F.A.D.G.E. Fest Inspires, Builds Community

FADGE–Feminism, Autonomy, Diversity and Gender Expression–brought together 50-100 people over the course of the day Saturday at Charter Oak Cultural Center. The afternoon was filled with workshops, including: Street harassment/radical cheerleading, self-defense, radical parenting, anarchism & feminism, art as therapy, radical menstruation and feminism for boys. Far from being an anti-sausage fest, there were many men and male-bodied people in attendance, as well as trans folk. The discussions were all down-to-earth but spirited, and touched on common, everyday issues that people of different backgrounds and identities deal with.

The radical cheerleading workshop, which focused on ways to confront street harassment through song and dance, was a good kickoff to the day and set a fun tone. The self-defense workshop covered basic protection, focusing on how to best escape a physical assault. The anarchism & feminism discussion touched on the various ways that the two philosophies overlap, and how they tend to recognize the totality of oppression and liberation (though there was way too much animal rights talk for my taste). “Feminism for boys” emphasized the importance of feminism in breaking down patriarchal tendencies in men’s behavior, and how men who identify with feminist ideas can be good allies.

Various rock, punk and metal acts played during and after the day’s events, and Food Not Bombs (FNB) served some excellent fare free of charge. $300 was raised to go toward “Interval House and My Sister’s place…two Hartford, CT women’s shelter’s to help end domestic violence.” The event was organized by folks from Rock Yer Socks Booking and Hartford FNB.

Overall, the event was well-organized and did a lot to bring together like-minded people from across Connecticut and share ideas. On the other hand, attendance was generally limited to a specific subculture, to whom the program was geared toward. While music was fairly diverse within the confines of alternative white culture, it left much to be desired, particularly for folks who are aware of the fact that, for example, Trinity College’s progressive students have done well in making feminism relevant to people of diverse backgrounds. In the future, radical feminists need to consciously reach out to other communities.