#georgina johnson

[fashiontimeless]

Betsey Johnson Spring 1997

[theoriginalsupermodels]

Betsey Johnson - Spring 1997 RTW

[wyn-n-tonic]

Books by Black Authors for Black History Month!

I wanted to share a list of books I love and books that I'm looking forward to reading that are by Black authors in acknowledgement of Black History Month. I feel like a lot of my fellow readers (especially my fellow white readers) always go into a, kind of, reading slump in February and I don't know if that's because the month of January is just ten years long that February feels like a hangover or if it's because they feel the desire to read books by Black authors but then the majority of what is marketed is usually books that are steeped in trauma or nonfiction books. And, like, yeah, nonfiction books are so important but when they're the only kind of book marketed it can make finding the other kinds of books that much harder but I believe that if you read the fun books and the happy books and the fantasy books it will make you want to seek out the nonfiction resources. I'm blabbering so long story short, I thought I would make a little list to do some of the legwork for my fellow readers to find stories that they can check out.

I used GoodReads links (and one StoryGraph) link, you can choose who to purchase from yourself (although I will suggest BookShop.org as your purchase does go towards indie bookstores, I also really like the Libby App which is just your library and it works with your Kindle/Nook/Kobo/iPad). All authors that I have included in this are American or have strong ties to the USA which is why I did not include authors such as Bolu Babalola, Talia Hibbert, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie but I do highly recommend checking them out if you haven't because they do write gorgeously.

Kennedy Ryan has an extensive backlog and beautiful writing, beautiful prose. She had a book called Before I Let Go (Skyland #1) come out in November 2022, it is a second chance romance between a married couple. It has been on my shelf forever, the cover is beautiful and I've heard nothing but truthfully incredible things. I have listened to snippets of the audiobook but keep putting off getting the actual audiobook because Kennedy is the kind of author I want to read the grammar, syntax, wording of everything from. This book actually got optioned to be adapted into a television show and there's a second Skyland book coming out in March called This Could Be Us that has the ARC readers going wild.

Jasmine Guillory is one of my favorite authors. She is a Bay Area native and has a law degree from Stanford. Not only do I think that she writes beautifully but I cannot even describe to you the way that I kick my little feet and twirl my hair. I feel like my favorite of hers changes. Up until a few weeks ago, I would've told you that Olivia Monroe in Party of Two was my favorite Jasmine girly but I listened to Royal Holiday to kick off my reading for January and Vivian Forest is such a beautiful character. She's a 56 year old Black woman who is a veteran social worker who thinks it's too late for her on several fronts and then she gets swept off her feet while on a vacation with her daughter AND THE ROYAL FAMILY. What?! I also think that Jasmine writes, like.... character appropriate sex scenes if that makes sense. Like, Vivian's scenes are more reserved than Olivia's were, Vivian's more closed door than Olivia's were. She also has a Beauty and the Beast inspired book called By The Book and I kept texting my friend the entire way through and then made her buy a copy so she could text me right back with all her thoughts. Amazing. I love her.

You want cozy fantasy romance with monsters and happy Black women being loved by their hot monster lovers? Kimberly Lemming has GOT YOU COVERED.

Plugging my new author friend P.J. Leigh and her book Olawu. She actually responded to my request for some indie author recs on Threads and sent me a copy of Olawu that will be here on Friday and I'm so excited. She describes it as: "Set in precolonial East Africa with romance, action, sisterhood, found family, and a feisty but flawed female lead." I cannot wait to dig into this one.

Another author who messaged me is indie author Quiana Glide. Her bio is that she is an unabashed fangirl and her books feature pregnancy trope, cosplay, professional wrestlers and cafe owners solving murders. Her books sound fucking great and they are available on Kindle Unlimited for my KU girlies (gender neutral).

Celestine Martin messaged me as well and she writes paranormal romance with Black witches, emo mermen and fae princes. I tripped over myself running to my Libby app to place a hold on the audiobook.

25 to Love! by Joye Johnson is another one available on Kindle Unlimited for my KU girlies (gender neutral). The synopsis is: "TV's hottest dating show is '25 to Love!'. To nab a guy from her past, Lola signs on as the token girl of color. All's fair in love and ratings--can a week on TV get Lola closer to the one that got away?" You know what I love? Second chance romances, besties, that's right.

