#educate and advocate

[wellhealthhub]

Gluten Allergy Symptoms Adults: Unveiling the Hidden Culprit

Explore a comprehensive guide to understand and manage gluten allergy symptoms in adults. From digestive discomfort to neurological challenges, learn how to identify and address these symptoms effectively. Introduction: Unmasking Gluten Allergy Symptoms In a world where dietary concerns are increasingly at the forefront of health discussions, the spotlight shines brightly on gluten – a protein…

[captainjonnitkessler]

What's your feelings on landback?

It's complicated! Especially since "landback" is used as an extremely vague catch-all term for a wide variety of action.

Some people define it as defending and expanding sovereignty over the land already controlled by indigenous tribes, forcing the US government to uphold its treaties, generally supporting and protecting indigenous cultures, and fighting for environmental protections and better stewardship of the earth, all of which I fully support.

Some people define it as "returning sovereignty of ancestral lands to the tribes who used to inhabit them" and tbqh I don't know how that's supposed to work. Kind of seems like any steps taken to ensure that native people retain control over the land/government would necessitate disenfranchising 98% of the country, and that seems pretty bad to me! And no, I don't think disenfranchising almost your entire population is an ethical or effective way to make reparations for past atrocities.

Most of the info I can find on the subject is very much style over substance and doesn't contain any actual plan of action, so it's hard to find concrete info on what the second group is actually proposing.

[serenhob]

I think people need to understand that 'fakers' are a much smaller issue to disabled people than 'fake claimers'

First of all a lot of people who 'fake' mental illness/neurodivergance are not 'faking it', they may not be neurodivergent/have a specific mental illness but most of the time they think they have do.

Faking normally implies a degree of awareness or malice but a lot are just relating to things that they are not fully informed of and coming to the conclusion that they are neurodivergen/disabled. Who/what does this effect?

Not a lot. There may be some misinformation (which obviously isn't good) but nothing overtly harmful to disabled people. To access any degree of accommodation you need a diagnosis so people aren't taking anything away because they will be denied.

And yes there are those select few people who do have awareness and malice in what they are doing, often to illicit sympathy and get money. It is these types of people who fake a physical disability in addition to mental and neurodivergence. But these are very rare.

Fake claimers however, are far more common and pervasive.

They are everywhere, they do it to actually disabled people. It is very disturbing to see in real life.

I have genuinely had strangers come up to me and say that I don't actually need my cane and try and take it off me. My own family members have taken my cane away from me and left me until they brought it back. I have had people tell me that when they push me and I fall that I made myself fall over. I have had people tell me that because I was able to hold onto my cane as they tried to take it away from me that I am lying about needing pencil grips. This is actively harmful.

And it not only happens with the people around you but with those there to help disabled people.

Due to personal bias there are professionals who say that you dont look disabled/autistic/neurodivergent/etc just because you do not present in a certain way (particularly with neurodivergent people who are denied for not being a 6 year old boy because that's how they think its 'supposed' to look).

Women and people of colour have been denied and misdiagnosed with conditions like hysteria, Bpd and anxiety disorders or, if it is physical, stress, hormones, periods, etc in place of the disability they actually have all because their conditions research was focused on white men/boys.

Ambulatory wheelchair users are told they don't need a wheelchair because they are not paralysed. Ignoring the fact that people use the mobility aid that suits them instead of being denied because they don't 'suit' the mobility aid.

If disability does not look how people initially imagined suddenly its not a disability at all.

It is a systemic and social issue that persists and is made worse by people getting upset over some random girl on tiktok saying she has Adhd.

If you do not like people being ill informed then advocate for education.

Fake claiming is a big part of abelism that we ignore and that needs to change.

[thepersonalwords]

Entrepreneurs, let’s begin to turn our desire and design into reward.

