The Zoot Suit Riots Were a Bathroom Bill

Biopolitics and how the state encourages cruelty to achieve a political end

The Zoot Suit Riots

I once heard a friend describe the Zoot Suit Riots as, “White people getting mad that brown people have too much drip.” Upon studying the specifics of the Zoot Suits Riots and the United States condemnation of the Zoot Suits I thought, “No, it was about conserving fabric for the war.” Upon becoming a leftist I realized the Zoot Suits Riots were, “White people getting mad that brown people have too much drip,” and it really is that simple. Zoot Suits are an interesting piece of attire, they're bulky, flamboyant, high waisted, and look like a nightmare in even a little heat. But it's striking to see someone repping the Pachuco aesthetic in the modern world. What I didn't know until I started researching for this article, is that Zoot Suits originally were a Black thing before they were a Chicano thing, first becoming prominent in Black comedy shows in the 1920’s. While the specifics differ between our cultures the tendency to wear a bulky, flamboyant, high waisted, suit that looks like a nightmare in even a little heat is shared.

During the 1940’s, while World War 2 was ongoing, Zoot Suits were declared unpatriotic by the government due to the excessive use of fabric, which was deemed to be needed for the war. This rationing caused many people to adopt much more modest clothing as a show of support for the war, the Pachuco, however, did not.

The name “Zoot Suits Riots” brings to mind an image of a bunch of Pachucos smashing windows for some undisclosed, presumably civil rights adjacent, reason. In reality it was a bunch of American Servicemen assaulting and stripping Chicano Men, Teens, and Boys in the street as well as beating them for the crime of not aligning with the will of a hostile social order that produced these very conditions. Many Chicanos were jailed for the instance but no servicemen were. The servicemen took personal offense to the Chicanos refusing to comply with the state and took action of their own. Effectively by deeming a certain way of life as unnatural or unpatriotic, the state was able to manufacture an early form of Stochastic Terrorism in which, Servicemen, encouraged by newspapers they read took a culture war issue into their own hands.

Contraband and the War Production Board

During World War 2 the War Production Board was formed to oversee the distribution of resources in the US making sure important resources were used for things like tanks, guns, uniforms, etc. To achieve this they opted to outright ration how much materials could be utilized in non-war effort productions and effectively banned the production of some things entirely. One such item was the Zoot Suit due to its high use of fabric. But beyond that there was no federal ban on wearing a Zoot Suit. However, many people opted to wear modest clothing as an act of Performative Patriotism so no one could forget they support the American Soldiers in the war.

As you can imagine people without rights in this country, many of whom were forced to serve as well or were active in manufacturing products for the war out of material necessity, did not feel the same patriotism towards the US that whites did. So, why would they comply with an aesthetic order that amounts essentially to a dress code for the honor of a state that hates you. The continued wearing of Zoot Suits was a defiant act and that's why it was despised by white Americans. There's nothing inherently unpatriotic about a certain suit, but that didn't stop American Servicemen from leaping into action and committing state violence for free.

Trans Bodies as Contraband

A parallel I've seen in the modern world, in which certain people are declared unpatriotic is the the so-called “trans issue” which magically didn't exist until 2016. With the state trying to legislate trans people out of existence it feels like the Zoot Suit ban, a meaningless move more meant to signal a distaste than anything practical. The state can ban gender affirming care that's fine I will DIY, the state can ban AMAB people from wearing women's clothing, that's fine I will anyways, the state can mandate I use the men's restroom that's fine I'll go make everyone uncomfortable even if it puts my life in danger. But that's the point isn't it?

The State does not care about bathrooms. The bathroom is merely the theater of enforcement. Just as the violent servicemen did not care about fabric, the legislature does not care about women's sports. They care about defining a 'Standard Citizen' and deputizing the public to hunt down anyone who deviates from that standard. The State engages in Stochastic Terrorism to enforce gender normativity on every level because they don't want us to feel safe and don't want to have to directly destroy us themselves. But that's crazy isn't it?

