Ask Ms. Jessica Issue 37 – Mutant rights

(The content for Ask Ms. Jessica comes from real questions from real people sent to AskMsJessica@gmail.com)

In these times were it looks like the world is fighting for civil rights I think back to all the struggles mutants had to obtain some sort of normalcy like other minority groups or the lgbtq communities. If you want to give a quick overview to your readers that is fine but I know it’s not your area of expertise.

Why I am writing to you today is my girlfriend was one of those who had to endure “normalization therapy” after she mutated. When she was underage and just mutated after puberty her conservative family forced her into the program that amputated her 4 extra arms/breasts and her tail. She told me that she didn’t mind the extra body parts and actually thought it was a blessing. Since the forced removal of her limbs she has now been classified as “normal” but now 15 years after the incident she told me she has always been depressed and feels like she is missing part of herself. Sometimes I feel like the only reason she is dating me is because I too am a female gay mutant and I remind her of something she is missing.

Since biology is your area of expertise can you write to the readers to show how much of a negative impact this has on mutants so we can fully ban this practice? I know not to have hope but is there a way to reactivate the mutant genes so those limbs can grow back or they lost forever?

Oh my god I’m sorry to hear this. It’s barbaric.

As I said in a previous issue, you should NEVER try to reverse mutations, even by amputation. It’s extremely unhealthy and it usually causes more drastic mutations to result! Your girlfriend shout get herself to a doctor so that whatever upcoming mutation happens can happen safely. She may not grow back her limbs, she might, but either way her mutant gene is likely more active and unstable now than it was before. I don’t know where you live, but here in Port Solei our government funds a wide variety of mutant services and healthcare, even if you aren’t a resident. We’d be happy to welcome you.

You are right in that I am not a sociologist or historian, but I have lived through discrimination myself. Unfortunately, mutations just haven’t been around long enough to become normalized in a lot of countries. Heck, Port Solei started as a way to section mutants away from populations, until we started to self-govern. As you can imagine, there are now parts of the world that treat mutants normally and parts that don’t, and no matter where you go there are still closed minded individuals that treat mutants with disdain.

Of course, there are always patterns in the fight for civil rights. Sixty years ago we walked the streets, chanting for mutant rights, alongside the same people who were demanding rights for queer people, and people of color. Some of us rioted. Some of us occupied important government buildings. Some got violent. These are the hallmarks of revolution.

Like any fight for civil rights, the mutant movement had ups and downs, but we had a powerful biological ally: the mutant gene itself. Mutant biology is real and anyone, ANYONE, can become a mutant if they have one. This means about 10% of the powerful and influential conservative that were anti-mutant eventually mutated, or had a relative that mutated. It’s really difficult to keep that position when someone close to you ends up mutating. The sheer randomness of this genetic process worked in our favor.

Have you heard of the 3.5% rule? All the major revolutions of the world happened when 3.5% of a population became involved in the fight. Interesting to think about right? A small minority can bring about big change.

Well mutants make up more than 3.5% of the population. 10% of all females and 1% of all males are mutants, and that’s rapidly increasing to 15% and 3% in recent years, not to mention far more have mutant genes that haven’t activated yet. Now imagine all these people protesting, shutting down life, disrupting order until their demands were met. Granted, not every mutant protested, but a huge portion of us did, and even more latent mutants with mutant genes, and mutant allies came to our aid. As a result, we enacted change fast.

But the fight is never over. There still exist people who harbor strong anti-mutant sentiment, like the ones who mistreated your poor girlfriend. That is the case for all marginalized people. They must always keep fighting if they want to keep their rights, because as long as those that remember the close-minded teachings of old persist, those who want to take away their rights exist.

Here’s the most important thing. We mutants had the advantage of a random factor of biology on our side. You could just suddenly mutate. You can’t just suddenly turn black, turn gay, turn trans, turn disabled, and so on. Mutants endured 60+ years of bigotry and discrimination. Black people in America have endured 400+ years of discrimination. Hell, the world is joining in on these protests, because it’s not just in America. It’s everywhere where Black people are a minority.

Trans people have been a part of human biology since time immemorial, and they too have been discriminated against in modern culture. Even now, several countries still have legislation that makes it illegal to be queer, and civilized countries where it is legal still have subsections of their culture that mistreat queer people on a regular basis. I, myself, am Bi, and I was called several harmful names growing up, even in an ostensibly “liberal” part of the world.

Black Lives Matter. Trans Lives Matter. Mutant Lives Matter.

And if you are one of those people who is going to come back at me saying “All Lives Matter” shut up, my column and this community are not for you. All lives cannot matter until the lives of the marginalized do, and that’s what these movements are trying to accomplish, because, whether or not you want to see it, in many parts of the world… many civilized parts of the world, they still don’t.

Fight the good fight, and take care of your girlfriend.

Dr. Jessica Park

AskMsJessica@gmail.com