K. Abernathy Can You Action Past Your Devil's Advocate

[gothcsz]

just a reminder that mississippi's state flag was the fucking confederate flag until 2020.... so this issue is more relevant than many of you can even fathom :)

[hellomynameisbisexual]

Bisexual Basics

— Karin Baker

THE MOST BASIC thing about bisexuality is that it unlinks what most cultures see as a fundamental connection: sex and gender. If you can understand that for some people sexual attraction is not tied to a specific gender, then you understand the most important thing about bisexuality.

At least in the United States, separating sexuality and gender is difficult. While public attention—negative and positive—has recently been focused on homosexuality, the idea that it is not the only alternative to heterosexuality is less often recognized. This is not surprising, given that here as in most western cultures, there is a tendency to organize concepts dualistically, to see only opposites.

Heterosexuality and homosexuality as related ideas are one example. Thus, even while homosexuality is not an acceptable alternative to heterosexuality for many people, it is clearly fixed in their minds as the other option. Few conceive that there could be a third option, or even a continuum of possibilities.

This or That

Bisexuals sometimes refer to society’s tendency to dichotomize as an “either/or” approach. You must be attracted to either women or men, be either heterosexual or homosexual—what bisexuals sometimes lump together and call “monosexual.” Similarly, in our society, no matter what your actual racial background, you are seen as either white, or a person of color.

In contrast, some of us see bisexuals as having an approach to sexuality that could be called “both/and.” We are heterosexual and homosexual, both at the same time—which actually adds up to something completely different.

The woman whose parents are respectively white and African American is not racially or culturally half one and half the other. She is a blending of the two, in which neither aspect can be separated out. Similarly, bisexuals are not “part” queer, or “part” straight—we are what we are.

The Continuum of Sexuality

Maybe the idea that sexual attraction actually falls on a continuum, rather than clumping around homosexuality and heterosexuality, seems obvious. As a bisexual person, it is certainly obvious to me. However, I have come to realize that some are confounded by the idea.

This inability to imagine that someone could truly be attracted to more than one gender is probably the origin of myths such as “bisexuals don’t really exist,” and “bisexuals just haven’t made up their minds yet.” For some, sex means desire for women or men, but never both.

In a recent example, a bisexual friend of mine overheard a conversation between a lesbian and a gay man in which both commented on how confused bisexuals were. One of them said, “sooner or later bisexuals have to make up their minds!”

I wish I’d been there to ask them, why? Can you explain the basis for your reasoning? Why can’t we have already made up our minds—to be bisexual?

It seems to be hard to escape the assumption that there are only two choices, and everyone must ultimately settle for one of them. I have never heard a logical argument, or any biological law that explains why this choice is so unavoidable.

I have an easier time with this when I think about how hard it is for me to grasp attraction to one gender only, whether gay/lesbian or straight attraction. Because sexuality and gender aren’t linked for me, I’m surprised when I hear about people who are only attracted to women, or only attracted to men.

As a feminist I can understand why some women would choose not to be with men. I can also see that a person might want something in a sexual relationship that is more typically found with one gender or the other. But how could one gender always fall outside the boundaries of sexual possibility?

I believe that it happens, because people tell me that it’s true for them. It’s just extremely hard to imagine.

In fact, we bisexuals have a tendency (which I resist in myself) to think that all people are potentially bisexual. If they haven’t acted on it yet, monosexuals must either be repressed, or they just haven’t found the “right man”/“right woman” yet.

I suppose this is the bisexual equivalent of the monosexual perception that bisexuals are just going through a phase and haven’t made up our minds yet.

Gender in Bisexual Attraction

Although gender is not a limiting factor for bisexuals, it does sometimes play a role in bisexual attraction.

Some bisexuals that I know are attracted to women and men for gender-specific reasons. For instance, they like women because they see them as: easy to talk to, or nurturing, or soft and curvy; and they like men because they find them: straightforward, or more assertive, or hard and muscular (or some such gendered reasons).

So in this case, gender is part of the formula, but not a limiting factor.

