FilthandGlitterPublicServiceAnnouncements

To
Destroy
Sexuality

To Destroy Sexuality
ToPut
Althoughthecapitalistorderappearstobetolerant,Itinfacthas
alwayscontrolledlifethroughitsexpressive,sexual,emotionaland
affectiveaspects,constrainingittothedictatesofitstotalitarian
organizationbasedonexploitation,privateproperty,male
dominance,profit,andprofitability.Itexercisesitscontrolunderallof
itsvariousguise:TheFamily,schools,theworkplace,thearmy,rules,
discourse,itunfailinglypursuesitsabjectmissionofcastrating,
oppressing,torturing,andmanglingthebody,allthebettertoinscribe
itslawsuponourflesh,torivetintoourunconsciousitsmechanismsfor
propagatingslavery.
TheCapitaliststateusesretention,stasis,scarificationandneurosisto
imposeitsnormsandmodels,imprintitscharactersassignitsroles,
promulgateitsprograms...itpermeatesourbodies,forcingitsrootsof
deathdeepintooursmallestcrevices.Ittakesoverourorgans,robsus
ofourvitalfunctions,mutilatesourpleasures,harnessesallofourlife
productivityunderitsownparalyzingadministration.Itturnseachofus
intoacripplecutofffromonesownbody,astrangertoonesown
desires.

AnEnd
Theforcesofcapitalistoccupationcontinuallyrefinetheirsystemof
aggression,provocation,extortionsoastouseitalongwithamassive
reinforcementofsocialterror(individualguilt)torepress,exclude,and
neutralizeallthosepracticesofourwillthatdon'treproducethese
formsofdomination,andsothisthousand-year-oldreignofunhappy
gratification,sacrifice,resignation,codifiedmasochismanddeath
perpetuatesitself.Herereignscastration,reducingthesubjecttoa
guilt-ridden,neurotic,industriousbeing,littlemorethanamanual
laborer.Thisoldorder,reekingofrottingbodies,isindeedhorrifying,
butithasforcedustodirecttherevolutionarystruggleagainst
capitalistoppressiontherewhereitismostdeeplyrootedinthe
livingfleshofourownbody.

ToThe
Wewanttofreethespacetocontext,thelocusofthebodyand
it'sownspecificdesiresfromthisforeigngrips.Itisalongthispath
thatweproposetoworktowardstheliberationofsocialspace.
Thereisnoseparationbetweenthetwo:Ioppressmyselfbecausethis
Iistheproductofasystemofoppressionoperatingacrossallforms
ofexperience.
Arevolutionaryconsciousnessisnothingbutachimeraaslongasit
remainsoutsideofarevolutionarybody,abodywhichgeneratesits
ownfreedom.

Just another
day at the
factory. . .

"We'renotconcernedwithsimplybreakingdown
thisofficialsexualityasonewouldbreakdownthe
conditionsofone'simprisonmentwithinany
structure;wewanttodestroyit,togetridofit
becauseinthefinalanalysisitfunctionsasan
infinitelyrepeatingcastrationmachinedesigned
toreproduceeverywhereandineveryonethe
unquestioningobedienceofaslave."

Toliberateenergies.
Weseektoopenourbodytootherbodies,anotherbody;Totransmit
vibrations,tocirculateenergies,toarrangedesirestothateachisfree
toplayoutitsfantasiesandectasies,sothatwemightlivewithout
guiltandwithoutinhibitingalltheintra-andinterpersonalpractices
weneedsoourdaytodayrealitywon'tturnintotheslowagonythat
capitalismandbureaucracyprojectasamodelexistence.Weseek
toripoutofourselvesthefesteringrumorofguiltthatforthousandsof
yearshasbeenattherootofalloppression.
Ofcourse,werealizehowmanyobstacleswehavetoovercometo
makeouraspirationsintosomethingmorethatthedreamsofasmall
andmarginalminority.Wearekeenlyawarethatliberatingthebody
forsensual,sexual,affective,andecstaticrelantionshipsis
inseparablelinkedtoliberatingwomenanddestroyingmale
dominanceandrolemodelsespeciallysexualrolemodels.Itis
likewiselinkedtodestroyingallformsoffoppressionandnormality.
Wewanttoberidofallrolesandidentitiesbasedonthephallus.
Wewanttoberidofsexualsegregation.Wewanttoberidofthe
categoriesofmanandwoman,gayandstraight,possessorand
possessed,greaterandlesser,masterandslave.Wewantinsteadto
beGenderqueer,autonomous,mobileandmultiplehumanbeings
withvaryingdifferenceswhocanatinterchangedesires,
gratifications,ecstasies,andtenderemotionswithoutreferringback
totablesofsurplusvalueorpowerstructuresthataren'talreadyinthe
rulesofthegame.
Wehavebegunandshallcontinuetoproduceanewsocietalreality
inwhichthegreatestecstasycombineswiththegreatest
consciousness.Wehavebegunwiththebody,withtherevolutionary
body,theproductivespaceofsubversivestrengthandthe
effectivespaceofalloppression.Consequently,wehavereunited
politicalwiththerealityofthebodyanditsfunctionsbycollectively
investegatingallthevariousmodesofliberation.Thisisouronly
chancetofightagainsttheoppressivecapitaliststatewhereitworks
directly.Thisistheonlyapproachthatcantrulystrengthenusagainst
asystemofdominationthatcontinuallyexpandsitspowersof
weakeningandmoldingtheindividualtoitsaxioms,affiliatinghim
toitsorderofdogs.

