Giving a Face to Black Queer Identity
“….through the austerity of the black and white photograph, Muholi depicts her subjects as sublime overturning negative stereotypes of queer identity and embracing the identity of the dyke by making these subjects her muses. In doing so, she celebrates her subjects and so infuses them with an innate strength. They become moving in not only in their plight but also in their convictions. The simple act of being photographed is brave on the part the artist and also on the part of her subjects, and their willingness to be revealed is a testament to their steadfastness.”
Becoming Visible: The First Black Lesbian Conference, San Francisco (1980)
paper
screenprint23 in HIGH x 17.5 in WIDE
(58.42 cm HIGH x 44.45 cm WIDE)
source: Oakland Museum of California, “All of Us or None” archive project.
(via jalylah)
Source: wardellfranklin
Difficult Dialogues Around Marriage Equality
Since my (re)posting and celebrating the issues raised in Llanor Alleyne’s TheLoop21.com’s Some People of Color Aren’t Wedded to the Idea of Gay Marriage article onTumblr, Facebook, and Twitter, I’ve received several personal notes basically questioning my belief in Marriage Equality.
Personally, I’m in favor of marriage equality for anyone who wants to get married, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. I’m enraged that something so fundamental isn’t a federal law; and we have to do this state by state by state. It’s egregious and should be unacceptable. At the same time, I’m very aware that marriage equality doesn’t mean FREEDOM for LGBT people. As a Black feminist lesbian, I don’t want to have to get married to get health insurance. WTF?!?! That should be a right for all… And, I’m aware that health insurance isn’t the only benefit received in marriage. I’m only using that as an example because so many people point to it.
My issue and concern is the inherent racism in the mainstream LGBT movement(S)… I think we can and should celebrate the victories while also holding folks accountable for their ongoing racist marginalization in the name of ending oppression. I view Llanor’s article as one way (not the only way) to hold folks accountable… I’m appreciative of her presenting dissenting voices. No, her article doesn’t speak for everyone, but it does speak for many whose voices aren’t usually heard in this discussion, most especially in the mainstream media.
It reminds me of the (now) age-old discussion on the word feminist, an identity which I PROUDLY claim. At the same time, I know many Black, Latina, Asian, Arab, Indigenous women who wouldn’t be caught dead using that term and it’s not because they don’t believe in gender equality, or because their succumbing to patriarchy/sexism. It’s because of the herstorical and contemporary reality of racism in the mainstream (read, white) feminist movement. While I don’t agree with their assessment, I understand the place from which they stand.
If there aren’t spaces for us to have these sometimes painfully difficult dialogues, then we will not get anywhere… We need to have spaces for dialogue between dissenting voices with the goal of getting people to consider different opinions… The goal is not to be right, at least I strive for it not to be with me. The goal should be to change people’s behavior.
Source: afrolez
Some People of Color Aren't Wedded to the Idea of Gay Marriage
My ambivalence about gay marriage is an echo of things past and reflects an unexpressed feeling that, as a gay woman of color, I am still separate from the larger collective of gay people often featured as the face of the movement. On June 25, the day after the gay marriage bill passed in New York, many of the celebration photos posted on television news programs and on the Internet showed ecstatic, glowing white faces. A perusal of the background of these images showed a scant smattering of brown faces among the crowd. Being part of a minority group—black lesbians—I felt even farther away from what was a genuine political victory for the larger gay community… -Llanor Alleyne
The Daughters of Bilitis began as a small private social group for lesbian couples in 1955. Members quickly decided to expand their activities to the larger underground lesbian community. Unable to advertise their meetings in the newspaper, founding members Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon developed a newsletter that eventually grew into The Ladder (pictured above).
Advertized as “A Woman’s Organization for the purpose of Promoting the Integration of the Homosexual into Society,” the Daughters of Bilitis became a national organization with chapters in major cities. Chapter meetings were places where a woman could candidly discuss her sexual confusion, look for a new girlfriend, and dance on a Saturday night. The group was open to all women and its name referenced an obscure Sapphic poem, providing women a place to be open without being exposed.
Internal conflict and the development of feminist groups weakened the influence of the Daughters of Bilitis and the national organization disbanded in 1970. The Ladder continued publication until 1973 when it folded.
Thanks to vvf for the suggestion.
(via upfromsumdirt)
Source: coolchicksfromhistory
Move to tackle racism on the gay scene
An initiative happening in England. And predictably the comments are awful. ARGGH!!!
Basically some white queers think it’s OK to be racist because communities of colour are more homophobic than white people.
And also I’m so sick of white people from other oppressed groups saying well what about such and such group when there is an anti-racist initiative or when people of colour speak up about racism.
It assumes that all people from the other oppressed groups are white.
It assumes that all people of colour who are queer are not oppressed in other ways.
It just doesn’t give the space to tackle racism.
Thus whiteness is the universal. And saying well what about this oppression in the face of an anti-racist act allows the white person to be righteous on the basis of exclusions—but actually they don’t give a fuck about racism, THEY are the ones being excluding and not willing to engage with the issue at hand: racism—while people of colour are expected to measure up to a yardstick of perfect intersectionality.
It’s derailing under the guise of a superficial intersectionality.
I think lots of white people actual abuse what intersectionality stands for. And I’m over it.
(via brownpeople)
Source: leonineantiheroine
Immigrants
wrap their babies in the American flag,
feed them mashed hot dogs and apple pie,
name them Bill and Daisy,
buy them blonde dolls that blink blue
eyes or a football and tiny cleats
before the baby can even walk,
speak to them in thick English,
hallo, babee, hallo,
whisper in Spanish or Polish
when the babies sleep, whisper
in a dark parent bed, that dark
parent fear, “Will they like
our boy, our girl, our fine American
boy, our fine American girl?”
(via brownpeople)
Source: sinidentidades
“I got married, I came out publicly. But I had to, you know? I mean it was like gays can get married, yay! Prop 8, I’m a second-class citizen, what the fuck?! As a black woman, I’m really low on the chain, but as a GAY black woman, I’m even lower! There are so many things I’ve had to do as a gay person that I don’t have to do as a black person. I didn’t have to come out black to my parents. Can you imagine that? ‘Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you about something. I just want to tell you, I’m black.’ ‘What?!’ ‘I’m black, that’s just the way it is.’ ‘Oh Lord, oh, anything but black! Give her cancer Lord! Anything but black! You know what, you’ve been hanging around black people too much. And they got you thinking you black.’ ‘No Ma, it’s just the way I am, I was born this way.’ ‘Oh, don’t give me that! The bible says Adam and Eve, not Adam and Mary J. Blige!’ ‘I’m sorry, It’s just how I am.’ ‘What did I do? What did I do? I let you watch Soul Train! Was it Soul Train?’ ‘No Ma, it wasn’t Soul Train…’
— Wanda Sykes
Source: nowmybutthurts
Source: Flickr / languisity
Comic DeAnne Smith has created a video that underscores the clichés lesbian relationships often fall into. The dialogue, robotic and almost exhausted sounding, plays well with the tiresome notions and expectations of “An Honest Lesbian Relationship”, including the very hilarious line: “We will manifest a kitten from pure love & lint from our hemp socks.” (found on After Ellen)
Writer • Editor • Artist • Culture Junkie
