Caucasian / Canadian, Montreal
they/them
PhD Candidate working on debunking and discussing taboos I grew up with
Alex (they/them) is a someone who invests a lot of time in their literary studies, and who enjoys their free time (as well as procrastination) to build their Instagram platform.
Formerly petrified by taboos such as body hair, bisexuality, mental health (and many more), they now take great pleasure into debunking the myths that surround them and discussing them one by one on their platform.
ABOUT CENSORSHIP
I posted this on Instagram with the following text, and it was removed without notifying me:
CW: censorship/violence of silencing
There’s too much to say on censorship and I’m not the one that should voice it all, but here are some thoughts (feel free to send me other resources that I can share in my stories). This is an invitation for conversation and further learning (on my end as well as anyone else’s).
I’m one of the lucky ones that recovered their platform after 18 days.
It goes without saying that my loss of this platform has nothing against the extreme violence a lot of people are enduring.
The Black trans women that die in great numbers for simply living their truths.
Sex workers losing their main platforms and thus part of their income.
The journalists that have been jailed trying to use their voices.
Fat bodies and people with disabilities who are shadow banned for trying to exist.
The harassment faced for being “different” (BIPOCs, fat, queer, hairy, etc.).
The harmful bullying that follows us even in our own personal spaces.
There is a violence in censoring people’s voices, bodies, beliefs, and attempts at vulnerable and open conversations.
This censorship is winning over endeavors at creating brave, safe spaces for queer people, fat people, BIPOC, to talk about gender identity, acne, therapy, medication, sex education or addressing any other oppressive system of many different natures and forms.
To talk about them from a place of personal experience or by sharing others’ voices.
Photo by my partner, Hamza Abouelouafaa (@hamza.abouelouafaa) featuring me @leksendrine
It is so violently alienating to be unable to access an account. The isolating effects of this violent censorship, during a pandemic of all times, are beyond my comprehension. It is the loss of communities, workspaces, archives, and platforms that allow us to use our voices to connect with other people.
I recovered this platform, but I’m gonna keep fighting.
Not only for my own voice, but for all the voices that are more oppressed than mine and that we need to hear.
Because representation matters.
Because we are on these platforms to share our art, our work, bits and pieces of ourselves and our lives in the hopes of finding people like us, to inspire each other.
To find ourselves within these communities.
And they can’t take that away from us.