#lavender linguistics in media

[tixdixl]

I keep seeing folks talk about what Femme Vil would be like, and it really hammers home to me just how much people are missing out on because of the localization. And honestly, with absolutely 0 shade to the folks who love those headcanons- cause they are FASCINATING headcanons to me- it makes me genuinely heartbroken to see it. It makes me genuinely heartbroken to know how much of Vil's intersectionality is lost because the English localization erased her gender expression.

She... is.... femme. She's canonically trans in the Japanese. Whether she is transfemme or some form of gender neutral is unfortunately not explicitly stated. However, in the Japanese, her self-identifying language and her explicitly feminine mannerisms exemplify how she views herself. The way that other characters speak of her is also extremely telling about how the audience is supposed to see her.

Speaking from a language perspective, Vil uses the female only "I" pronoun あたし [atashi] whenever she speaks, would be approximated to "she/her" in the English.

Vil uses either feminine or strictly gender neutral connotated grammar patterns, which are commonly used in anime/manga to notate levels of formality, rudeness, as well as self identifying information about the character. You can also see these patterns used subtly in real life conversations in Japan, though often difficult to actually catch in conversation. (There is a whole conversation about this and how it is intertwined with formality and gender-roles/expectations but that's not the point of this ramble.)

Vil also uses predominantly feminine connotated intonation patterns, often stereotyped and used to identify alluring femme tropes in anime. Again, while sometimes heard in real conversations, you are more likely to hear the explicit feminitity in certain circumstances and/or in media.

Not to mention, most of the other characters refer to her only by name or strictly with gender neutrality. And because of the behind closed doors mentality that Japanese folks have, along with the sense of 建前 [tatemae] that is displayed between Vil and the other characters, it makes total sense why the other characters say nothing directly, but linguistically acknowledge that there is some form of discrepancy between Vil being at an all boys school, and Vil using the Japanese equivalent of "she/her". Because of their omoiyari [思いやり] - literally "compassion" but culturally is the deliberate action to notice and consider others, it makes sense that at the bare minimum, they would refer to her with that modicum of formality and respect.

We could also have a very real conversation as to why she wears a women's kimono in the New Year's event; why she wears a woman's cut suit in Tapis Rouge; why she deliberately uses makeup and hairstyles that in Japan read as feminine or "female"- especially in a society that accepts post-transitioned Transness as it conforms with the overarching collectivist society; in a society that accepts those changes so long as they are done behind closed doors and without disruption. And this is done in a society that believes heavily that the exterior is a direct reflection of the interior - the house/clothes are a representation of the person who inhabits them. So her choices in her appearance are a direct representation of who she wants to be, who she is becoming, and how she wants others to perceive her.

The audience is left to draw conclusions about Vil's sense of self and her incredibly strong connection to feminity, beyond strictly her connection to the Evil Queen. And as I've mentioned in a previous post, it really adds a layer of intersectionality to the multi-layered tension and cultural conflict between her and Epel.

Idk... I just think the English absolutely ignoring her joseiteki [女性的]- female-like gender expression, her rashii - specifically onnarashii [女らしい], or lady-like mannerisms, and her sociolinguistic choices, as well as how they impact her dynamics with the other characters results in a loss of understanding of her as a character and a loss of depth to the story in my opinion.

For those of you who are genuinely interested in the conversation of Transness in Japanese media, how it's presented, and how its been deliberately and historically erased in Western localizations, this extremely well-informed video essay is a phenomenal place to start:

This is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart as someone who studied Japanese Anthropolgy and taught various courses on Gender and Language in higher education. The cross-cultural divide here is something that I am so so passionate about, and anyone who knows me knows that I could absolutely rabbit hole on the topic for hours with credible resources and citations. It's also something that I first-hand experienced a bit of while I was in Japan. And because of that, as much as I know its a risk to share these thoughts publically, I do feel like it is an important discussion to have.