Other bisexuals I have spoken with are also attracted to women and men differently, but they turn the previous specifications upside down. These bis say they find they like butch women and effeminate men. In a way this comes down to appreciating people to the extent that they escape genderedness.

But there are also many bis, such as myself, for whom gender has no place in the list of things that attract them to a person. For instance, I like people who are good listeners, who understand me and have interests similar to mine, and I am attracted to people with a little padding here and there, who have fair skin and dark hair (although I’m pretty flexible when it comes to looks).

“Male” or “female” are not anywhere to be found in the list of qualities I find attractive.

Monosexual Misconceptions

Bisexuals in the United States often experience hostility from lesbians and gay men, as in the incident described above. Lesbians and gay men, like heterosexuals, are often uncomfortable with breaking out of a dualistic way of looking at things.

Bisexuals blur boundaries thought to be fixed in stone, and this is disturbing.

Actually, bisexuals may appear to pose a more direct threat for lesbians and gay men than this general social disturbance. Lesbians and gay men who a in our society have almost always gone through a long process of leaving their family and heterosexual friends, as they leave the closet.

The community that rejected them is replaced by the one they join when they come out; the lesbian and gay community becomes their new family and friends, the place where they feel security and belonging.

Bisexuals who pop up in their new community blur its boundaries, making it feel less safe, less apart from the rejecting heterosexual community. Especially for those who believe that a bisexual has a fifty-fifty chance of finally choosing heterosexuality, a bisexual may well appear as the enemy within their midst.

Bisexuals often face misconceptions shared by lesbians, gay men, and heterosexual people. One of these is mentioned above: that bisexuals are confused people who havent made up their minds yet.

Undoubtedly some bisexuals are in a transitional phase between heterosexuality and homosexuality, but this is not necessarily so. And even when it is true, why should transition be seen as problematic?

Another common myth is that bisexuals are not committed to the struggle against queer oppression. Like many stereotypes, this may have some basis in reality. There are bisexuals who stay in the closet, who gravitate toward opposite gender relationships, marriage, and whatever else it takes to fit in.

Of course, many gay men and lesbians also never make it out of the closet. In fact, the lesbian and gay movement has always included bisexuals. Some have been openly bi, while others haven’t felt it worth the struggle to be open in the face of disapproval from the community that is so important to them.

Today, some bisexuals, like some gay men and lesbians, are not interested in getting involved in political struggle, but many others are very active within the queer community.

Another misconception is the idea that to be bisexual you must be sleeping with both women and men, and along with this, probably cheating on your partner. This is like saying that you cannot call yourself a lesbian (or gay, or straight) if you are single and celibate.

I believe that you’re bisexual (homosexual, heterosexual) if that’s what you call yourself. Your orientation stays the same, you still feel attraction, whatever your current actions.

Now it’s true, there are bisexuals who feel more fulfilled if they have relationships with a woman and a man. Some of these may have an agreement with their partner(s), and some not, but bisexuals are not the only sexual orientation where unorthodox relationships can be found, or where some cheat on their partners.

Bisexual Oppression?

A lesbian once told me that bisexuals experience oppression only to the extent that we “are homosexual.” She used this as an argument for leaving the name “bisexual” off titles of marches, community centers, newspapers, etc.

Who is included in group names has been a controversy for years (going back at least to the time when including the word “lesbian” was controversial because “gay” could supposedly count for both).

I don’t agree that bisexuals face only homosexual oppression. It’s true that when we are in same-sex relationships, one of the things we experience is heterosexism (and also, in our opposite sex relationships we do not as directly face the oppression gay men and lesbians face, although if we are openly bisexual we never completely escape heterosexism).

However, bisexuals confront forms of oppression that lesbians and gay men do not. Bisexual oppression includes compulsory monosexuality and the invisibility that is a result of monosexism. We are made invisible when people can’t conceive of sexual attraction that isn’t tied to one gender or the other, thereby denying our existence.

