CHRIS KORDA: "At some point I'll probably kill myself"

Text by Diana Weis (Spex No. 381, ANTi – The Main Thing Against It, June 21, 2018)

At the turn of the millennium, Chris Korda was a techno-pop star and transgender activist. Today she develops software for 3D printers. However, her most passionate role remains that of Reverend in the Church Of Euthanasia, founded by Korda himself. There she preaches antinatalist virtues: suicide and the renunciation of reproduction. Why? For the love of civilization.

Chris Korda, your song "I Like To Watch" and the video made you famous in one fell swoop in 2003. Why didn't you release any more records after that?

I can't top this piece anymore. I managed to piss off practically the entire planet with a single track. After that, it seemed smarter to get out of the spotlight. On top of that, I no longer wanted to wear a dress and stand around in nightclubs.

It's a shame actually.

The idea of my label International Deejay Gigolos was to bring glamor back to techno. I was the perfect product for that. But I also found it disrespectful to be restricted to this one trick. I also have to earn a living, which was impossible as an electronic musician. I never saw a cent for all the records that were sold back then.

Wasn't the dress you appeared in also a symbol of your trans identity?

I have done my part. I was in public as a trans person. Today the topic is mainstream, so I'm hardly interested in it anymore. I don't care if you say "she", "he" or "it" to me. Veganism and antinatalism seem far more important to me.

What projects did you focus on after retiring from show business?

For example, I have developed 3D printer software for unusual ceramic objects, which I will also be presenting in Berlin in August. All my programs are free. Unfortunately, they are so special that there is hardly any market for them. But that's not the point. I would like to invite the machine to take part in the artistic design process. I'm not interested in what she can do more effectively than humans. I'm interested in what she can do that humans can't.

Your Church Of Euthanasia website now functions only as an archive.

The church is more relevant than ever, but we have become more cautious. The political climate in the USA has changed. We could no longer do public actions. If I were to stand at a demonstration today with the sign "Eat a queer fetus for Jesus," I would be beaten up by neo-Nazis. Of course, slogans like this were pure Dadaism. I deliberately chose these means to generate attention for the church's concerns. Because the message remains relevant: Stop reproducing! There are already far too many of us.

If taken to its logical conclusion, the renunciation of reproduction leads to the extinction of humanity. Would Earth then be a better place?

People never understood that my slogan was "Save the planet, kill yourself!" was meant as a joke. The planet doesn't need to be saved, it's made of rock. The Earth will continue to exist for billions of years, and there will probably always be life on it. Maybe bacteria or lizards. What needs to be saved is humanity. Or rather: civilization.

An anti-humanist defending civilization?

Today I would describe myself as a post-anti-humanist. Civilization has produced great things: philosophy, literature, music. It would be sad if nothing remained.

How do you convince someone to join the Church Of Euthanasia today?

Everyone should ask themselves: Do I really care what happens to humanity after my death? Anyone who answers this question with [no] is better off with the Republicans. They don't know the common good. They only care about enriching themselves in their lifespan. "Fuck the future!" should be their campaign slogan for 2020. The Church, on the other hand, is about selflessness. You have to make the sacrifice of suppressing your biological instinct to reproduce so that future generations have any chance of continuing to live on our planet.

Do you sometimes think about leaving the USA?

I think about it often. On the one hand, I don't want to leave, I have my roots here. On the other hand, I'm afraid of missing the right moment. The people of the Third Reich certainly also believed that reason would prevail in the end. The next day their doors were kicked down and they were put in the camp. I'm really convinced that something like this could happen here soon. Most people in the United States are mentally ill. They believe that the dinosaurs lived with Adam and Eve for 3,000 years. How should one discuss with such people?

I don't think you're a misanthrope at all. You actually love people.

That's probably true. I just try to be a good role model. I'm vegan, I've never reproduced, and at some point I'll probably kill myself. Just to show people.

The preceding is a translation. The original language is here.