GuyHocquenghem
TranslatedbyTomGora
2.GenderqueerwasusedtoreplacethewordTransexualwhichwefeelis
closertotheideaGHocqwasgettingat.Genderqueerisawayto
describebeingbothmanandwoman,neithermannorwoman,orfalling
completelyoutsidethegenderbinary.

Herewefindwomen,revoltingagainstthemalepowerthathasbeen
inseminatedintheirbodiesforcenturies;homosexuals,revolting
againsttheterrorizingfascismofnormality;Adolescence,revolting
againstthepathologicalauthorityofadults.Theyhavebegun,
collectively,toopenupthebody'sspacetosubversionandtoopen
upthespaceofsubversiontotheimmediateneedsofthebody.

Thederivednoun,
jouissance,hasthreecurrent
meaningsinFrench:itsignifiesan
extremeordeeppleasure;itsignifies
sexualorgasm;andinlaw,itsignifies
havingtherighttousesomething.
Jouissance,forLacan,isnotapurely
pleasurableexperiencebutarises
throughaugmentingsensationtoa
pointofdiscomfort(asinthesexual
act,wherethecryofpassionisat
timesindistinguishablefromthecryof
pain.)Jouissancealsoseemsto
implyadesiretoabolishthe
conditionoflack.

1.

1.

1.

Herewefindpeoplebeginningtoquestionandinvestigatethe
variousmodesbywhichdesireisproduced,thelinksbetween
jouissancetheheightofcognitiveandsexualfulfilmentandpower
betweenthebodyandsubjectasconsciousness,astheyexist
everywherethroughoutcapitalistsociety,evenamongradical

Slaughterof
Herewefindpeoplewhohaveshortcircuitedthehackneyedseparation
betweenpoliticsandlived
experience,aseparationbringing
generousreturnstothemanagersof
ourbourgeoissocietyaswellasto
thosewhopretendtorepresentthe
massesandtospeakintheirname.

Herewefindpeoplepreparingagreat
uprisingoflifeagainstallofthe
manifestationsofdeathwhich
continuallyinsinuatethemselvesinto
ourbody,evermoresubtlybindingour
energies,desires,realitytothe
imperativesoftheestablishedorder.
Theyformthecontoursofanewfissure,
amoreradicalanddefinitive
confrontation,accordingtowhich
theserevolutionaryforcesare
necessarilyarrangingthemselves.

TheBody

Wecannolongerstandbyidlywhilewearerobbedofourmouths,
ouranuses,oursexualmembers,ourguts,ourveins...justsotheycan
turnthemintopartsfortheirignominiousmachinewhichproduces
capital,exploitationandthefamily.

Wecannolongerstandbyidlywiletheycontrol,regulateand
occupyourmucousmembranes,theporesofourskin,theentire
sentientsurfaceofourbody.

Wecannolongerstandbyidlywhiletheyuseournervoussystemasa
relayinthesystemofcapitalist,federal,patriarchalexploitation,nor
whiletheyuseourbrainasameansofpunishmentprogrammedby
ambient.

Wecannolongercomeorholdbackourshit,oursaliva,ourenergy
accordingtotheirlawswiththeirminor,Toleratedinfractions.We
wanttoexplodethefrigidinhibited,mortifiedbodythatcapitalism
wantssodesperatelytomakeoutofourlivingbody.

