they do whatever they want with their own gender and openly and vocally do not care what society considers appropriate.
Examples of genderpunk include cisgender men who like traditionally effeminate things,[3] cis women who enjoy short hair and dressing butch,[4] and non-binary individuals who present in "clashing" ways that challenge the expectation for individuals to fit the gender binary. As long as one agrees with the mindset, no matter how they identify, they can be a part of the genderpunk and genderf*ck movement.
Flag
The first genderf*ck flag was created by Tumblr user yo-ho-sebastian on July 31, 2016.[5] The purple flag has a pastel yellow border and a stylized pastel yellow skull symbol in the center. The colors are meant to show the different kinds of identities and expressions that go under the term, purple being a mixture of male and female, yellow being outside the binary entirely, and their juxtaposition to show those who experience multiple genders. The skull indicates the rebellious nature of the gender identity.
While the other genderf*ck flag has an unknown origin, it is known that there is a version of the flag without a middle finger in the center from August 19, 2020.[6]
The first appearance of the genderpunk flag was on August 23, 2015, created by DeviantArt user Pride-Flags.[7]
Another genderpunk flag was created by FANDOM user Snailrat on April 10, 2021. The top two red stripes are meant to represent femininity, the bottom two blue stripes to represent masculinity, and the two purple stripes to represent androgyny. The black stripe in the middle represents the primarily dark color scheme of many punk subcultures, going along with the toned-down color scheme of the rest of the flag.
Resources
- ↑ "Genderf*ck and its delights" by Christopher Lonc, Gay Roots: 20 Years of Gay Sunshine: An Anthology of Gay History, Sex, Politics, and Culture, edited by Winston Leyland, Gay Sunshine Press.
- ↑ Scholarly article "'I'm a Cross between a Clown, a Stripper, and a Streetwalker': Drag Tipping, Sex Work, and a Queer Sociosexual Economy" by Sarah Hankins for Signs.
- ↑ Conference paper “How I Became a Queer Heterosexual” delivered by Clyde Smith at the International Conference of Sexuality in the Netherlands (1997).
- ↑ Scholarly article "Genderf*ck: The Law of the Dildo" by June L. Reich for Discourse.
- ↑ Tumblr post announcing the (first) gender*ck flag.
- ↑ A Wattpad publication with another genderf*ck flag.
- ↑ DeviantArt post with the (first) genderpunk flag.