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#DecolonisingWellbeing đ¨âđŚThank you, dad.
#DecolonisingWellbeing đ¨âđŚThank you, dad.
đ¨âđ¨âđŚâđŚFeminism and liberation for all genders is not just for gender marginalised people. When we divest from gender-based violence and norms, we not only free those who are directly oppressed by these issues, but also free those who might not realise they are oppressed by harmful patriarchal norms while benefiting from them, such as fathers. For example, fathers might feel the pressure to be the sole âbreadwinnersâ of their family, to remain stoic and âunemotional,â and to hold back their tears because they are expected to be âstrongâ for everyone else. While they might benefit from patriarchal privileges, they might also suffer as a result of upholding them. These behaviours and roles are deeply rooted in harmful social expectations, which police human behaviour into binary gender roles based on what is expected of members of an ideal ânuclear family.â This can lead to fathers feeling intense pressure, repressing their emotions, and unhealthily externalising their emotions. In subscribing to this, they reinforce restrictive, patriarchal, gendered expectations of the role of a father, hurting others as well as themselves.
đ¨âđ¨âđ§âđŚWhether or not we identify as âfathers,â deconstructing our ideas of fatherhood, parenting, the ânuclear family,â and roles is important as part of decolonizing our minds. In light of Thai fathers day last Thursday (5/12), we want to celebrate fatherhood through an intersectional feminist lens. In particular, we want to recognise forms of fatherhood that challenge patriarchal, misogynistic, heteronormative, cisnormative, supremacist, and/or nuclear family norms.Â
đ¨âđ§âđ§Fathers come in many forms, not just in the sense expected from a nuclear family. Today, we celebrate LGBTQIAN+ fathers, unmarried fathers, fathers of chosen families, and neuro-marginalised fathers. We celebrate fathers who raise and nurture children with marginalised identities, whether or not the fathers identify with those same identities. We celebrate fathers who identify as Intersectional Feminists, and who are actively working, learning, and unlearning to be the best parents, partners, and community members they can be. We celebrate fathers who are not physically with us anymore, but will always be with us in spirit. Finally, we celebrate the fathers who know they are not perfect, but are just trying their best. We hope all fathers can find the space and time to heal that they deserve, for themselves and for their beloved communities.
#WeAreManushyan âžď¸Equal Human Beings
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