Splinter by Jasper Hyde was another I was recommended. Jasper writes paranormal, LGBTQ+ books. Jasper Hyde is a pen name for Georgina Kiersten who also goes by Rian Fox. The pen name denotes the subgenre that they write. Georgina does go by they/them pronouns and writes plus sized rep and neurodivergent rep too.

Kelly Cain. That's it. That's the tweet. THE EVERHEART BROTHERS SERIES????? If you know anything about me, you know that I have a hearing issue and so I've used audiobooks before but I never really clicked with them or got the hype. Turns out I had boring ass narrators (look I did the audio version of a lot of nonfiction books I had to read about old dead white guys in college so of course I had that feeling). THE EVERHEART BROTHERS AUDIOBOOKS ARE WHAT CHANGED ME. Deanna Anthony, the narrator, is so engaging and I didn't feel like I was listening to an audiobook, I felt like I was sitting across the table at brunch having a gossip session with my bestie. If you read it and you didn't like it, that's fine, but I didn't lie to you and enjoyment of art is subjective but also you're wrong and argue with a wall.

I've been seeing a lot of talk lately about Pride & Protest by Nikki Payne. This is a Pride & Prejudice and one of the reviews says, "If you ever wanted P&P to feel more like watching a swoony, steamy episode of Insecure, this is the book for you."

Currently, I am reading You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi. It deals with themes of grief and romance and also bisexual representation. Absolutely beautiful prose. Akwaeke is Nigerian and has been in the USA since college. They are non-binary and go by they/them pronouns.

I also cannot end this list without mentioning Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow. This follows three generations of a southern Black family in the neighborhood of Douglass in Memphis, TN (I was born a couple miles away in Raleigh) . Now, this book does have quite a few trigger warnings that I won't put here but I do encourage you to READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS before you purchase this book as it does deal with some pretty heavy subject matter.

I'm also going to end this by saying to keep an eye out for anything done by my best friend, the person who I have shared so many amazing, beautiful, life changing experiences with ALL OVER THE WORLD for the last fourteen years: Isana Skeete (Isana does not use pronouns). If you look at the GoodReads account for Isana that I linked, you'll see lists made with recommendations of books with queer POC rep and asexuality representation.

[jmunneytumbler]

'September 5' Brings Us Inside the Control Room During the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre

'September 5' Brings Us Inside the Control Room During the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre

The view from September 5 (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures) Starring: John Magaro, Peter Sarsgaard, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch, Zinedine Soualem, Corey Johnson, Georgina Rich, Benjamin Walker, Rony Herman Director: Tim Fehlbaum Running Time: 94 Minutes Rating: R for Language and Descriptions of Deadly Violence Release Date: November 29, 2024 (Limited Theaters)/December 13, 2024 (Expansion) What’s It…

[cdo499]

dont forget that wherever you are now, your rights were likely granted through the domino effect started by trans women of color who were sex workers

[passion-of-arts]

SEPTEMBER 5 | HD Trailer (German)

"September 5" aus dem Jahr 2024 ist ein deutscher Thriller, inszeniert von Tim Fehlbaum.

Der Film "September 5" erzählt die dramatische Geschichte des Olympia-Attentats von 1972 in München aus einer ungewöhnlichen Perspektive: durch die Augen eines amerikanischen Fernsehteams. Am 5. September 1972, während der Olympischen Sommerspiele in München, nehmen palästinensische Terroristen elf Mitglieder der israelischen Olympiamannschaft als Geiseln. Dieses Ereignis markiert einen Wendepunkt in der Geschichte des Terrorismus und der Live-Berichterstattung.

Geoff (John Magaro), ein junger, ehrgeiziger Produzent des amerikanischen Senders ABC, sieht in der Situation eine Chance, sich zu beweisen. Sein Chef, der legendäre Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard), leitet das Sports-Team, das gegen den Widerstand der Nachrichtenabteilung live über die Geiselnahme berichtet. Mit der Unterstützung der deutschen Dolmetscherin Marianne (Leonie Benesch) übernimmt Geoff unerwartet die Leitung der Berichterstattung. Inmitten widersprüchlicher Informationen und der angespannten Situation, in der das Leben der Geiseln auf dem Spiel steht, muss er schnelle und moralisch schwierige Entscheidungen treffen. Dabei stellt sich immer wieder die Frage, wie die Medien mit einer solch sensiblen Situation umgehen sollten, vor allem wenn die Täter:innen die Berichterstattung für ihre eigenen Zwecke nutzen.

