F.U.G.: Frequently Unseen Genders (Youth)

More than half a century ago, in 1955, a psychologist named John William Money introduced the term “gender” as a role, different from the term “sex” which used to refer to the biological characteristics that differentiate a masculine from a feminine human being. The introduction of gender as something we do or perform, instead of something we are born with or have, empowered feminism – first – and then other movements such as the trans, gay, lesbian, drag, queer etc. and became central to the birth of new epistemologies and new philosophies. Nonetheless, the use of the term nowadays rather resembles to the use that sex had before its appearance.
No need to research remote societies in the middle of tropical jungles, just look at the so-called “gender balance” that dominates the Discourse of all the projects in the ex-Youth in Action and in Erasmus+. Gender functions as a modern – possibly unintentional – surveillance tool of normativity, demanding that all individuals identify themselves as males or females in a bipolar society. Still, the same projects show not only understanding and acceptance towards difference, but they also aim at including more and more people and more and more “sub-cultures”.
Consequently, we see projects with very positive objectives and potentials which fail to accomplish their stated mission due to lack of theoretical background (not necessarily academic), lack of experience, fear of imaginary – possibly real – side-effects. We experience a number of LGBT projects and a number of other projects, in a way that LGBT emerges as opposed to the normal otherness. In this context, the LGBT youth is imagined as exotic – both positively and negatively – and gender bipolarity is understood as the only possible normativity.
This project aims at identifying this invisible border between LGBT and normality, to challenge it and to provide non-LGBT and LGBT organizations with tools and methods for including youth regardless of their gender or any other identification, yet respecting their right to be identified. We seek to achieve visibility to Frequently Unseen Genders, thus to youth who not necessarily identify themselves as male or female.
This project addresses indiscriminatingly all youth workers who work or are interested in working with and for LGBT youth and willing to offer time and effort in achieving inclusion of all youth regardless of their gender identity.