In 2015, artist 2Fik organized a demonstration of over a dozen men in Corpus Christi, Texas, who donned high heels and marched around an public square. To cross-dress safely in public is a luxury few can afford, and here 2Fik makes use of the privilege held by outwardly masculine men. This was a societal transgression they could “get away with,” but this piece was not a demonstration of privilege; rather, it was an activation of it.

Whether it is men opening a public space up to conversations about gender roles or middle-class families insisting on sending their children to public schools, creative uses of privilege are an exertion of power. Of course one can ignore this power and allow it to passively perpetuate inequalities, or one can activate that power and, in doing so, make space for oppressed people’s voices to be heard. This is a meaningful way to live democratically.