[bob-the-movie-man-film-reviews]

The Watchers (15): A Very Creditable debut outing by Ishana Shyamalan... until the finale.

#onemannsmovies #filmrevies of "The Watchers". #TheWatchers. A very Shyamalanny debut for young Ishana, but a half-decent offering in a well-worn genre. 3/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “The Watchers” (2024). “The Watchers” is the debut feature of Ishana Shyamalan, daughter of course of famous director M. Night Shyamalan. And the film has Shyamalan fingerprints all over it! And like the proverbial curate’s egg, it was good in places. Bob the Movie Man Rating: Plot Summary: Mina (Dakota Fanning) is an artist in Galway, doing work in a pet-shop on…

[the-bi-library]

As bisexual visibility month approaches us, I wanted to highlight a few bi books we don't see people talking about much and give people some recs for bi books to read!

Books listed:

Fall Into You by Georgina Kiersten

Splinter by Jasper Hyde

Spring on the Peninsula by Ery Shin

When Tara Met Farah by Tara Pammi

Forever Is Now by Mariama J. Lockington

More to Love by Georgina Kiersten

When the Stars Alight by Camilla Andrew

Lulu Sinagtala and the City of Noble Warriors by Gail D. Villanueva

No Two Ways by Chi Yu

Exposing Lesser Demons by K.N. Robertson

Wolfpack by Rem Wigmore

A Dance of Water and Air by Antonia Aquilante

Hugged by Verity Ritchie

Where Willows Weep by Luna Fiore

Fake it by Lily Seabrooke

Small Gods of Calamity by Sam Kyung Yoo

Beyond Repair by Catherine Stein

Baptism of Fire by Jessie Thomas

Poisoned Primrose by Dahlia Donovan

Birthright by M.A. Vice

A Masc for Purim by Roz Alexander

Your Driver is Waiting by Priya Guns

Errant by L.K. Fleet

Loser of the Year by Carrie Byrd

Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood

Monstersona by Chloe Spencer

Scoring a Spouse by Liz Lincoln

Tengoku by Rae D. Magdon

Leaving's Not the Only Way to Go by Kay Acker

Speech and Debacles by Heather DiAngelis

Things I'll Never Say by Cassandra Newbould

Chameleon Moon by RoAnna Sylver

Allure by CEON

To Beg or Not to Beg by Cat Giraldo

Shadows Dark and Deadly by Andrea Marie Johnson

Ride with Me by Jenna Jarvis

Dearly Departed by Heather Novak

Swift and Sudden Exit by Nico Vincenty

Wishing on Winter by Brenna Bailey

Crystrals and Contracts by A. A. Fairview

Tomb of Heart and Shadow by Cara N. Delaney

False Hearts and Broken Frets by Elle Bennett

The Blood Born Dragon by J. C. Rycroft

An Act of Devotion by A. M. Leibowitz

Biting down by Torrance Sené

[mariacallous]

Sarah McBride is the first openly transgender person elected to the U.S. Congress, but she is not the first trans politician to be banned from using the bathroom of her choice by a hostile fellow lawmaker.

Back in 2006 in Italy, newly elected Vladimir Luxuria was briefly barred from using the ladies' room when she took her seat in Parliament. She said her heart breaks for McBride, a Democrat from Delaware.

"They did that to me," Luxuria, 59, said in a telephone interview with NBC News from her home in Rome. "What is happening to Sarah McBride is rank politics."

Which bathroom McBride will be able to use in the next Congress became an issue last week when Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican and staunch supporter of President-elect Donald Trump, introduced a resolution to prohibit lawmakers and House employees from “using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex.”

When asked if the move was specifically in response to McBride, Mace said, "yes and absolutely, and then some." Not long afterward, House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is also a Republican and a Trump supporter, said he supports restricting “single-sex facilities” in the Capitol, including restrooms, to “individuals of that biological sex."

McBride, in a post on X, responded, “Every day Americans go to work with people who have life journeys different than their own and engage with them respectfully, I hope members of Congress can muster that same kindness.”

