Written by Ba Adonai
For reference see : Transparency of Creative Originality as a Writer
Table of Contents
◊ NIRVANA and Retro 90’s Punk Social Justice
◊ NEVERMIND and In Bloom ◊ Equating Homophobes with Pedophiles
◊ How Some Woke Cancel-Culture Actually Cancels Itself
◊ The Inadequacy of the Term “Woke” ◊ Defining “Unwoke”
◊ The Consequences of Throwing the Baby Out with the Bathwater
◊ The Weaponization of The Term “Woke” For Mass Confusion
◊ Antidotal Artucation ◊ UNITY LIFE Pride Month Celebrations
◊ Color / Shape Meanings in The Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag
◊ Meanings of the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag and LGBTQIA2SPA+
◊ Two-Spirit Gender-Identity and Context
◊ Conclusion
◊ Addendum ◊ Additional Research Information (Trans Issues)
NIRVANA and Retro 90’s Punk Social Justice
◊🎤 As an artist whose work revolves around the topic of the band NIRVANA, one of the most inspiring aspects of this journey for me has been resonating with their social justice stance against “racism, sexism, and homophobia,” as well as their environmental focus. Through the lens of 90’s nostalgia, I have found powerful reasons to value that kind of cultural emphasis — especially given how social justice issues have become even more complex and challenging to navigate in modern times. Again and again, I feel compassion for the youth of today, who often lack the elegantly simple framing of that era to help guide their interpretations of these complicated topics.
◊👗 For those not aware, Kurt Cobain was well known for cross-dressing during performances, with the band sometimes joining him in this during photoshoots. His statements about these choices affirmed that they were authentic and rooted in the punk ethos of freedom. The band also often joked about being romantically involved with each other in same-sex relationships — an intentional act of punk rebellion against the widespread discrimination of the time.
NEVERMIND and In Bloom ◊ Equating Homophobes with Pedophiles
◊💿 Famously, the band even printed on the album art of NEVERMIND: “If you’re a sexist, racist, homophobe… don’t buy our records.” This message aligned closely with the song In Bloom, their fourth hit single from NEVERMIND, which critiques how some listeners inevitably fail to deeply engage with the meaning of their music.
◊⚠️ Together, the printed statement and the song functioned as biting humour : it was well understood by the band that sexists, racists, and homophobes would ignore their boundaries and listen anyway, displaying the same disregard for consent that defined their prejudices — yet humorously, never listening closely enough to even realize that the music opposed them so aggressively. In Bloom critiques pedophiles, and the entire album carries strong anti-rape themes. This bravely and insightfully revealed how these “gun-toting” or violence-inclined sexual offenders are often the most aggressively discriminatory against gender and sexual diversity, due to their fundamental lack of respect for autonomy and consent in matters of sexuality.
The above infographic was created by UNITY LIFE Mystery School to show how even without statistics to support this theory it's actually obvious, if you just think about it.
How Some Woke Cancel-Culture Actually Cancels Itself
◊⚖️ Today, even NIRVANA’s bold public stance in defence of the LGBTQIA2S+ could be critiqued as “not politically correct” or “inclusive” enough in its language by choosing “homophobia” as the language to describe its target. That fact alone reflects how complex our modern discourse has become. Some valid critiques of the “woke” movement include concerns about its push for divisive, “us vs. them” tribalism, which risks deepening alienation and segregation for the very groups it seeks to protect.
The Inadequacy of the Term “Woke” ◊ Defining “Unwoke”
◊🖤 Simply put, the term “woke” is not defined clearly enough to function practically in our world. Any word of this nature — one that fails to account for all the crucial factors of its meaning — will inevitably be weaponized when it spreads as a mass wave of human activity. I would say there are essentially two types of woke culture : the woke and the unwoke. While one side takes accountability by offering an antidotal alternative which fosters wholeness in our increasingly fractured world (such as music, art or community celebration) in combination with facing problems head-on, the other side addresses real and valid issues in ways that are unconstructive by omission - therefore divisive and counterproductive to reconciliation.
