Poetry and Trans Politics: Darkmatter

"Trans people aren’t the problem, gender binaries are,” so says Alok Vaid-Menon of Dark Matter, a transgender South Asian performance duo with Janani Balasubramanian. Dark Matter are playing to sold out audiences in theatres and art spaces around the world with their passionate, political poetry that explores race, gender, internationalism, liberation, and more, including a fierce critique of what they see as mainstream LGBT politics. Vaid-Menon also works with The Audre Lorde Project; Janani Balasubramanian is the primary organizer at the Queer Detainee Empowerment Project, a contributing writer at Black Girl Dangerous, and is working on a science fiction novel.

[@6iaZkMagW7EFs]

13:30 I feel this. Being trans has made me feel farther from my father, even though I think he would really accept me.

[@gregoryx330]

Incredible. Thank you.

[@TheIndividualChannel]

When he compared the Natives to transsexual people, it's very offensive.

[@casiecase12]

How tf are they Trans? These are men in dresses and makeup 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@canseidesersarah]

fucking amazing But I would like to hear 50/50 from both, thank you great ideas very well put.

[@EezhamDemon]

You both absolutely killed it. I always love how eloquent you both are. Sending love from a South-East Asian brother in Australia!

[@11kindpunk11]

A really enlightening discussion. 💙

[@treadyster123]

What is their class background? Why do I get the feeling it's "upper middle" and "professional" and maybe even "scared of the hood?"

[@blanca_nieves4630]

@Dark Matter Janani, where is your video from Hamshire College in 2014? I'm searching for it the whole day! :(

[@everythingbutthegirlfan762]

Palestinians don't need Indian saviors to help them, they can solve their problems themselves. They don't need you to appropriate their culture.

[@saifjamali1737]

*American saviors. Get your rant in order.

[@johannaa1894]

where do they appropriate Palestinian culture?

[@hydroxychloroquine5078]

Privileged people making stupid statements.

[@ginelleiammarino7195]

I miss back in the day where we could just be gender non conforming men and women without having a million crazy labels and identities and pronouns

[@sebastianbelli4341]

i have a label for you, transphobic, that's the one :)

[@ginelleiammarino7195]

@@sebastianbelli4341 anyone who doesn’t follow along with the gender ID cult is transphobic nowadays 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@ginelleiammarino7195]

@@sebastianbelli4341 awe is someone triggered? Are your little fee fees hurt? That’s cute lol.

[@nickcommie]

@@sebastianbelli4341 idiot

[@thesuburbanelectric]

How is this "trans" and not cosplay?

[@6iaZkMagW7EFs]

I am trans because I don't identify with my assigned gender. See: 10:25. I am not cosplaying because this is not a costume, it's my clothes. And I'm not playing a character, I'm myself.

[@happinessyogateacher]

Hate disguised as humor. That said, I am a fan, but you don’t get MY SCORE of 100% YET... 89.3

[@AlexCantu]

Lovely!

[@chunychuny1]

Why do they have to look so... ... Trying too hard

[@aharper12]

So timely right now

[@lunarlady4255]

Riveting👏🌈🎉 Brings up some memories.

[@ZoraTheberge]

Kay, but where do they shop?

[@mathewgladden8914]

I wonder if there’s anything Alok would critique about himself or that he doesn’t like about himself. He seems to really enjoy celebrating himself. And pointing out everyone else’s faults.

[@justin.7849]

*themselves

[@mathewgladden8914]

@@justin.7849 ok...but why?

[@justin.7849]

@Distinguished Gay I agree. But we can critique peoples personality and still respect their pronouns.

[@Oozmine]

@@justin.7849 this was well said 👏

[@saraohm9753]

Alok is a predator

[@thefuture5386]

When woke poetry meets bitter minority. Read: pencil to the ear.

[@yellow947]

this is absolutely incredible. the first poem is so truthful and thoughtful.

[@clariceangulo4995]

really really cringe

[@brokejaw]

She sounds like a man whos trying to sound like a girl and he sounds like a girl who's trying to sound like a man...

[@paul6924]

barf

[@hydroxychloroquine5078]

It doesn't look good

[@britobard2010]

this was fuking AWESOME~

[@LeahTVdotcom]

Great writers ! I am not into trans but theses India guys are in fact , the best reporters in the world !

[@casiecase12]

You just missgendered them lmso 😂 💀

[@centralctbench6843]

Hahahhahahaha

[@StarvingPoet]

this is really great!!

[@multymedia5320]

freaks

[@dash9746]

They need to tighten security at Coney Island. 2 Escapees

[@sebastianbelli4341]

I just can't stop listening to that first poem, genius!

[@pritu1989]

@alokvaidmenon thank you for mentioning the upper caste privilege.

[@holdenrodgers5573]

Do they live on this planet wtf