Luxuria, who left Parliament in 2008 and is an actress and activist, was following in the footsteps of the late Georgina Beyer, a New Zealander who became the world’s first openly transgender member of Parliament when she was elected in 1999.

The only other transgender woman who has served in a national parliament is Poland's Anna Grodzka, who was elected in 2011 and served one four-year term.

Luxuria said she had endured a lifetime of "cruelty" but was still shocked when Italian lawmaker Elisabetta Gardini, who was a supporter of then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, confronted her "outside the women's toilet."

"I always went to the women's bathroom because if I even tried to use the men's toilet they would be embarrassed and demand to know what I am doing there," Luxuria said. "So when I came out, I was surprised when Gardini began yelling at me, 'What were you doing in here! You're a man!'"

Luxuria said Gardini "was very angry" but she was determined not to back down.

She said she told Gardini: "OK, I am a trans woman. But if you don't want to see me in here, you should go use the men's toilet."

Luxuria said Gardini walked off in a huff and in no time "the matter of where I could go to the bathroom became a debate in Parliament."

"I was lucky because, in the end, the members of Parliament decided I could use the women's bathroom," she said. "But it was embarrassing that it became an issue."

Luxuria said she has her suspicions about why Gardini, who was a well-known actress and popular TV personality before she got into politics, went after her.

"I suspect Berlusconi's party wanted to make this an issue to attack my party, which was in opposition," she said. "So I am very sympathetic to Sarah McBride."

Gardini did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Noting that Mace once described herself as a pro-LGBTQ social moderate, Luxuria said she thinks Mace's attack on McBride was part of a bigger plan to try to divide Democrats and force them to defend an issue that still makes many Americans "uncomfortable."

"The purpose here is to generate hate for political purposes," Luxuria said.

McBride and Mace did not reply to NBC News' request for comment.

In the aftermath of Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to Trump, some Democrats and pundits have pointed to the Biden administration’s support for transgender rights as one reason Republicans prevailed.

They noted that the Republicans spent more than $200 million on network television advertisements that underscored Harris’ past support for taxpayer-funded gender-affirming care treatments and that repeatedly aired during NFL and college football games.

During her four years in the Polish Parliament, Grodzka also faced verbal attacks and was repeatedly misgendered by fellow Polish lawmaker Krystyna Pawlowicz. In an interview with Pink News, an LGBTQ digital news outlet based in Britain, in 2013, Grodzka largely brushed off the transphobic comments.

“Krystyna is a very conservative person, therefore I guess I am probably just a little bit too much for her," Grodza said. “She has an imaginary idea of a [perfect] person who is supposed to go to church, etc. … In that case I ruin her picture, therefore it’s a reason for her to attack me."

In recent years — nearly a decade after she left Parliament — Grodzka is still occasionally on the receiving end of personal attacks from Polish lawmakers, as the country's right-wing has embraced anti-LGBTQ sentiments.

In a 2002 documentary about Beyer called "Georgie Girl," Beyer said she commonly faced questions about her gender identity that other politicians would not have to endure.

“I get asked questions no other politician would ever have to answer," she said. "Regarding the surgery, you know. ‘Did it hurt?’ or, ‘When you have sex now as a woman, is it different to how you had sex as a man?’ Well, honey, obviously.”

[rededgeevents]

ᴏᴀᴋ ɪꜱʟᴀɴᴅ ʀᴏᴏᴍᴍᴀᴛᴇ ʟɪꜱᴛ

First Floor: 001: Silas Rivers & Sienna Johnson 002: Illiana Fuentes & Kyle Hale 003: Emersyn Michaels & Flynn Gilbert 004: Luke Myers & Emma Eklund 005: Pogue O'Connor & Elena Dawson 006: Leighton Whitlock & Elliot Booker 007: Maverick Anderson & Ocean Simmons 008: Max Turner & Nova Rockwell 009: Klaus Richards & Marc Hall 010: Sloane Ross & Marisol Monroe 011: Anastasia Hill & Lucas Roden

Second Floor: 001: Aurora Thompson & Chase Knight 002: Lana & Noah Rodgers 003: Teddy Wintson & Melody Hastings 004: Theodora Murphy & Georgina Russell 005: Jeremy Fellows & Katerina Lopez 006: Paco Florez & Ivy Fitzgerald 007: Alejandro Fuentes & Nicole Balliol 008: Brooke Barlow & TJ Cohen 009: Elijah Cavannaugh & Serena Bennett 010: Kirby Sinclair & Kennedy Simpson 011: Brittany Miller & Austin Barnes

