15. Leading An All-Female Life Sometimes Means Resorting To Anarchy and Homelessness
We have all heard of stories about “hobos”, or men who chose to be homeless in order to travel the rails. For a while, they were even sort of envied by normal society, because these guys were totally free of responsibility. In popular cultural stereotypes, you never see a female “hobo”, because this lifestyle was simply too dangerous for women. Even today, when we see a homeless woman, it feels extra tragic, and they usually get help right away, because they are often far more vulnerable to violence when they live on the streets. However, some female groups choose homelessness over living in society.
In Oahu, Hawaii, a woman named Twinkle Borge runs an all-female homeless encampment called “The Harbor”. They do not receive welfare or any other kind of government assistance, because they don’t believe in abiding by the rules of the U.S. government. White people are not allowed to live there, either, and the community is made up of native Hawaiian women, and their children.
They function very much like a native tribe. Each woman has her own tent and land that she is required to keep neat and tidy. They plant fruits, vegetables, and herbs, and gather water. A few of the women have jobs, but they cannot afford normal housing. Some of the women have a criminal history or are recovering addicts, and that’s why they chose to live at The Harbor.
Instead of money, the women work on a barter system. Whenever someone needs something, they trade their goods with one another, instead of using money. If there is a disagreement in the group, women are not allowed to disturb the community with their toxic cat fighting. Twinkle takes them out to “the ring” which is a bare patch of dirt set aside for fist-fights. During an interview with a YouTube channel called WeAreChange, Twinkle said that she believes that God has his eyes on The Harbor, because she has seen the community help so many women from horrible situations turn their lives around, quit drugs, and become better people.