Even face to face, there is nothing about us that says we’re bisexual—if we’re with the same gender it’s assumed we’re lesbian/gay, and we must be straight if our partner is of the opposite gender.

Unless we happen to be holding hands and kissing a woman and a man simultaneously, an either/or way of seeing things means most people will automatically categorize us as either homosexual or heterosexual. This is monosexism at work.

In recent years some things have changed for bisexuals in the United States. We have started to find each other and form organizations and small communities. Conferences happen regularly in different parts of the country, and a national network exists.

Books about bisexuals multiply, as we tell our stories and develop theories about how we fit in. Much to the discomfort of some lesbians and gay men, we have been increasing the pressure to have our presence within the queer community acknowledged.

It seems inevitable that we will have an impact on how the people of this country view sexuality. Will this go further and affect the fundamental tendency toward dualistic categorizing, the either/or mindset?

[respect-the-locals]

🐢Daily Sea Turtle Fact:🐢

Olive Ridley Sea Turtle: The olive ridley gets its name from the olive green color of its heart-shaped shell. The species is among the smallest of the world’s sea turtles and is found primarily in the tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian, and Atlantic oceans. Similar to Kemp's Ridleys, large groups of turtles gather offshore of nesting beaches. Then, all at once, vast numbers of turtles come ashore and nest in what is known as an "arribada" which means "arrival" in Spanish. During these arribadas, hundreds to thousands of females come ashore to lay their eggs.

[chronicsymptomsyndrome]

Nobody:

Mental health influencers: Todays topic is c-ptsd :) common causes include a narcissist abused you and definitely didn’t feel bad about it because that’s what they do aren’t they sooo evil!!! beware!!!! and I guess there could be other less common causes too idk

[wellhealthhub]

Gluten Symptoms Intolerance: Unveiling the Hidden Effects

In a world where dietary preferences and health considerations intertwine, the spotlight on gluten intolerance continues to grow brighter. This is not merely a dietary trend; it’s a matter of understanding and accommodating a condition that impacts countless lives. Welcome to a comprehensive journey through the landscape of gluten symptoms intolerance—a realm where awareness meets empowerment,…

[squishymochithethird]

My mom was going on and on about how “far left” and “radical” Tim Walz is and I finally listened to some of his points and.

He’s one of the most reasonable politicians I’ve heard in a very long time. I’m surprised she doesn’t like him tbh, he’s kind of the perfect democrat for someone like her??

[dewitty1]

Legendary sex therapist Dr Ruth dead at age 96

The legendarily frank sex therapist and cultural icon Dr Ruth Westheimer, known simply as Dr Ruth, has died at the age of 96, according to her publicist.

Westheimer died on Friday at her home in New York City, surrounded by her family.

Westheimer never advocated risky sexual behavior. Instead, she encouraged an open dialogue on previously closeted issues that affected her audience of millions. Her one recurring theme was there was nothing to be ashamed of.

“I still hold old-fashioned values and I’m a bit of a square,” she told students at Michigan City high school in 2002. “Sex is a private art and a private matter. But still, it is a subject we must talk about.”

[soullessjack]

so you mean to tell me one of the most prominent villains of the X-men is an anti-mutant movement that parades itself as merely being pro-human and fighting against the objective evil of mutants, would gladly harm humans who sympathize with mutants, the spokesperson of which is a secret self-hating mutant himself who fear mongers against other mutants out of both shame and self-preservation because the ‘Friends of Humanity’ are essentially blood purists who would easily throw him into the wood chipper with all the other mutants for being merely related to their enemy if he wasn’t useful to their cause… and there’s still X-men fans who think it has absolutely nothing to do with civil rights or oppression???? There’s nothing allegorical about it whatsoever??? okay. Whatever you say

[andruail]

stop telling people what to do, its dnd, its not real & that serious.

ok don't know which post this is about since i haven't posted anything in a bit, so i'll just say that speaking up about whitewashing ireena and the biphobia/erasure towards strahd isn't wrong.