Third Floor: 001: Logan Slater & Atlas Quinn 002: Olivia Bardot & Petra Cromwell 003: Freya Smith & Killian Quinn 004: Damon Henderson & Kinsley Argent 005: Mila Monroe & Tanner Sommers 006: Tyler Dupont & Autumn Hawthorne 007: Beau Williams & Arrow Ellington 008: Emmett Hills 009: Savannah Cooper & Paris Astor 010: Archibald Deaton x Eric Rose 011: Donny Keller & Delcan Mitchell

Fourth Floor: 001: Bradley Callan & Lucia Rossi 002: Cyrus Thompson & Jared Madden 003: Caleb Peace & Jasmine Harris 004: Valentina Lopez & Bonnie Brook 005: Alexa White & Wyatt Baker 006: Callopie Adams & Jayce King 007: Lydia Brown & Vincent Baxer 008: Shane Nichols & Devin Carter 009: Jax King & Juliette Maddox 010: Mariana Florez & Kiara Langford 011: Rosalie Collins & Jack Sterling

[cryptidswitch]

Innnntroducing the newest weirdos on the scene!! Astro Dog!

Hailing from the various corners of the wide Sim World and coming together in San Myshuno, Astro Dog is beginning to turn heads in the world of indie pop punk! Debuting with their album Dogpile, they're about to take the world by storm!

Tour Dates to be announced!

Featuring lead singer Aisha Johnson, lead guitarist Enola "Lola" Ragland, guitarist Georgina "Georgie" Ventura, bassist Pavarti "Perri" Patel, and drummer Veronica "Ronnie" Ransom

As soon as I saw the server challenge this month was all about album covers and bands, I knew I had to do this one! These girls have caused absolute brain rot and they all already have backstories and all sorts of stuff lmao

I even downloaded GIMP again!

[bonnieura]

cute things to call ur bf

josephine biden

donna trump

baraka obama

georgiana bush

wilhelmina clinton

georgina bush

rhonda reagan

jamie carter

geraldine ford

ricarda nixon

landon johnson

johanna kennedy

dionysia eisenhower

harriett truman

frankie roosevelt

Herberta Hoover

calvina coolidge

Wren Harding

thomasine wilson

wilhelmina taft

theodora roosevelt

willemina mckilney

G'Anna cleveland

chelsey arthur

jamesine garfield

ruth hayes

ulyssa grant

andrea johnson

abrianna lincoln

jamesianne buchanan

francine pierce

millardine fillmore

jozachar taylor

jamesine polk

jaqueline tyler

willa harrison

martina van buren

andrea jackson

jackie quincy adams

jamesine monroe

jamesine madison

tamsin jefferson

jeanne adams

georgina washington

[theoriginalsupermodels]

Betsey Johnson - Spring 1997 RTW

[herbaklava]

Cherished Chairs, Clothes And Charity Shop Finds At Georgina Johnson's Home In South London

[joker1315]

All the actors you can find on this blog

Use the following link and insert the tag you want to see:

a: adam croasdell - aiden turner - aimee garcia - alan rickman - alan tudyk - alex kingston - alison sudol - allen leech - amanda abbington - amir wilson - amita suman - anatol yusef - andreas pietschmann - andrew garfield - andrew scott - aneurin barnard - annette badland  - anthony hopkins - anthony mackie - antony starr - anya chalotra - august wittgenstein

b: barry bostwick - bellamy young - ben barnes - ben mckenzie - benedict cumberbatch - benicio del toro - bernard cribbins - bill nighy - billie piper - billy boyd - brendan gleeson - brent spiner - brianna hildebrand

c: calahan skogman - cameron monaghan - candice bergen - carla gugino - caroline dhavernas - cate blanchett - catherine e coulson - catherine tate - catinca untaru - chadwick boseman - charlie chaplin - chris addison - chris cooper - chris evans - chris hemsworth - chris malcom - chris pine - christian bale - christian clemenson - christian tramitz - christiane paul - christina ricci - christopher eccleston - christopher lee - christopher lloyd - cillian murphy - colin firth - colin odonoghue - colin woodell - corey johnson - cory michael smith - craig parker