[cursed-man-prayers]

Ever since Kit Connor was forced to out himself due to accusations of queer-baiting, hetlors love to bring it up as a take-down against gaylors. They'll come into TikTok comments and Tumblr asks and be like, "what about that kid from Heartbreakers?" (they do not seem to care enough about Kit to learn his name or the show he is known for). They've hear, from a distance, that an 18-year-old was outed because of Twitter discourse and assume that this is the same thing that gaylors are doing to Taylor Swift.

But it's not. It's not the same thing. At all.

If the people bringing up Kit Connor took the time to understand the context of what happened and why, it would be glaringly obvious that these things are not at all the same. They're virtually opposites.

Kit was accused of queer-baiting, and while definitions of words change (I know about linguistics), queer-baiting was coined as a word to describe pieces of media whose creators purposefully hint at queer relationships in order to retain their queer fanbases (think Supernatrual/Destiel, Teen Wolf/Sterek, etc.). People (mainly youths on Twitter) accused Kit of queer-baiting because he played a bisexual character in a TV show and was then seen with a female friend. These absurd claims were the result of fundamentally misunderstanding queer experiences and identities outside of the internet. Most of these accusers were likely too young to have witnessed clear examples of queer-baiting or understand why it's harmful and why queer people call it out. Kit wasn't queer-baiting. He was an actor who hadn't labeled his sexuality (something he discussed in interviews). He was 18, in his first major role, getting a slew of unanticipated media attention, and his privacy was violated. He was forced to out himself because people refused to listen to him, refused to consider that choosing to not label their sexuality (especially a young person!) is a thing that queer people do sometimes (frequently).

So how does this relate to Taylor Swift? (Spoiler alert: it doesn't.)

Taylor Swift has been releasing music since she was 16. She is currently 33 years old, more than twice the age she was when she started. She has been massively famous for the majority of her career. Taylor is rich. Taylor is powerful. Yes, she's a human being, but we (the general public) typically only see what Taylor chooses to show us (there are few exceptions to this, though they definitely do exist). Taylor encourages analysis of her music, public appearances, and promotional material. She has a highly skilled PR team (shoutout Tree Paine).

Kit Connor was outed because people cling to the belief that straight is the default. If someone doesn't explicitly come out in a way that is fully comprehensible to non-queer people, they are assumed straight. This is a belief rooted in homophobia. "Speculating on someone's sexuality" isn't gross. It's been a necessary part of queer life since the inception of homophobia.

Queer flagging isn't new. There are documented codes and symbols and phrases that have been used for decades to identify yourself as queer without making it obvious to straight people and homophobes. Friends of Dorothy, hairpin dropping, a variety of flowers (violets, carnations, lavender).

Queer artists have been encoding their queerness into their work. Emily Dickinson likely coined the term bearding by using bearded pronouns—using masculine pronouns for herself or her female lover in poetry. She wrote "from the male perspective." Reading her poems about Sue Gilbert Dickinson, it's glaringly obviously gay—romantic, sexual, queer. And yet, to this day, her queerness is erased from the narrative. It even happens to Sappho. And all these years later, the presumption of heterosexuality dominates analysis of art and music.

The "hetero until proven homo" philosophy has lead to queer erasure for centuries. Taylor Swift has consistently used known queer codes since the 1989 album (see: New Romantic, Wonderland, the I Know Places tour performance, How You Get The Girl). When these songs, etc. have been pointed out as being literally queer-coded, Taylor hasn't backed down. She's stepped it up. She wrote "you could hear a hairpin drop" in Right Where You Left Me, queer people pointed out that "hairpin drop" has implications involving important queer history, and then she did it again in the Great War ("your finger on my hairpin trigger"). She intentionally subverted a common phrase, and it wasn't accidental. Queer people claimed Dress as a sapphic song, and Taylor used excessive bisexual lighting in her performance and then dedicated that performance to Loie Fuller, a queer artist. She wore a blue, purple, and pink wig in the You Need To Calm Down music video, on a production set drowning in LGBTQ folks perfectly qualified to tell her those were the colors of the bi pride flag.

There are countless examples of Taylor Swift using historical queer symbols and pride flag colors. These are symbols she actively chooses to use. She isn't stupid.

You know what Taylor Swift hasn't done? She has never said she is straight. At most, she has implied it. She hasn't said people saying she's gay makes her uncomfortable. She hasn't stopped using queer symbols or themes.