i'm not sorry that it has apparently made you or others uncomfortable. speaking up about these things is important even if others may disagree.

i'm not telling people "what to do" with their dnd. of course everyone has the right to their own personal autonomy, it's just important to recognise and understand that the individual choices you make can still perpetuate harmful societal norms and attitudes. yes, even in your private fake dnd game. addressing issues like racism and other forms of discrimination requires introspection and personal accountability because meaningful change begins within oneself and extends to interactions in public spheres.

i would consider and think very deeply about how your private actions align with your stated public values. maybe consider why there might be a disconnect. why do you (general 'you') claim to support LGBT rights, yet continue to perpetuate biphobia/erasure? maybe reflect on the underlying beliefs or biases that may be influencing your behaviour, and challenge yourself to align your actions more closely with the inclusive values you claim to publicly profess.

the same goes for whitewashing and racism. reflect on why there may be discrepancies between your public stance against racism and your private actions perpetuating whitewashing or racial stereotypes.

also the thing with dnd (and by extension, fiction itself) not being "that serious" (which i assume you mean 'not real' or 'not influencing real life') is like. a common misconception. i know it's a form of entertainment for most people, but like every other form of fictional entertainment, it often reflects and reinforces our societal attitudes, values, and norms. fiction can and does shape our perceptions, attitudes, and behaviours, influencing how we perceive ourselves, others, and the world around us.

what this means is if you're perpetuating harmful stereotypes or discriminatory portrayals in your fictional story or games, they can contribute to the normalisation of harmful attitudes and behaviours in real life. this is why it's always important to critically examine and challenge harmful media (dnd) representation and also critically examine yourself and where your own biases may come from.

btw many gothic horror works have used the genre to challenge societal norms and conventions. horror is not an excuse to engage in private bigotry. challenging societal norms in storytelling involves more than simply depicting violence or discrimination; it requires thoughtful examination and interrogation of power dynamics, systemic injustices, and the ways in which individuals and societies perpetuate or resist oppression.

[yamishika]

There’s a conversation that needs to be had—one that’s uncomfortable but necessary, and one I've been struggling with how to open up about until now.

Over the years, I’ve noticed an alarming trend: mental illness and trauma being used as justifications for toxic behaviour.

I wonder if you have noticed the same?

Instead of mental health discussions centering around awareness, healing, and support, they are often hijacked by individuals who weaponize their struggles to excuse manipulation, cruelty, and attention-seeking.

Mental illness is real. Trauma is real. And the way people process them isn’t always healthy, which is completely understandable. But neither gives anyone a free pass to mistreat others, refuse accountability, or act superior.

~

From Awareness to Entitlement: The Dark Side of Online Mental Health Culture

From what I’ve witnessed, certain patterns have become disturbingly common in online spaces.

Such as:

Stacking multiple severe disorders—even when their symptoms contradict each other.

Constantly shifting between victimhood and superiority—one minute they’re “the most broken,” the next they’re “more intuitive and enlightened than others.”

Using trauma (even serious trauma like SA) to justify toxic behavior—as if being hurt gives someone the right to hurt others.

Turning mental illness into an aesthetic—romanticizing harmful symptoms instead of working toward healing.

Hijacking every discussion to make it about themselves—no matter how irrelevant their experiences are to the topic at hand.

Glorifying toxic mindsets—claiming that “revenge is healing” or that their suffering makes them special.

None of this fosters real awareness about mental health. Instead, it turns it into a competition of who has suffered the most rather than a conversation about growth and recovery.

~

How Does This Hurt Mental Health Advocacy & Online Spaces?

1. It Spreads Misinformation

When mental illness is widely misrepresented online, it creates a warped perception of real conditions, leading to harmful stereotypes.

For example:

Those with BPD = are automatically characterised as manipulative and abusive.

Those with DID = are characterised quirky and or entertaining.