The Consequences of Throwing the Baby Out with the Bathwater
◊🍼 Frankly, that dynamic is inescapable on a mass scale within any positive social justice movement focused on improving our world. In every group of human beings, there will always be a percentage of people who are mean, ignorant, abusive, or harmful. That’s simply the statistics, and it should always be understood that this comes part and parcel with any movement of cultural evolution. Of course, the old adage “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater” remains the obvious lens through which to view this. Ignoring this wisdom would risk invalidating any positive movement and leave our world stagnant.
The Weaponization of The Term “Woke” For Mass Confusion
◊🧠 Regardless of whether you choose to abandon the term “woke” due to its flaws and potential for misunderstanding, or prefer to continue using it, we all need to develop far more sophisticated skills of discernment regarding these issues than what is typically offered in political speeches or most online sources — where the viral currency often seems to be division. For those of you admittedly just scanning the surface of media discourse, be aware at least of how weaponized the term “woke” has become this way, spawning mass confusion — even around environmental issues.
Antidotal Artucation ◊ UNITY LIFE Pride Month Celebrations
◊🌈 Throughout my path as an artist, I have consistently advocated for the LGBTQIA2SPA+ community in ways that not only call out the damage caused by discrimination but also offer healing and artistic alternatives to these dysfunctions. I present a creative and original lens on the band NIRVANA within my own Mystery School framework, combining meditative contemplation, artistic exploration, and original works of all kinds. In doing so, I model after NIRVANA as true cultural leaders in social justice. This archive is therefore not just educational, but art-ucational.
◊🏳️🌈 For Pride Month 2025, I placed an enormous new Progress Pride Flag in my window as a permanent public display, with the window facing a busy street. Just moments before it arrived in the mail, I was amazed to see some prism stickers I had placed on the window months earlier casting beautiful rainbows through the curtains in the new summer light. Deeply moved, I associated this effect with my soon-to-arrive flag — and moments later, the doorbell rang with my package in hand. In later photoshoots of the 72 FACETS (IN 144) card set of deep rainbow colors, the rainbow hues of the Pride flag reflected on the cards, making it seem to have an etherial and futuristic gloss.
◊🏳️⚧️ That month, I devoted myself to researching related issues after several revealing conversations with two trans friends of mine during an LGBTQIA2S+ friendly sister’s clothing swap I hosted. I learned that, until recently — and still in some areas in North America — trans women, especially those who are BIPOC or low-income, were often blocked from employment and funneled into sex work due to cultural assumptions about their place in society. This systemic exclusion has functioned as a form of trafficking. Trans women sex workers also face a disproportionately high rate of homicide, as well as assault, police misconduct, and suicide. Including this information here is not just for reading but an exprssion of the creative arts.
◊🌹 In honor of Pride Month this year, I have chosen to change my pronouns from she/her to she/they — simply to put a value on the freedom to not have to clarify one’s gender at all. This change is now publicly displayed on the UNITY LIFE instagram.
Meanings of the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag and LGBTQIA2SPA+
Now, let’s take a look at the fullest version of the Pride flag with the circle — often called the Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag. This is a powerful symbol that brings together many LGBTQIA2SPA+ identities in one design. Here are the meanings of the colors
Color / Shape Meanings in The Intersex-Inclusive Progress Pride Flag
❤️ Life
🧡 Healing
💛 Sunlight
💚 Nature
💙 Harmony / Peace
💜 Spirit
🤎 People of color in the LGBTQ+ community
🖤 Black LGBTQ+ communities & HIV/AIDS awareness
💖 Trans femininity
🤍💙 Trans masculinity
🤍 Nonbinary / transitioning identities
💛 Yellow triangle – Intersex identity
💜 Purple circle – Intersex autonomy and wholeness
Meaning of the Acronym LGBTQIA2SPA+
L : Lesbian
G : Gay
B : Bisexual
T : Transgender
Q : Queer or Questioning
I : Intersex
A : Asexual / Agender / Aromantic
2S : Two-Spirit
S : Same-gender-loving
A : Ally
P : Pansexual
+ : Other identities (nonbinary, genderfluid, demisexual, etc.)
Two-Spirit Gender-Identity and Context
◊🪶 For context: Two-Spirit is an umbrella term coined in 1990 at an Indigenous LGBTQ+ conference in Winnipeg, Canada. It is used by some Indigenous North American people to describe a person who embodies both masculine and feminine spirits, may hold a special social, ceremonial, or spiritual role in their community, and can have gender variance, a non-heterosexual orientation, or both—but not necessarily in Western terms.