Toescapefromthesedentary
Wantingthefundamentalfreedomtoenterintotheserevolutionary
practicesentailsourescapingfromthelimitsofourownself.We
mustturnthesubjectwithinourselvesupside-down;escapefrom
thesedentary,fromthecivilizedstateandcrossthespacesofa
limitlessbody;liveinthewillfulmobilitybeyondsexuality,beyondthe
territoryandrepertoryofnormality.Thisishowsomeofushavecome
tofeelthevitalneedtobefreeourselvestogetherfromthegripof
theforcesthatoppressandrepressourdesires.
Westrivetotakeourpersonal,intimatelifeexperiencesandconfront
them,explorethem,livethemcollectively.Westrivetobreakdown
theconcretewallsthatservesthedominantsocialorderby
separatingbeingfromexperience,spokenfromunspoken,private
fromsocial.
Westrivetoelucidateincommonthemechanismsbehindattraction,
repulsion,resistanceorgasm;tomaketheuniverseofour
representation,fetishes,obsessions,phobias.Theunmentionable
hasbecomeourpreoccupation,ourmessage,ourpoliticaltimebombsinceintherealmofsocialinteractionspoliticsexhibitsa
fundamentalwishtobealive
Wehavedecidedtoexplodetheunbearablesecretthatpoweruses
againsteveryonewhoselivesincludeanysensual,sexualoraffective
involvementwhatsoeverthesamekindofcontrolitexercisesover
anyrealsocialinteractionthatproducesofreproducesanyformsof
oppression.

Todestroysexuality.
Inordertoexploremutuallyourindividualhistories,weundertookto
determinehowourlivesasreflectedthroughourdesireswereentirely
controlledbythebasiclawsofourbureaucratic,bourgeois,and
judeo-christiansociety,andhowtheyweresubsumedunderitsruleof
maximumprofitability,surplusvalue,andreproducibility.We
confrontedourindividualexperiencesbyrecognizingthat,
howeverfreetheymayhaveappearedtous,wecontinually
conformtostereotypesofanofficialsexualitythatcontrolsevery
sexualexperiencefromtheconjugalbedtothebordellotosay
nothingofpublictoilets,discos,factories,confessionals,sexshops,
prisons,schools,subways,etc.
We'renotconcernedwithsimplybreakingdownthisofficialsexuality
asonewouldbreakdowntheconditionsofone'simprisonmentwithin
anystructure;wewanttodestroyit,togetridofitbecauseinthefinal

analysisitfunctionsasaninfinitelyrepeatingcastrationmachine
designedtoreproduceeverywhereandineveryonethe
unquestioningobedienceofaslave.

Sexualityisjustasmonstrousinwhatitpermitsasinwhatitrestricts;
clearly,liberalizedsexualmoresandtheextensionoferoticism
throughadvertisingtoallsociallifestructuredandcontrolledbythe
managersofadvancedcapitalismdonothingmorebutincrease
theefficiencyofthereproductivefunctionoftheofficiallibido.
Ratherthanreducesexualdiscontent,thesepracticeinfactextend
therealmoffrustrationandlackthatfacilitatesthetransformationof
desireintoacompulsiveconsumerismandguaranteesthecreation
ofdemand,thedrivingpowerbehindcapitalism'sapologies.Thereis
nofundamentaldifferencesbetweentheimmaculateconception
andthepublicitymindedprostitute,betweenconjugaldutyandthe
enlightenedpromiscuityofthebourgeoisie;theprogressionis
unbroken.Thesamerestrictionsapply.Thesamefragmentationsofthe
bodyassourceofdesirecontinuesunabated.Onlythestrategy
changes.

Whatwewant,whatwedesireistokickinthefacadeoversexuality
anditsrepresentationssothatwemightdiscoverjustwhatourliving
bodyis.

Togetridofprogrammedtraining.

Wewanttofree,release,unfetterandrelievethislivingbodysoasto
freeallofitsenergies,desires,passionscrushedbyourconscriptive
andprogrammedsocialsystem.

Wewanttobeabletoexerciseeachofourvitalfunctions
experiencingtheirfullcomplementofpleasure.

Wewanttorediscoversensationsasbasicasthepleasureinbreathing
thathasbeensmotheredbytheforcesofoppressionandpollution;or
thepleasureofeatinganddigestingthathasbeeninteruptedbythe
rhythmofprofitabilityandersatzfooditproduces;orthepleasurein
shittingandpederastrythathasbeensystematicallyassaultedbythe
capitalistestablishmentsopinionofthesphincter.Itinscribesdirectly
uponthisfleshitsfundamentalprinciples;thepowerlinesof
exploitation,theneurosisofaccumulation,themystiqueofproperty
andpropriety,etc.Wewantrediscoverthepleasureinshaking
ourselvesjoyously,withoutshame,notbecauseofneedor
compensation,butjustforthesheerpleasureofshakingourselves.We
wanttorediscoverthepleasureofvibrating,humming,speaking,
walking,moving,expressingourselves,raving,singingfinding
pleasureinourbodiesinallwayspossible.Wewanttorediscoverthe
pleasureinproducingpleasureandincreatingpleasurethathas
beenruthlesslystraight-jacketedbytheeducationalsystemincharge
ofproducingworkers-commandconsumers.