Needle n’ Bitch believe every individual
is cool without gender stereotyping.
Needle n’ Bitch believe every individual
is sexy without consumptive.
Needle n’ Bitch believe every individual
have free autonomy over their own body.
Needle n’ Bitch believes every individual
is a rebel!

NnB profile

Who are we?
Needle n’ Bitch is a safe space for wmyn/men/trans or whatever you define your sex, sexual orientation and gender identity. Not only a physical space, but also a place, situation, and condition we create to provide safe, secure, and comfort feeling for anyone who are not able to access it in this sexist, patriarchal, and homophobic society.
Needle n’ Bitch is an effort, initiative, and spirit to create more friendly and safe space among our little ‘society’. We invite friends to support these issues and participate actively, together hand in hand building solidarity.

Needle n’ Bitch also the label of our DIY recycle handmade which we create to support our collective needs since we stand autonomously without support from NGO’s or other fundings. We make handmade recycle crafts such as totebags, pouch, note book, journal, bumbag, apron, patches, tees, etc with reused materials (fabrics and papers).

Why Needle n’ Bitch?
Some friends asked us about the word ‘bitch’ we use, most of them feel offended and uncomfortable with the word because it contains negative meaning. But we have to say proudly “Yeah we’re those
bitches”. In our society, wmyn with tattoo, smoking, dress whatever we like, not married, share house together with men, will directly and easily judge as BITCH. We try to deconstruct those perspectives by showing that these bitches has something more than you thought.

Why we need safe space?

It is obvious for us who’ve treated as ‘second’ sex in the middle of discriminative, patriarchal, and sexist society, every single word and act we take were harassed, ignored, misunderstood, discriminated, etc.
Generally we are facing constant, structural and systematical repression in our life which came in many forms and layers. We’re seen as unimportant being, helpless, powerless. It’s very difficult for
us to express our self, to show our emotion, passion, feeling, and honest without feeling insecure, dominated, and repressed. We are forced to obey and follow the ‘standard’ and ‘normality’ which created by the society, culture, state, advertisement, religion, and capitalism.
Our space is not for wmyn only, whoever you are; men, women, transgender, queers, whatever you define your identity, sexual orientation and preference is; hetero, gay, bisexual, mono, poly, etc,
you are welcome to share with us. You can express your mind and feeling freely and open, express your experiences, thoughts, opinion, ideas or whatever that you’ve kept inside and not able to deliberate in other places because you’ve been judged as immoral, sinner, not normal, freak.
We are using skill share as one medium to learn together such as sewing, making craft, screenprinting and anything with DIY culture. We talks and discuss various issues starting from feelings, politics
(environment, farmers and agrarian struggle etc), sexuality, anger, and bed. We also held discussions, campaign, workshops, information distribution about gender awareness, reproductive and
sexuality health, through various medium.

Activities:

DIY studio (screenprinting, sewing and crafts production)
Alternative library
Crafts production and distribution with wmyn’s, sexuality, body authority, autonomy, DIY culture, and politics issues
Info sheet; in each craft we create, we include some information such as menstrual calendar, safe abortion hotline, etc
Bitching; skill shares together with discussion about sexuality, relationship, politics, etc
Tabling; selling our crafts and mini library in various events or in public spaces
Workshops; free skill share in events or communities
Zine and flyers; we’ve made ‘Sister Be Strong’ zine, a compilation of personal stories from friends with sexual abusive and repression experiences, struggles to defend their rights on their body and autonomous decision.
‘Crafty Queer’ zine about queer forum and issues, and ‘Kaplok Balik’ zine about self defense taken from our self defense class.
Translation of closed related issues into Indonesian language
Campaigns (film screening, workshop on sexuality issues, sharing session, discussion, exhibition, postering, social media, etc)
Self defense class
Crafty Queer; fluid LGBTQ forum from various backgrounds, combine theory/discussion to creativity (DIY artworkshops; collage, stencil, poster, etc)
Women Safe Space
Unplanned Pregnancy helpline
Kesprolution (sexual health division; education, workshop & regular check)
“Pembelot” DIY Menstrual Pack; produce and distribute handmade washable menstrual pads and info pack (’Datang Bulan’ zine about menstruation, pattern and how to make and take care your own mens pad)
Reusable Menstrual Pads Workshop; hold workshop how to make reusable mens pad, and womyn health for students, communities and rural women