Those who experience psychosis = are feared as dangerous or viewed as mystical.

And the list goes on.

These generalizations overshadow the reality of these conditions and make it harder for real sufferers to be taken seriously.

2. It Excuses Harmful Behavior

Trauma and mental illness can explain why someone struggles, but they do not and will never excuse cruelty, manipulation, or entitlement.

Saying, “I can’t help it, I have [insert disorder]” is an incredibly toxic and limiting mindset.

Of course, there are individuals who struggle with impulse control, dissociation, or cognitive difficulties that make self-awareness and regulation difficult.

This post is not about them.

This is about those who intentionally misuse mental health labels to justify manipulative or harmful behaviors without any desire to improve or acknowledge the impact on others.

Mental illness does not make someone incapable of change. Accountability is still necessary, and using a diagnosis as a shield from consequences is harmful to both the individual and those around them.

3. It Romanticizes Pain Instead of Encouraging Healing

When suffering becomes an identity rather than something to work through, people stop seeking ways to improve. Healing starts to feel like a loss rather than a goal.

And let’s be real—some people even intentionally worsen their condition. Whether that be:

Feeding into unhealthy behaviors,

Rejecting any form of treatment, or

Even exaggerating their symptoms—

At some point, their illness becomes who they are, rather than something they manage.

And that’s where things get really dangerous.

Instead of encouraging healing, mental health spaces become places where people are praised for how much they suffer rather than how much they grow.

4. It Turns Online Spaces Into Toxic, Draining Environments

Instead of being places for support, mental health spaces often devolve into:

Excessive and inappropriate trauma dumping—where personal struggles are unloaded onto others with no regard for boundaries, leaving them feeling obligated to listen out of fear of seeming insensitive or uncaring.

Gatekeeping suffering—where people compete over who has it “the worst.”

Never-ending drama—where people spiral over who is more valid instead of how to get better.

Instead of fostering real progress, these spaces become echo chambers of dysfunction—and no one actually gets better.

~

The Biggest Issue: When Serious Trauma Is Used to Justify Anything

One of the most concerning things I’ve noticed is how people use their trauma to manipulate others. I’ve seen individuals use their past experiences to:

Guilt-trip others into supporting them, even when they’re toxic.

Shut down accountability by saying that questioning them = attacking a survivor (whether said outright or implied).

Weaponize their trauma against other victims—as if their pain gives them the right to dictate who gets to speak.

But the more trauma is used as a shield against criticism or a tool for attention, the less meaning it holds.

People start becoming desensitized—losing patience with those who turn trauma into a performance. Over time, it just becomes a buzzword or a red flag in conversations, something people avoid to steer clear of drama.

As a result, those who genuinely want to speak up barely get the chance. No one wants to listen anymore—not because their stories don’t matter, but because others have already exploited the platform.

And because of this, the seriousness of trauma gets lost in all the noise, making it harder for real conversations to happen.

Before I go further, I just want to clarify something important:

No one is denying that trauma is real and deeply impacts people. But being hurt does not give someone the right to hurt others.

This is a conversation we need to have, not to shame, but to encourage real healing.

~

The Damage Being Caused to Real Mental Health Awareness

Now onto my final points on why excusing toxic behaviors under the guise of mental health is so damaging:

• It Makes People Skeptical of Actual Sufferers. When too many people fake or exaggerate conditions, real sufferers face more scrutiny and disbelief. Those with the likes of say BPD, PTSD, or psychosis etc already deal with stigma—this just makes it worse.

• It Makes Real Sufferers Doubt Their Own Struggles. So many people with mental illness already struggle with imposter syndrome. They wonder, “Is my pain valid? Am I even sick enough to count?”

When exaggerated, performative portrayals become the loudest voices, and those with quieter struggles start to feel invisible.

• It Discourages People from Seeking Help. If trauma is treated like an identity rather than something treatable, people start to think that healing = losing who they are.

