A Trans Aussie Brought Vital Perspective To Hack’s Male Privilege Special

Last night’s blockbuster edition of Hack Live zeroed in on the issue of male privilege, and it fielded a reasonably diverse cast of experts and active participants in Australian conversations regarding gender issues. 

Like other editions of the panel show special, it didn’t seem like any participant had their views significantly altered when the cameras stopped rolling. But, if anyone was going to present a viewpoint which is often neglected in discussions of masculinity, it would have been Nevo, a non-binary Aussie whose input reframed nearly every aspect of the conversation.

When a series of undeniably crucial facts and figures were invoked to discuss the vastly different experiences of men and women, Nevo added a perspective that isn’t often accounted for.

Nevo said “I’ve literally lived my life presenting in society as a woman and a man. I can tell you tangible evidence of male privilege that is unarguable. I’m not here to talk about statistics.”

When the conversation turned to Adrian, a men’s right’s activist who views feminism as an oppositional force, Nevo asked “like, what are you doing to help men? That’s what I want to know.”

Adrian butted in, only to be shushed by Nevo. “That’s what interrupting looks like,” they joked with the crowd, before saying “if you’re just sitting here, talking about statistics and arguing ‘who’s more attacked, and who deserves it more’, well, while you’re doing that, people are being killed.”

Delving back into the way some of the arguments hinged on the classic idea of the male / female dichotomy, Nevo added “this show has been so bloody heterosexual.”

“Like, we’ve been talking so much about dudes being the breadwinners and women staying home with the kids,” Nevo said, before saying that kind of narrow, antiquated focus ignored trans identities like their own.

“I think we really need to be aware of how much privilege – that word – constantly comes into it when we make those assumptions,” Nevo said, before hitting on the actual crux of the issue: yes, male privilege – as understood as a series of ingrained cultural frameworks that make some aspects of life easier for men – totally exists. 

Questioning the entire premise of the entire show, Nevo said “I think it’s just derailing and I think that conversations like this are derailing. I think the fact that we’re debating if male privilege exists is derailing, and stupid.”

That idea was echoed pretty bloody broadly away from the ABC set. 

Best outcome:
Hack Live Opener
Audience applause@TomTilley: Nah fellas… it’s a legit thing.
Audience applause
Closing Credits#HackLive

— Lee Constable (@Constababble) June 20, 2017

Next: “Is male privilege bullshit?”, “Is climate change real?” and other questions similarly not up for debate due to evidence. #HackLive

— Lee Constable (@Constababble) June 20, 2017

Nice to see a #transactivist telling it how it is having seen male privilege in action from both teams #HackLive. It is real.

— Bridget Clinch (@CaptainBridget) June 20, 2017

Source and photo: Hack Live / Facebook.