HOUSEWIVES MAKING DRUGS
Mary Maggic
Would you like a side of hormones with that?
Humans have always been biohackers, repurposing what is natural; from making cheese and fermenting wine – to the possibility of homemade hormones. Housewives Making Drugs is a fictional, Martha Stewart-style cooking show starring our favorite trans-femme stars, Maria and Maria. They pass on what we like to call a new-age, old wives’ tale – or a speculative recipe for homemade estrogen. What is housework if not domestic alchemy?
Estrogen and feminizing hormone therapy is a common part of gender-affirming medical care. Yet, among those seeking medical intervention, nearly 60% of trans-Australians reported experiencing barriers to access. This makes the possibility of open-source estrogen very powerful. But with power comes great responsibility.
What does bodily autonomy look like to you?
Mary Maggic (they) is a nonbinary Chinese-American artist and researcher working within the fuzzy intersections of body and gender politics and capitalist ecological alienations. Maggic frequently uses biohacking as a xeno-feminist practice of care that serves to demystify invisible lines of molecular biopower.