Conclusion
◊🌟 In honoring the legacies of NIRVANA, the diversity of gender and sexual identities, and the ongoing work of social justice, this archive celebrates both reflection and action. May it inspire curiosity, understanding, and creative expression in all who read it.
Love, Ba
🕊
Addendum ◊ Additional Research Information (Trans Issues)
Here is some additional information from my research which I found extremely valuable and would love to share. The following is from ChatGPT :
Historical Realities of Trans Women and Employment
◊🏛 From the early 20th century to the 1990s, trans women—especially those who were racialized and poor—faced severe employment discrimination. Legal ID changes were nearly impossible, “cross-dressing” laws criminalized everyday life, and many were pushed into survival sex work. While there have been legal improvements, systemic bias, policing, and economic barriers still leave many trans women with few safe employment options today. Yes, what you heard is rooted in historical and ongoing realities faced by many trans women, especially Black and Indigenous trans women and trans women of color, in North America. Here’s a deeper look at the historical context, systemic barriers, and current situation:
Historical Context: Trans Women and Economic Marginalization
From the early to mid-20th century through the 1990s and beyond, trans women—particularly those who were poor or racialized—faced:
❌ Exclusion from Employment
- Legal Identity Documents: Before recent reforms, changing names and gender markers on legal documents was nearly impossible or required sterilization, surgery, or psychiatric certification.
- Appearance-Based Discrimination: Many trans women were fired or not hired at all for failing to meet binary gender expectations. There were no anti-discrimination protections in most jurisdictions until very recently.
- Trans Panic and Policing: Laws against “cross-dressing,” loitering, or “manifesting prostitution” (a vague term often used to target trans women standing in public) criminalized even day-to-day life.
💔 Forced into the Informal Economy
- Many trans women were pushed into survival sex work, not by choice but because it was one of the only avenues available for income and housing.
- Some communities—such as in Harlem, the Tenderloin in San Francisco, and downtown Toronto—became known for having visible trans sex work communities. These were often met with police harassment and violence, but also served as zones of survival, identity, and mutual support.
⚠️ Cultural and Systemic Pressures
- In many communities, sex work became normalized as a survival expectation for trans women due to lack of access to other opportunities. This was not a “choice” in the conventional sense but a reflection of deeply entrenched exclusion.
📚 Notable Historical Milestones
- 1966 – Compton’s Cafeteria Riot (San Francisco): Trans women and drag queens, many of whom were sex workers, fought back against police harassment.
- 1969 – Stonewall Uprising (New York): Trans women such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, both of whom were survival sex workers, played pivotal roles in igniting the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
- 1980s–1990s: The HIV/AIDS crisis devastated trans communities. Many trans sex workers were left out of early prevention and treatment efforts.
Recent Progress and Persistent Challenges
✅ Legal Advancements
- Anti-discrimination laws: Many parts of North America (e.g., Canada, U.S. states like California, New York) now protect gender identity in employment law.
- ID reform: Easier processes for updating gender markers on documents help reduce barriers to employment and housing.
🚫 Continuing Challenges
- Employment discrimination persists: Even with legal protections, trans women are more likely to face hiring bias or workplace hostility.
- Economic instability: A 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey found that: a) 1 in 5 trans people had participated in sex work. b) 1 in 3 trans people were living in poverty.c) Unemployment rates for trans people were 3x the national average.
- Policing and criminal records: Many trans women still face police profiling, and past charges (even if outdated or discriminatory) can make future employment harder.
🌈 Community Efforts and Alternatives
- Mutual aid networks, trans-led businesses, and community centers offer job training and financial support.
- Organizations like : a) Transgender Law Center (US). b) The 519 (Toronto). c) Black Trans Advocacy Coalition. d) House of Tulip (New Orleans)
…work to reduce reliance on survival sex work through housing and job support.
Summary
Yes, trans women—especially Black and racialized trans women—were often forced into prostitution as a survival mechanism because of systemic and cultural exclusion from other forms of employment. While there have been legal improvements, economic marginalization, housing insecurity, and stigma still drive many into survival sex work today.
The idea that sex work was a “standard” or “imposed” role reflects how limited the options were (and often still are), rather than a cultural norm embraced by the women themselves.
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