In a truly non-sexist and completely post-sex society it’s not only women, children and homosexual people who stand to benefit. Male gendered bodies, men who consciously or unwittingly subscribe to or adhere to the various and context specific hegemonic arrangements of manhood practices that give rise to the subjugation of women, children and other marginalised men who fail to live to the prevailing hegemonic standard of manhood practice, also, stand to benefit from this order.

From this order, men stand to live more fruitful lives, without being “manly” about their lives; that is, without finding themselves having to conform to grotesque patriarchal ideals and norms of how a “real” man ought to be.

Globally, we are at a time in which we are increasingly witnessing what in gender studies has come to be described as a “crisis in masculinity”. That’s, men being unable to play their provider roles, decision-maker and protector roles. And the increasing intolerance to violent forms of masculinity. Here at home in South Africa, this wave has notably been a result of three major forces:

1. Capitalism.

2. New liberal Constitution that protects women and children from violation, and that also gives groups such as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender, Intersex (LGBTI) freedom from discrimination, persecution and to participate meaningfully into the national economy as salaried citizens.

3. And the many gains that have been made by gender activists. Consequently, many men now feel alienated, powerless and resentful over women, feminist literature and the state. Alas, our national Statistic survey, continues to show that many men that have not come to accept this change continue to take out their frustrations on excessive substance use, on committing gender based violence. And also on engaging in coercive corrective rape of lesbian women and gay men who in their phallic-centric eyes they find to be not singing to the tune of the heteronormativity script. Rates of men who murder other men have also dramatically increased over the years, as have also rates of men who go to gaol for violent crimes.

It is at this guise that I maintain that we collectively need to stand together as people in waging a war against the ill-effects of patriarchy and the heteronormativity script.