Before I really became a gaylor, I spent a lot of time wondering if it was weird or invasive or gross. But is it weird to read her lyrics? Is it invasive to look at publicly available photos of her? Is it gross to think that Taylor Swift isn't straight?

No. Obviously.

We're not trying to "force her out of the closet." We barely think she's in a closet. She is so loud to the people who are listening, who understand what she's saying, to other sapphics.

I'll end with this: When Taylor Swift and Karlie Kloss were photographed at the 1975 concert, I refused to believe they were kissing. The only reason I didn't believe it is because I was a homophobic 15-year-old. I clung to her being straight because of my internalized homophobia, because I needed the one non-Christian artist I listened to to be morally pure. And that's what this is about. Homophobia, internalized or otherwise.

tl;dr: Taylor Swift is speaking loudly about her queerness to the people that are listening. She has made queer references and doubled-down on them when people pointed them out or claimed it must've been accidental. Assuming people are straight until explicitly stated otherwise is rooted in homophobia. She is a fully grown adult who controls the narrative of how people see her. What if I told you none of it was accidental?

[sapphos-darlings]

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Mod Lavender (on the left): Lesbian, Nordic, in my 30s. I am a combination of passion for my nerdy hobbies and writing craft, and burning fury for female liberation. I am a linguist, a history-enthusiast, and a great lover of movies, especially horror and scifi. I never grew out of my otaku phase so that’s who I am now. I own fancy rats and study Mandarin Chinese for fun. A survivor of bipolar disorder, self-harm addiction and broken heart; it gets better! I’ve lived in the woods for four months and only cried once during it.

Mod Sade (on the right): Bisexual, 31, detransitioned and neurodivergent. Relationshipped with a nonbinary person. I love travel, history, stories, storms and rain, and unicorns. If I was a dragon, I would hoard notebooks and mugs and TTRPG dice from Etsy. I take bad polaroids and occasionally participate in arts such as painting and writing and doll customization. I’m a lineage-oriented Sims 4 player and a vulture culture enthusiast. WoW raider, Reddit user, so far left it hurts to look right.

[blarrghe]

Unusual OC associations

Big thanks to @scribbledquillz for the tag! I'm not sure who's done this already but @ringneckedpheasant @rosella-writes @n7viper @plisuu and @melisusthewee have fun!

I have done this for Taren before but by gods I will do it again! Also for Violet she is big on my mind rn.

Seasoning:

Taren: sweet paprika, cinnamon, cloves, those cans of chipotle pepper in adobo sauce ...he's a warm boy 🥰

Violet: purple basil, annisseed, lavender, rosemary, nustershums, rosewater, hibiscus. Not necessarily all together lol but you know what? concoctions. If it's purple, an edible flower, or an acquired taste, I think it suits.

Weather:

Taren: grey days on the brink of storm. Damp, you can smell the rain coming and feel the static.

Violet: hot girl summer! Bright sunny beach weather that's a bit too heavy in the air.

Color:

Taren: green, gold, auburn, brown, all the earth tones and some light blue for good measure.

Violet: do you even need to ask? Also royal blue, silver, white, and black.

Sky:

Taren: thick with interesting clouds, clear and starry.

Violet: a clear blue day, a summer nighttime thunderstorm

Magic power:

Taren: well, spirit healing. Spirit communion and intricate rituals/glyphs also

Violet: walking bomb, irreverent illusions

House plant:

Taren: potted pine tree that got too big so you had to plant it in the yard. It will get taller than your house it will live for a hundred years.

Violet: straight up mini cactus. In a silly colourful pot with googly eyes.

Weapon:

Taren: kill 'em with kindness and when that doesn't work settle it with fists.

Violet: caltrops, potion bombs, poisoned daggers

Subject:

Taren: linguistics, linguistic anthropology

Violet: organic chemistry

Social media:

Taren: Matchsies! ;) LiveJournal, goodreads

Violet: vine

Make-up product:

Taren: glitter eyeliner (his boyfriend did it it was just like that meme)

Violet: lipstick, poison nail polish like the Warden in Holes.

