An online exhibit of digital work from November 2023 dedicated to the confused, sympathetic, uncertain, hurt, brave, unsure, lost, rebellious, ostracized, ridiculed, neglected, abused, curious, manipulated, adventurous, romantic, misaligned, and courageous.  All of these words probably describe each of our own lives in some way as we transition through our human development.  We all are on our own pathways of discovery and existence.  In the true sense of the word, freedom, the unrestricted choice of thought stands at the base of American democracy and artistic expression. 

 

All should agree that today is a cesspool of clashing ideas and ideologies which make up our present day democracy.  A topic of discussion at the forefront is gender identity.  Immanuel Kant states “For peace to reign on Earth, humans must evolve into new beings who have learned to see the whole first.”  So acceptance of all people regardless of their choices and modes of development is vital and, regardless of your political affiliation, hate mentality is not the answer. This series comes from a place of sympathy rather that a place of judgement, and questions if identity is really an issue.  If the job gets done, does it matter what the person looks like or specifically what gender the person identifies with?

 

In an essay “On Racism and Sexism: Realties and Ideals” by Richard A. Wasserstrom he writes about societies that take on an assimilationist or nonassimilationist ideal.  Meaning do we choose as a society to embrace everyone outside of conventional roles or not. He goes on to state “Any nonassimilationist society will have sex roles. Any nonassimilationist society will have some institutions that distinguish between individuals by virtue of their gender, and any such society will necessarily teach the desirability of doing so.  Any substantially nonassimilationist society will make one’s sexual identity an important characteristic, so that there are substantial psychological, role, and status differences between persons who are males and those who are females.  Even if these could be attained without systemic dominance of one sex over the other, they would, I think, be objectionable on the ground that they necessarily impair an individual’s ability to develop his or her own characteristics, talents and capacities to the fullest extent to which he or she might desire. Sex roles, and all that accompany them, necessarily impose limits - restrictions on what one can do, be or become.”