d: dakota fanning - daniel brühl - daniel craig - daniel radcliffe - daniel sträβer - danielle galligan- david bowie - david dastmalchian - david duchovny - david morrissey - david tennant - david thewlis - david wenham - deforest kelley - diego luna - dietrich hollinderbäumer - dominic cooper - dominic monaghan - dominic west

e: eddie karanja - elijah wood - elizabeth olsen - elton john - emilie de ravin - emily beecham - emma thompson - emma watson - ethan hawke - eve myles - ewan mcgregor

f: ferdinand kingsley - frankie adams - freddy carter - freema agyeman

g: gareth david lloyd - gary oldman - geoffrey rush - george eads - george takei - georgia tennant - georgina haig - gillian anderson - ginnifer goodwin - gwendoline christie - gwyneth paltrow

h: hadley fraser - harrison ford - harvey keitel - hayley atwell - heath ledger - helen mccrory - helena bonham carter - henry cavill - hugh dancy - hugh jackman - hugh laurie - hugh skinner - hugo weaving

i: ian mckellen - imelda staunton - inbar lavi

j: jack davenport - jack wolfe - jackie earle haley - jake gyllenhaal - james mcavoy - james spader - jamie lee curtis - jared padalecki - jason isaacs - javier bardem - jayne brook - jeff goldblum - jenna coleman - jennifer connelly - jennifer lawrence - jennifer morrison - jensen ackles - jeremy renner - jim beaver - jodie foster - joel rush - joey batey - john barrowman - john boyega - john hurt - john larroquette - john rhys davies - john simm - johnny depp - jonathan frakes - jose pimentao - joseph gilgun - josh dallas - jude law - julia stiles - julianne moore - julie covington - juliette binoche

k: kacey rohl - karen fukuhara - karen gillan - karl urban - kat dennings - kate capshaw - kathryn hahn - keira knightley - kevin alejandro - kit young - krysten ritter - kyle maclachlan - kyra sedgwick

l: lana parrilla - lara pulver - lars mikkelsen - laura allen - laura dern - laura fraser - lauren german - laurence fishburne - laurie kynaston - laz alonso - lee arenberg - lee pace - leonard nimoy - lesley ann brandt - lesley sharp - lindsay duncan - lisa vicari - liv tyler - lizzy caplan - louise hofmann - lucas till - luke evans

m: mads mikkelsen - maggie gyllenhaal - majel barrett - margo martindale - marion cotillard - mark gatiss - mark pellegrino - mark ruffalo - mark sheppard - mark strong - mark waschke - martin freeman - matt smith - max schimmelpfenning - may calamawy - meat loaf - megan boone - mel gibson - melinda clarke - melissanthi mahut - meret becker - mia wasikowska - michael benyaer - michael bully herbig - michael cumpsty - michael des barres - michael fassbender - michael gambon - michael raymond james - michael sheen - michelle gomez - mikael persbrandt - miranda otto - misha collins

n: natalie portman - ncuti gatwa - neil patrick harris - nell campbell - nichelle nichols - nicolas cage - nicole kidman

o: olivia colman - orlando bloom - oscar isaac - owen wilson

p: paddy ohagan - patricia quinn - patrick stewart - paul bettany - paul chahidi - paul lux - paul mescal - pedro pascal - penelope wilton - peter capaldi - peter falk - peter hinwood - philip glenister - phoebe waller bridge - pierce brosnan - pip torrens

q: qorianka kilcher - quentin tarantino

r: rachael harris - rachel weisz - rafi gavron - ralph fiennes - rayner bourton - reece shearsmith - rene russo - rhona mitra - richard armitage - richard obrien - rob benedict - robbie kay - robert carlyle - robert downey jr - robin lord taylor - robin williams - ronald guttman - rose mciver - rupert graves - rupert grint - russell crowe - ruth negga - ryan gosling - ryan reynolds

s: sam neill - samantha smith - samuel l jackson - scarlett estevez - scarlett johansson - sean astin - sean bean - sebastian stan - sherilyn fenn - shohreh aghdashloo - sky du mont - sophia di martino - stanley tucci - stellan skarsgard - steven strait - susan sarandon

t: tan caglar - taron egerton - tilda swinton - tim curry - tim roth - toby maguire - tom conti - tom ellis - tom felton - tom hiddleston - tom holland - tom payne - tom sturridge - tomer capone - tony curran - tony curtis - tricia helfer - troy garity

u: una stubbs

v: val kilmer - vanesu samunyai - viggo mortensen - vivienne acheampong - vladimir burlakov

w: walter koenig - william shatner

y: yasmin finney

z: zachary quinto

[ingek73]