State Mandated Violence

Many people on the anti-trans side even have encouraged lynch mobs against Trans Women which is why we now have a phenomenon of Cis Women being harassed in bathrooms on account of being tall, having short hair, or having a deep voice.

There is even a statistical correlation between anti-trans rhetoric and anti-trans violence.¹ Just as labelling a Zoot Suit unpatriotic and essentially banning it from public life rhetorically, the state manifested their desired result, the public enforcing their beliefs on their behalf. The same can be said for anti-immigrant rhetoric. It is not a coincidence that while the Republican Party is promoting things like great replacement theory school shooters are citing it in their manifestos. State rhetoric begets extralegal violence. This is what I mean by Stochastic Terrorism.

Why Scapegoat Us?

At a time where food prices are at an all time high, housing is unaffordable, the job market sucks, and everyone is tired, why are we focusing on groups like Trans People and immigrants? It's because these things are no longer within the State’s control. These things will get worse and worse as the system built by the capitalist class collapses under it's own contradictions.

The actions of the Neo-Liberal era have essentially doomed us all and the state has lost control of the wheel. So instead of putting bandaid fixes on the situation to dampen the impact they've opted to pretend the problem doesn't exist at all. Instead, that immigrant working in a field for less than minimum wage is why you can't get a job. Instead of addressing male violence, that Trans Woman is the real predator, you just need a man to keep you safe from yourself you poor stupid woman. It's all a distraction in the purest form.

We now see two different ways of life reduced to illegality over perceptions of purity. In a similar way to conservative politicians trying to legislate my body and how I can and can not present the solution to the Zoot Suit Riots was a ban on the Zoot Suit in Los Angeles county. Not a condemnation of the Servicemen but a statement that amounts to, “It’s for your own good, just stop.” But I guess during the Zoot Suit Riots, there were probably “fine people on both sides.”

It Was Never About Fabric

The Zoot Suit Ban was a ban on a way of life, not a ban on wastefulness. Simultaneously, attempted bans on Trans Healthcare are a ban on a way of life, not a solution to Cis Male violence. Trans People have exist forever so to think that we just started using bathrooms in 2016 is insane. What do you think we were doing before that? For the time being the Trans Issue is a crazy distraction, a crazy distraction with very real consequences that will continue to escalate. But, for some groups this is life or death. Let's talk about the elephant in the room.

If you had the misfortune of having to immigrate here you now face the risk of deportation or possibly worse by an American Gestapo which has essentially been formed by deputizing the most worthless shills society has to offer, people after the sign on bonus, people empowered by hatred and bigotry, and people who are willing to just follow orders to the bitter end. The state has now formalized its own hateful rhetoric and Stochastic Terrorism.

By fomenting a fear of immigrants the state created a situation where enough people are willing to give state violence a pass to deal with them. In this instance the state’s passive engagement in violent rhetoric has passed from just encouraging violent actors to a full on Nazi death squad at the personal control of Trump himself.

In Conclusion

At times like this it's important to live defiantly. If you're Queer, a POC, an Immigrant, etc. it's now more important than ever for you to live and live loud. We will not be forced into submission or silence no matter how many times they try. But more important than anything else we must remember this radical spirit can not die with Trump.

At the end of his time whether he dies of old age or his term ends there will be a collective sigh of relief and a desire to drop our guard, but we can't do this. The Biden presidency was essentially just that, we thought Trump was gone and felt a peace that has since been shaken. The Biden era was a sedative. It was the illusion that the machine had stopped grinding, when it had only quieted down. We cannot afford to be sedated again. Whether the boot is red or blue, it is still on our neck. Existence is resistance, fuck ICE, and be gay, do crime.

1. ACLED Fact Sheet on Anti-LGBT Mobilization Rise: Finds an uptick in Anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric correlates with Anti-LGBTQ+ violence.

ACLU Impact of Anti-Trans Laws Research Brief: Finds that Anti-Trans legislation immediately correlates to Anti-Trans violence.