Today I’d like to talk about two different -punk identities. While they have different definitions and don’t necessarily need to overlap, I consider myself both and would like to talk about both.
The first is voidpunk. Voidpunk is about reclaiming dehumanization. Several marginalized identities are dehumanized- not treated as people, called dehumanizing terms (like freaks, monsters, etc.) and/or excluded from claims of things that are “universally human” or “what makes a person a person” (such as romance, sex, etc.). Voidpunk is taking that narrative and reclaiming it, going, “ok then, so what if I’m not human on your terms?”. It is not a kin identity, it’s not about literally identifying as that thing, so much as a radical act in the face of social and cultural dehumanization.
Voidpunk is not something I access through my therianthropy. Voidpunk for me is the space to explore other things I’m dehumanized for- my body size, my disability, my sexuality, my gender. For me, my voidpunk essence is embodied and visualized through the werewolf archetype. Werewolves help me push back against internalized sexism and expectations that I should be small, dainty, quiet, take up as little space as possible. When I wanted to stop shaving out of a feminist body-ownership perspective, seeing it as my “werewolf fur” helped me relax and feel less self-conscious. I’m sure some trans people share that pull toward transformation and body alteration. From a disability perspective, the werewolf tropes of having regular pain, of fighting against a body that sometimes seems hostile to you, which (since I have spastic hemiplegia) moves and twitches in uncomfortable or uncontrollable ways…all of that feels relatable to me. Yes, the canine aspect does tap into my therianthropy and add to how much I relate to werewolves. But in a kin sense, I’m simply and only a dog. In a voidpunk sense, my identification with werewolves is more tied into axes of power and social expectations, and gives me the space I need to be Big, and Hairy and Present, grappling with a body I am trying to manage and accept.
Then there’s ontopunk (formerly kinpunk). Whereas voidpunk is about reclaiming societal dehumanization and isn’t necessarily about literal nonhumanity, ontopunk is. It’s about embracing the various flavors of alterhumanity and not treating them as some hierarchy. It’s about unashamedly accepting rare identities, unusual behaviors, eccentric appearances. It’s something I definitely want to be a part of, and hope to increasingly include in my own life. If I’m totally honest with myself I could work a little on my own internalization of labels and divisions thereof, but that’s something I definitely see changing in myself as I engage in broader alterhuman spaces. I also don’t know how much I want to go in for in terms of my own expression and behaviors (increasingly more gear, not sure where my line is on body modification). But it’s definitely a philosophy I agree with and want to practice and express more moving forward.
kianamaiart
turnnoffyourmind
annaxmalina
titsay
