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This website currently has information on the 2003 conference, for archival purposes. Please visit the new website.
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The Hardcore Patriarchy
Everyday we clash with sexism. Everyday we're objectified, discriminated against, patronized. It can get exhausting. We once thought of the hardcore/punk rock scene as a haven from all the silliness of the real world but sadly, it turns out nothing is sacred. Although both boys and girls make valiant attempts to keep patriarchy out of punk rock, we still have a long road ahead. We're ok with that. We've accepted the realization that sexism and discrimination and bigotry will still infect our world after we've left it.
The first hardcore bands were made up entirely of boys and boys continue to make up the majority of the
hardcore scene. Hardcore patriarchy is as obvious as the 5000+ years of patriarchy that rules triumphant all over the world. Scenes don't change overnight -- nothing does. We've watched hardcore mirror the struggles of the rest of the world and so far our scene and the rest of the world has yet to figure out an effective way to abolish our socially ingrained inequality. We're active in the hardcore scene, support bands, contribute to zines, play in a band; we do these things because we love them. We continue in the face of insults, in spite of the shit talk and the remarks about our bodies and clothes. We do these things even though we know that there are small-minded people laughing at us for it. We have tried to pretend it doesn't hurt, we've tried to ignore it, but it does hurt. The outward scrutiny can so easily turn inward and we constantly struggle to keep ourselves afloat -- out of the self pity and self judgment. Everything we do impacts how long this hate can survive.
When we started going to hardcore shows everyone who had been around longer than we had gained our immediate respect. Through gradual disillusionment we recognized the god-like scenesters to be real, flawed people, like us. We know that allowing people to insult a woman for her bravery, to stand by and keep our mouths shut when we hear girls labeled "coat racks" and "sluts" simply feeds the monster. We all know this; we all know it but it can be so hard when those you rebuke were people you thought of as friends. We suffer few illusions now in hardcore and because we love the music we continue to fight for our right to enjoy a show. We hope in time, our preoccupation with sexes, the territorial rights to a scene and to our world, will fade away and we'll look at each other as people. No one is an object; women and men deserve the same respect, we all deserve to live, love, grow, discover and play music.
Katy Evans