You can’t truly understand the royal race row unless you’ve felt the sting of skin tone bigotry

Georgina Lawton

The row over Omid Scobie’s new book has reignited a depressing debate about mixed-race identity, with our voices barely heard

Wed 6 Dec 2023 10.00 GMT

Meghan in a white coat and hat and Harry in a black suit and tie with military badges.

There are a few words and phrases I’ve muted on X (formerly Twitter) for a while, including: mixed-race, biracial, interracial relationship, and royal race row. But I would have had to have thrown my phone in the sea to avoid part two of the latter, involving Archie’s skin tone, Meghan and Harry’s unofficial biographer, Omid Scobie, and his new book, Endgame – in which the two royals who apparently commented on Archie’s skin colour before he was born were named in the Dutch-language version of the book (which was promptly pulped by the publisher).

I do sympathise – with Archie first and foremost, that is. Before he is even able to talk, his heritage has been loaded with meaning, his very existence described as progressive, transgressive, a step forwards or a step backwards, depending on whom you speak to. Being born into a story over which you have little control is a heavy load to bear. Many people of colour in white spaces and “mixed-race” people will relate.

To me, the most tedious part of this race row is the “is it racist, is it not racist” dance. While Meghan and Harry have yet to break their silence, Boris Johnson has declared that it is “not remotely racist” to query how dark a baby may be. Timeline trolls and rightwing thinkers repeat the same refrain. But rather than getting into this pointless back and forth, we need to think about why these kind of comments about skin tone are still being made in the 21st century; and those directly affected by these words need to express why, and if, it makes them feel uncomfortable.

Personally I’d quite like it if no one passed comment on my particular “mix” ever again – and I don’t think that’s too much to ask. Quite recently I was sharing a late-night taxi with someone who commented on the low “timbre” of my voice. He confidently put this down to the Nigerian side of my heritage and compared the voices of his mixed-Jamaican friends to his mixed-Nigerian friends, concluding that west Africans had voices like mine, and that I couldn’t “pass” for Jamaican. I shut this down quite quickly, but found myself tiptoeing around my language, lest he would feel that I was calling him racist – which would inflame the whole thing. I also had no backup.

I can definitely relate to having white people analysing one’s appearance or “phenotype” as a mixed-race person, trying to work out which aspect comes from the white side versus the black side. The comments are rooted in eugenicist-style thinking: they are ultimately a hallmark of darker days gone by when the justification of the subjugation of black people was rooted in proving their non-humanity. Whether or not there is ill-intent behind these kind of comments doesn’t really matter. The onus is on the person making them to educate themselves and make a pledge to do better.

Trying to empathise here is key. Many people will never really know what it’s like to be in a room full of people to whom you are related, or you know quite intimately, and overhear a remark that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and makes you wonder: do they think those things about me?

In my book Raceless, I wrote about experiences like this: the reality of being raised in all-white spaces when you are not white. Many people have written to me over the years, some of them multiracial, some of them not, to say they recognise the fatigue and mental anguish that comes from standing out in homogeneous settings. When Meghan spoke about her troubled time within the royal family and the racial minefields she walked through, I didn’t find it hard to relate – as I’m sure was the case with many others. But she was shut down, brandished a liar and a drama queen, and effectively forced out of the country by our mainstream press.

Many people of colour in white spaces and those of mixed backgrounds battle every day with the idea that their very existence represents a crossing of boundaries, a disruption of long-held beliefs around kinship and belonging. Your experiences and your skin shade can also be called into question by those with whom you share loving and intimate experiences.

Instead of pretending these instances don’t happen in modern Britain and in our families, we need to let those affected speak up when they do – to avoid repeating the same old mistakes.

Georgina Lawton is the author of Raceless: In Search of Family, Identity, and the Truth About Where I Belong