Glitoris are a political punk rock outfit, known for their strong political stances, and phenomenal high-energy performances. Their latest release “Slut Power” is a powerful call to arms against the scourge of violence against women. It is International Women’s Day today, and Glitoris have chosen to mark the day with the release of their manifesto. It is published in full below. They are about to embark on a national tour to celebrate the release of “Slut Power” – the video clip for the song is below, as are the dates for the tour.
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THE GLITORIS MANIFESTO II 2020
In 2020 we face unprecedented environmental, economic and political challenges.
FACTS: women are – and will continue to be – worse affected by climate change, the wealth gap, authoritarianism and violence. The fight for equality has never been more
urgent. The time for that fight is now.
GLITORIS stands for…
Reclamation: of our basic rights.
Autonomy: over our bodies and our lives.
Protest: against oppression and those preventing progress.
Solidarity: with those who have experienced violence in all its forms.
1. People living in poverty are most impacted by climate change. 70% of people living in poverty are women. *1 As droughts, floods and food scarcity affects poor countries to a greater degree, women and girls are more likely to drop out of school to prioritise sourcing food and water and become increasingly vulnerable to trafficking.*2 Violence against women is increasing with climate change.
2. “None of us will see gender parity in our lifetimes.” This is the conclusion of the World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report 2020. In this report, which measures the gender gap in economic, health, educational and political empowerment, Australia’s rank has decreased from 36th in 2016 to 44th in 2020.*3 Our society is getting worse, not better, for women. Fuck that. When societies are more equitable, everyone is better off. Just because we’ll never see gender equity, doesn’t mean we stop fighting for it \*/
3. Just because we see a few women parliamentarians, business leaders and activists does not mean we have reached gender parity. Far from it. Female members of parliaments make up less than 25% of total parliamentarians worldwide. Only 6.6% of the Fortune 500 CEO’s are female. Everywhere from academia to the arts and entertainment industries women are still vastly underrepresented.*4
4. Glitoris is sick of the normalisation of violence against women, Trans people and members of the LGBTQIA+ communities – all of whom experience violence more frequently and severely. Fuck. That. 1 in 3 women have experienced violence at the hands of a partner. In some countries, that statistic is much higher. For Trans people, that number is 1 in 2. *5 Trans people experience significantly higher rates of hate crime and violence compared to CIS gendered people and of all Trans people, Trans women of colour experience significantly more violence and are more likely to die from a violent attack.*6 72% of trafficking victims are women and girls. More than 200 million women globally have been subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM. We often see this abbreviated to make it more palatable to talk about. Fuck that – we call it for what it is: the violent, torturous and sometimes life-threatening process a woman or girl goes through when having her clitoris forcibly removed, often without anaesthetic, so she will never experience sexual pleasure.). *7 Violence against women is endemic to global society and affects us all. Aboriginal women are 3 times more likely to experience violence, 35 times more likely to be hospitalised as a result of violence and 11 times more likely to die from a violent incident than non-Indigenous women. *8 As if this wasn’t shocking enough, women are routinely blamed for the violent acts committed against them. When women are subjected to psychological, sexual and/or physical violence, our media and society, the police and justice system routinely prioritise the story, reputation and circumstances of the perpetrator over the injuries sustained by, and welfare of, the target, survivor or victim. This perpetuates the notion that violence against women is normal. It isn’t.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
NEVER HAS BEEN
AND NEVER WILL BE NORMAL!
5. Glitoris is sick of the relentless objectification, violation and policing of women’s bodies. Fuck that: WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BODILY AUTONOMY. WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE. OUR BODIES, OUR CHOICE: NOW AND FOREVER. We will fight for our bodily autonomy and reproductive rights \*/
6. FACT: The standards of femininity perpetuated by the multi-billion dollar beauty industry are unattainable, lead to debt, mental illness and suicide. This system is designed to ensure women are kept in a state of self-loathing: whether that’s our skin colour, weight, hair type, height, age, facial features, breasts, vaginas… everywhere we look in society, and especially in the media and entertainment industries, we are told we are not good enough and we must invest to better our appearances. No. Enough of this shit. Glitoris will never conform to such standards.
\*/ RAISE YOUR FISTS \*/
Glitoris exists to resist. We commit to fighting the ongoing fight for gender equality – for all women. GLITORIS IS INCLUSIVE OF ALL. JOIN US.
NO MORE SILENCE.
RECLAMATION. AUTONOMY. PROTEST. SOLIDARITY.
\*/
GLITORIS
Keven 007. Malcolm. Scott. Andrew.
FEBRUARY 2020
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*1 UNFCC, 2020 (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change); and, IUCN, 2020 (International Union for the Conservation of Nature).
*2 UNDP, 2020 (United Nations Development Programme)
*3 World Economic Forum. 2020. Mind the 100 Year Gap.
*4 UN Women, 2020. Visualising the Data – Women’s Representation in Society.
*5 Transstudent.org
*6 NCAVP: A Crisis of Hate. 2017.
*7 UN Women, 2019. Ending Violence Against Women.
*8 Fourth Action Plan 2019 – 2022. Commonwealth, State & Territory Governments.
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This is the video for their latest release, “Slut Power”
You can catch Glitorus live on their national “Slut Power” tour, running from March through to May
Friday 20th March 2020 – Vinnie’s Dive, Gold Coast QLD
Saturday 21st March 2020 – The Foundry, Brisbane QLD
Friday 3rd April 2020 – The Brisbane Hotel, Hobart TAS
Saturday 4th April 2020 – The Royal Oak, Launceston TAS
Sunday 5th April 2020 – Forth Pub, Forth TAS
Friday 17th April 2020 – Lyric’s Underground, Perth WA
Saturday 18th April 2020 – The Fire Station, Busselton WA
Sunday 19th April 2020 – Mojo’s Bar, Fremantle WA
Friday 8th May 2020 – The Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle NSW
Saturday 9th May 2020 – Oxford Art Factory Gallery, Sydney NSW
Sunday 10th May 2020 – North Gong Hotel, Wollongong NSW
Friday 15th May 2020 – Pelly Bar, Frankston VIC
Saturday 16th May 2020 – The Tote, Melbourne VIC
Sunday 17th May 2020 – The Eastern, Ballarat VIC
Saturday 23rd May 2020 – Transit Bar, Canberra ACT
You can keep up to date with them on their Facebook , Instagram, Bandcamp, Twitter, Soundcloud, and YouTube
