Perimenopunk

Feminist and punk musician (Spitboy) Michell Cruz Gonzales writes about her relationship with punk rock, going through perimenopause, and experiencing racism in the writing community, and other topics. Gonzales's ever-evolving relationship with punk is long and complex; she began playing in punk rock bands at the age of 15, and spent many years as a drummer in various girl bands. Eventually, Gonzales gave up playing punk rock, got married, went to graduate school, and had a son. She is now a writer and professor at a community college. Though the course of Gonzales's life changed when she stopped playing, she believes that she never truly left punk in the first place. Though she is a wife and mother going through perimenopause, Gonzales argues that she can still fully embody the punk values that characterized her youth. – Alekhya