Phew! May and June were biz-zay, y’all! From community calls to a full-blown workshop series, the summer heat helped us catalyze some incredible healing spaces for men and transmasculine folks. Here are some key learnings from the past two months:
😮💨 Allowing ourselves to arrive
As a practice, we begin every Abundant Masculinities session with an invitation to arrive and settle into our bodies through guided meditation focused on mindfulness and bodily awareness. This practice is something we see men and transmasculine folks struggle with. Patriarchy tells us we gotta push through and keep things moving! It turns out we could use more practice (or opportunities to practice) enjoying the benefits of slowing down, dropping in and allowing our nervous systems to cool off so we can stay present and engaged. In our community call with Kentucky Health Justice Network in May, this practice was so nourishing we did it twice! During A Living Archive, our memoir writing workshop co-hosted by Gender Unbound as part of their Summer Skillshare series, we contemplated the importance of trans and intersex storytelling in a time of LGBTQ antagonism and erasure. There’s something about being with your people, meditating on shared healing lineages, and taking a collective breath together.
🖼️ Finding useful frameworks
We introduced some helpful frameworks for understanding how patriarchy influences and shapes the way we process and orient ourselves to the world, like Long’s “Male Emotional Funnel System” and the constantly shapeshifting pyramid of manhood. We thought about the cyclical nature of generational patterns and proposed the radical idea that if harm can be perpetuated, then so can healthier, less destructive ways of embodying masculinity. During Turning Toward, our four week cohort series in collaboration with the Museum of Human Achievement, we heard first-hand how these frameworks helped participants better visualize and understand themselves as people who are constantly negotiating power, privilege and oppression as folks with complex and intersecting identities.
📊 The work is working
Based on post-session evaluation results, 90% of participants felt less anxious after the session and 80% of participants felt more confident in themselves as men and transmasculine people and more clear about the parts of their masculinity they wanted to change. Their responses confirm what we’ve long suspected: that creating spaces where we can self-reflect, and talk openly and honestly with others about the complex challenges of navigating a patriarchal world yields healing.
👀 Looking ahead
We also heard from participants that they’d like to see longer, one-off workshops where they can have more time to dig into the difficult work of excavating patriarchy’s influence. We’re developing a virtual series for men and transmasculine folks to increase access for folks in Austin and beyond. Stay tuned for more!
🗓️ Upcoming events
On July 14th at 9 AM you can join us at the newly opened OutWellness brick and mortar down the street from St. Edward’s University for a 30 min post-workout check in. We’re so excited for this trans-owned small business to finally have a permanent home, and to be collaborating with them on creating an intentional mental wellness space for transmasc folks. Click here to register.
🧧 How to support us
That’s easy! If you’d like to see our work grow or help sustain our current programs, you can donate directly to Abundant Masculinities on Paypal via the link below:
*We’re currently working on fiscal sponsorship so your donations will be tax-deductible in the very near future!
💞 Thank you
Lastly, we just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to everyone who has invested time and energy in supporting our work so far. We recognize that time is the one resource you can’t get back, so it means a lot when you read and like our posts, share our stories, and attend our workshops. As the founder, I (Kanoa), use a collective “we” to talk about Abundant Masculinities in recognition of the many folks who continue to guide and shape this work - that's you!
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