Candy:

Taren: those little guava candies, dried mango, weed gummy

Violet: twizzlers, sour gummy worms, candy necklace

Fear:

Taren: abandonment

Violet: nothing!! (hurting others)

Ice cube shape:

Taren: hearts 💕

Violet: spheres, dry ice

Method of long distance travel:

Taren: ship, aravel

Violet: horseback

Art style:

Taren: very detailed fine lined tattoo art, traditional embroidery

Violet: old school sailor tattoo art, peanuts style cartoons

Mythological creature:

Taren: faun

Violet: griffins!

Piece of stationary:

Taren: does a tattoo quill and mallet count? Ink.

Violet: fancy letter opener...

Three emojis:

Taren: 🌿🛤📚

Violet: ☠️����🐶

Celestial body:

Taren: stars, specifically the constellation tenebrium

Violet: Venus

[void-vale]

Oh, fun! sadly I haven't had much time to interact with any kind of media lately bc I've been so busy :(

Last song: Megalith by meganeko (on random shuffle through my liked songs lol)

Fav color: I'm feeling lavender atm :)

Last book: Geometric Algebra for Computer Science, which is a fascinating book, but wish it was one of the novels I'm planning on reading at some point™

Last movie: I don't even remember :(

Last series: I just started watching Dandadan!

Sweet/savory: I'd never give up sweets, but prob savory

Last search: river wm (thinking of trying out a new window manager)

Current obsession: not much I atm I gotta admit, probably only my eternal obsession with the historical linguistics of PIE languages

Looking forward to: Finishing my shitty assignment for uni I should be working on rn

Relationship: single and yearning for human contact, what else is new :)

@whore-ratio @arch-user @voltradar @am-odarka

Tag game <3

Thank you for the tag @pretentiouswreckingball !

Last song: Sugar Man by Rodriguez (trying to learn on guitar)

Favourite colour: Green! My hair's pale green rn

Last book: The Great Gatsby (studying in class)

Last movie: Twilight - cinematic masterpiece

Last series: Smoggie Queens! Great new show filmed in my area

Sweet/Savoury: sweet

Last search: what was Edward Cullen dying of before he got bit?

Current obsession: Wallace & Gromit

Looking forward to: visiting University of York

Relationship: what relationship

No pressure tags: @friendofthefrogswastaken @ablique @fryingpan1234567 @percyweasleyapologist @elisedonut

[sand-worms]

HIII em ❤️ how about 🌈💞🎮💻 for twish and Ghia!

Ough ok o7

🌈 - color hcs

I’m gonna take this as like? Favorite colors or colors they like a lot I guess but Um. I think Ghiaccio despite having blue hair and ice powers really likes warm colors. Red and orange particularly. But he knows that winter tones suit him better so he doesn’t wear a lot of warm colors, he mostly uses wears them as like small accent things (his glasses or shoes for example) owns a lot of blue things though because blue has been unofficially designated as “his” color. If that makes sense. Trish likes soft or muted colors particularly like a buttercup yellow or a sea foam green. Maybe lavender. She can make pretty much anything she wears work but I think she would tend to stick to warm or neutral tones for the most part!

💞 - love language hcs

Hmmm I feel like they would both be big on showing love through acts of service or quality time. Maybe gift giving for Trish as well. Ghiaccio, for as focused on linguistics as he is, I feel would have a hard time expressing his feelings through words and would get flustered easily trying to do so, and he doesn’t particularly care to touch or be touched by other people for the most part unless he’s very close to them. Though I think he would react well to receiving words of affirmation from loved ones. Trish tends to be quiet and introspective, so while she doesn’t have a hard time putting her feelings into words, it’s more common for her to express her love by thinking of someone and doing something nice for them, whether that be by gifting them something that reminded her of them or by doing something for them they would appreciate. She also doesn’t like to be touched or really have people in her space without her consent, and I think she might actually push away from or squirm out of an unwanted embrace or similar.

