How a Community is Redefining Masculinity for People of Color
Tags: LGBTQ, Transgender, Gender Identity

Image courtesy of The Brown Boi Project Facebook page

By: Susann Shin

The Brown Boi Project is dissecting the ideas of masculinity, recognizing the privilege that it brings, and working it as a tool for social change.

BBP is a community for masculine-of-center women, trans men, and queer/straight men of color. The term masculine-of-center encompasses the idea that, despite the sex one was born with or the gender that one identifies by, anyone can take on masculine traits. The term recognizes the cultural breadth and depth of identity for lesbian/queer women and gender nonconforming/trans people who tilt toward the masculine side of the gender spectrum — including a wide range of identities such as butch, stud, aggressive/AG, macha, dom, trans masculine, boi, etc…

Gender non-conforming describes a way of being in which an individual does not adhere to traditional societal rules about dress, gender performance, and activities. This can mean women who do not adhere to the traditional models of femininity or men not adhering to traditional models of masculinity.

BBP is bringing all of the ideas of masculinity and into the feminist movement through discussions on gender justice in a healthy and safe space. According to their website, the organization is “re-envisioning the power imbalance between traditional notions of masculinity and femininity.”

“We hold institutional systems, other masculine people, and ourselves accountable for masculine privilege. Our work draws on a gender inclusive framework that shapes non-oppressive masculinity rooted in honor, community, and collaboration with feminine identified people, especially women and girls.”

The organization was launched in 2010, to build leadership, economic self-sufficiency, and health for their community to develop how they can be advocates in the social justice movement. They are working to improve the lives of brown bois, women, and girls, by introducing new alliances and tools for challenging racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia.

Image courtesy of The Brown Boi Project website

In the fight for gender and racial justice, BBP advocates to “let your first act of resistance be one of self-love; and your second be accountability for your privilege.” The first step to this is realizing that our traditional models of gender are not natural or innate. They are constructed socially, and therefore they can be reconstructed.

BBP envisions a new model of masculinity:

“Men who nurture, who cook, braid hair, cry from sorrow and joy, laugh and dance. Who love the women in their lives fiercely — and recognize that women have profound lessons to teach about masculinity; withhold judgment of things they don’t understand and embody integrity in their words and actions.”

BBP is using a gender transformative approach in their work. They are redefining norms around masculinity, where boys of color and masculine-of-center LGBTQ youth are able to develop an empowering sense of self and a healthy well-being.

They are promoting this change with the concept of self-actualization. This means connecting to one’s true purpose and being aware of one’s psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs. BBP recognizes the building blocks of one’s self include hope, will, purpose, competence, fidelity, love, care, and wisdom, and that these are all impacted by one’s cultural roots as a person of color. Historical traumas and racial violence in the lives and communities of people of color can make it difficult to develop a healthy sense of oneself.

Image courtesy of the Brown Boi Project website

There is a stigma of mental health support in communities of color, but BBP wants to reframe mental health resources to a model that embraces culture and diversity. This way mental health support is not seen as a response for when there is something wrong with you, but instead as a way to promote a healthy sense of self that leads to economic and social success.

BBP says that their long term goals of gender transformative learning and healthy models of masculinity is to reduce the levels of aggression and sexual pressure exerted on girls and to reduce the gender policing that perpetuates violence against LGBTQ youth of color.

For more information on the Brown Boi Project and on how to get involved, visit their page at www.brownboiproject.org or check out their Facebook at www.facebook.com/brownboiproject

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