How to Slay the Oppression Dragon (And Get the Intersectional Justice We’ve All Been Waiting For)

March 17, 2015 / Christine Deneweth

Like adventure stories and taking down oppression? Then this comic is for you!

It shows how kyriarchy works – as one big beast led by multiple systems that work together to keep us all down.

And it also gives us some insight on what we’ve all been looking for, the key to defeating this oppressive beast so we can all live happily and harmoniously together.

With Love,
The Editors at Everyday Feminism

Click for the Transcript

Panel 1

Text: Feminist Words Explained: Kyriarchy.

Panel 2

Text: Gonna slay the oppression dragon.

(Person 1 is in full-body armor riding a horse and holding a spear charges forward.)

Panel 3

(A dragon with the word “gender” on its neck roars.)

Text: Patriarchy.

Panel 4

(The camera zooms out and shows that the dragon actually has five heads that read “class,” “gender,” “sex,” “race,” and “body.”)

Panel 5

Person 1: (speaking to the “Gender” dragon head) What gives? I was only here to kill you!

Panel 6

The “Race” Dragon Head: We exist, too!

The “Class” Dragon Head: Rude!

Panel 7

Person 1: (stabbing the “Gender” dragon head in the head) Whatever! Shut up!

Panel 8

The “Gender” Dragon Head: (falling back) Aaaarrg!

Panel 9

The “Gender” Dragon Head: Eat her!

The “Class” Dragon Head: I got you, bro!

Panel 10

Person 1: (running away) HELP!

Panel 11

(Four more people in full-body armor ride horses up a hill to meet Person 1.)

Panel 12

The “Gender” Dragon Head: What are you girls gonna do? Paint our nails?

Panel 13

Text: Many lectures, self reflections, social justice evaluations, and vulnerable conversations later…

Panel 14

The Hydra: Guys, this is waaay better.

(The dragon heads now read: “Body Positivity,” “Anti-Racism,” “Non-Binary,” “Fluid Sex,” and “Economics.”)

Panel 15

Person 1: Thanks, y’all! I don’t know why I thought I could do that alone!

Panel 16

Person 2: That’s how kyriarchy works! It wants us to think we’re alone in the struggle.

Panel 17

Person 3:“We need to fight for each other instead of against each other.

Panel 18

(Everyone is jumping up and smiling.)

Text: Yay, teamwork!

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Christine Deneweth is a Contributing Comic Artist for Everyday Feminism. A queer cartoonist and artist, Christine lives in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She is a cartoonist for Eastern Michigan University’s newspaper the Eastern Echo. She writes children’s books about mental disability and has a comic strip that has been published for five years. Comics can be found on her Facebook page, and art can be found on her Instagram @crassaster. Check out her work here!