• It Turns Suffering Into a Status Symbol. Instead of encouraging healing, online spaces become a race to the bottom over who has suffered the most.

~

Final Thoughts

Mental illness and trauma deserve to be taken seriously—and that’s exactly why they should never be used to justify toxic behavior.

Conversations about mental health should be about genuine education, support, and healing—not a free pass to be cruel, manipulative, or entitled.

If we want mental health spaces to truly help people, we need to be willing to call out harmful behaviors that weaken the integrity of these conversations. Enabling toxicity in the name of mental health doesn’t protect sufferers—it hurts them.

This isn’t about blaming people who struggle. Everyone has difficulties, and healing isn’t easy. But true support means fostering growth, accountability, and honesty.

Growth—encouraging people to work toward healing, not remain stuck. Accountability—recognizing that struggles explain behavior, but don’t excuse harm. Honesty—having real conversations about mental health without distortion or performative suffering.

Mental health advocacy should always be about helping people move forward, not keeping them trapped in cycles of toxicity.

This post isn’t about invalidating trauma—it’s about holding people accountable for how they treat others, regardless of their struggles. Thank you for reading. I hope this post has given you something to think about and take away.

[bandzboy]

Just want to give a heads-up to stays that user @/yong-bokie is a zionist!

https://www.tumblr.com/yong-bokie/749836529410686976/um-false-have-you-not-seen-the-videos-of-hamas

oh hell no!! please block this person especially because in this post they are harassing someone that is trying to educate others about palestine

[martyrbat]

what’s your favorite book you’ve read this year??? i gotta pick up something new!!

what a lovely question to receive! im so sorry for the delayed response and that i dont know your taste in books (please feel free to dm me anytime and talk about them!) but i really enjoyed The Gilda Stories to the point i've read it three times within the same month!

its a 1991 novel forcing on a Black lesbian that escapes enslavement and eventually becomes a vampire by two lesbians. each chapter being about a different time period in her life [1850, 1890, 1921, 1971, 1981, 2020, 2050]!

i dont want to give too much away if you havent read it yet but the writing is so enchanting and Jewelle Gomez's style is one of my favorites. its simultaneously melancholic and comforting, holding onto the message of how important hope for tomorrow is despite the current state of today and that community is needed not only for survival but for actual living—that those connections is what makes life truly fulfilling. i've underlined so many little lines in almost every passage (when not underlining the entire passage itself!) because i just love gilda herself as well as how her motivations, desires, and resilience is written and explored. plus i find the way vampires and how they function to be such a beautiful idea and so creative :) i really hope you read it and enjoy it as much as i have!! <33

from the afterword:

“Jewelle Gomez says that she modeled her first book of poems The Lipstick Papers after Lorde’s early publications, and was inspired by that vampire who appears on the very last page of From a Land Where Other People Live. Lorde asks whether the black community is ready for a black woman who defies limitations, and Gomez responds with Gilda, a black woman who moves across time and space, navigating different eras in black creative community. Gomez provides depth and flesh to the nightmares of narrow-minded people who police the definition of blackness, and steals back the power and threat of black feminine difference. In other words, if the definitions of blackness, femininity, and queerness are death in the eyes of the dominant culture, Gomez offers another way of being black, queer, and feminine by creating the undead.

Policy makers are afraid of the black woman who keeps her family alive without access to food, but here is Gilda, living on wine and dreams in the dark. Black nationalists are afraid of the black woman who can be a man when she needs to be, but here she is wearing britches and sprinting through the Midwest. The white feminist movement is afraid of a black woman in control of her sexuality, but here is a black woman who can run a brothel and kill a rapist with the same skills. Black women are afraid that expressing their power will leave them isolated and alone, but here is a black woman who wrestles for generations with the need for space and intimacy, interdependence and agency. Black artists are ready to produce a poetics that is more than a reaction to the oppressive narratives of the man, and here is Jewelle Gomez, a poet, relevant for generations.”