Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Gender Bending Magick



The power of drag, third-gendered magick and Fifi, Great Drag Queen of Heaven, has been on my mind a lot lately.

My dear beloved Donald Engstrom-Reese is chronicling the biographies of Mysterious Ones, and he wrote this about Fifi. I absolutely loved it.

While he and I were talking one day, he said that Fifi and Kali were up to something, but he wasn't sure what. I decided to ask the lovely Kali on my way to work one day and she and Fifi (who showed up in a classic white pant suit, large -brimmed matching hat and indigo scarf) let me in on their gender bending plans.

As I was walking, I saw all the people before me transform into liberated folks who were wearing a mixture of male and female clothing. Hair was dyed, braided and punked out. Makeup was worn with abandon. Men wore heels, women wore studded jackets. Everyone was liberated from constricting roles that they didn't want anyway, and they were allowed to manfiest outwardly as their authentic selves.

Kali said this was directly related to people letting go of the egos they've built up and that no longer serve their (or the world's) best ends.

There was also something about this new way of being that allowed everyone to engage in sexual relationships that were based on true freedom and liberation.

Now, during this walk, I was wearing a typical outfit for me - powder blue pants, slightly ruffled pink shirt, women's sandal heels and big sunglasses (in fact, the same ones in the picture above). So, it was kind of gender-play business casual.

As Fifi and Kali were telling me about how dressing in this manner will change our sexual interactions, a black man probably in his late 40s or early 50s was walking toward me. He was in his bluecollar wear - genes, polo shirt, some sneakers. He nodded to me and said, "Hello," and I responded in kind.

As he passed me, he said, "Can I call you sometime?"

Politely, of course, I said, "I'm afraid not."

"You got a boyfriend?"

"Actually, I've got a husband."

"Oh, alright. Well, you look real good."

"Thank you!"

I floated all the way to work. Not only was it a lovely interaction, it fit in so perfectly with what Fifi and Kali were telling me.

I'm willing to say that we are at our most beautiful when we allow ourselves to manifest as we truly wish to be. Clothing, makeup, hair, accessories not worn in a commodified way, but as a true expression of who we are and our core values is an incredible spell-working that can shift those around us and (in the way of web magick) the world at large.

I asked the MOs if this was what the whole metrosexual movement was pointing toward, but they vehemently said no. That is the corporate capitalism version of it, meaning, as I took it, that there's no liberation or authenticity involved with that. (Big surprise, right?)

I think it would be great if we could all, at various times, start playing with notions of gender in our manner of dress or accessorizing. Maybe, you can't throw on a pair of clip-on pearl earrings at your job, gentlemen, but you might be able to bring a man-purse to work. Or, ladies, perhaps combat boots aren't an option, but a big, James Dean jacket is. The possibilities are endless, and, I would wager, completely transformative.

(The picture above is of me, left, and D.C.'s very own drag diva Barbara Bushwhacker. He was the hostess and I was a judge of the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatic Championship's drag synchronized swimming event. They asked me to do it, so I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to trot out a little Audrey Hepburn-esque number. Photo by Henry Linser.)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Won't it be great when we all finally reach a point where we can just embrace the fact we're sexual, creative, spiritual beings - and the rest is just expression of that? We're so much closer to that point than where we were....Letting go of our labels is one of the best ways to move that along, I think.

This was a fun and interesting post, Greg!

Anonymous said...

Halfway through reading this my shoulders finally relaxed. Probably for the first time in a week.

This is very timely and very accurate. Whether it's about our sexuality or not, getting out of the conformity box is always a good thing.

Bright blessings

Greg Fletcher-Marzullo said...

I'm glad this is resonating with people! Just this past weekend, I judged the drag synchronized swimming event for the International Gay and Lesbian Aquatics Championship.

I took that opportunity to get dolled up myself from sheer fun and as a nod to the sights shown to me by Fifi and Kali.

May we all embrace our authentic selves and may we manifest that in visible ways!

Donald Engstrom-Reese said...

Good Morning Honey,

Mark is currently moaning in wonder and awe over your 'Audrey Look'. I still want the purse.

This a great blog. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. It is much upon my mind as I get packed for the coming Midwest Men's Festival coming up at the end of July. I wish you were going with us.

Alex said...

Hey there :-)

I keep meaning to comment on your blog, which I really enjoy and this post pushed me beyond my lazyness!

Thank you for posting this! I have been exploring gender-bending magick further over the past couple of years and, whilst do, realising how much longer it had been present in my life in small and subversive ways.

Ok, I will not say much more as I would go on and on! I love this subject and I do truly believe that working gender-bending, sex and queer magick in the world right now is vital.

On a lighter note, I am super-envious of the Audrey look!!!