🎮 - video game hcs

Oh I feel like Ghiaccio is definitely a video game completionist. Certain games he NEEDS to get every achievement for no matter how long it takes him. Gets really frustrated and yells when he’s playing multiplayer games so sometimes he needs to learn to leave his mic muted, but he stays surprisingly calm for the most part when playing single player story based stuff. Trish I don’t feel like would play a ton of games in general. Maybe animal crossing. If vento aureo took place like a decade later she would’ve ABSOLUTELY played like online games for girls. Barbie dot com. Polly pocket. Doll dress up games. I know these things in my heart.

💻 - who would they be friends with from other media

I never think about stuff like this but I’m going to say I think Trish would be friends with another one of my favoritest characters ever Angel from the borderlands games. They’re both quiet and smart and I think they could bond over their shitty dads that tried to kill them (purposefully or not). For Ghiaccio…. Hmm.. I honestly have no idea I’m sorry I don’t consume enough media or remember things well enough to answer this.

[thelanguageoflovers]

so you’re trying to understand sophia and i’s jatp universe

@localspacelesbian​​ and I never intended for this to get so out of hand, but then it did, so here we are. We’ve got a few wips going, so I figured it was about time to get around to one of these.

it’s okay if you’re lost, because so are we! here’s a little guide to help you out (:

CHARACTERS:

The Lacrosse Team:

Spencer Montgomery-Wright: Our pride and joy. He’s on the lacrosse team, and can be seen being bewildered with Nick when the guys show up during ‘Bright’. Some have referred to him as the guy who is called ‘Letterman Jacket Guy’ on IMDb - these people are wrong. Letterman Jacket Guy is a white blonde guy. Spencer is black. He’s in the design program at their school and designs costumes for all the ballets. 

He and Nick have been best friends since they were little, and have exchanged stuffed animals (Nick gave Spencer a stuffed penguin named Texas, and Spencer returned the favor with a stuffed elephant named Oklahoma). They’re total astronomy dorks (Spencer calls Nick ‘Tor’ after Copernicus, and Nick calls Spencer ‘Cass’ after Cassini). They’re also in love, but they’re still working through that. 

Connor Nesbitt: The aforementioned ‘Letterman Jacket Guy’. He’s the captain of the lacrosse team, the very definition of a himbo. He’s in the cinematic arts program, but, like, really likes history.

Nick Danforth-Evans: Pretty self-explanatory, but the Danforth-Evans theory is canon in the SACU (Sophia and Adalie Cinematic Universe).

Chris McMillan: Chris is a sweetheart. He’s in the theater program but wants to be a farmer and raise sheep when he grows up. He just really likes farm animals, okay?

Barry O’Hara: A good dude! He’s in the dance program, and his Special Interest is linguistics and communication.

Rasheed Bakir: Rasheed!! He’s a bit of a running joke in our work, as he constantly hurts his legs and feet. He’s been known to ride in Connor’s car with a broken ankle hanging out the window. It’s fine. He’s in the theater program, hates Shakespeare more than anything, and is dating Ari Price.

Ari Price: Just a lil visual arts program kid. Constantly so worried about Rasheed. The Ultimate mom friend; his backpack is the equivalent of Alex’s fanny pack, and he makes a very good soup when one of the guys is sick.

Leo Montgomery: He’s Spencer’s cousin! Very buff and a little bit scary but is a whole teddy bear. He’s in the music program, and is so tired of watching Nick and Spencer pine. He’s a science nerd, except for biology. Fuck biology. All his homies hate biology.

Percy Mayer: We love Percy so much. He’s a Ballet Boy, and he’s fake dating a girl in ballet named Constance Hansen. He’s probably aro, but is still a little confused about that.

Oren Summers: Oren is a freshman in the visual arts program. Kind of just one of those nice guys you meet in school who are just cool to be around.

Grayson Radcliffe: Grayson plays the french horn in the music program, and is in our token heterosexual relationship with Jennifer Brickaday.

Dirty Candi

Kayla Lavelle: Y’all know Kayla. We named her ‘Lavelle’ because we went with a color based system and, yk, lavender.

Jennifer Brickaday: Yellow Candi! Dating Grayson, and we just don’t deserve her. Brickaday is a reference to the yellow brick road.

Andrea Turkis: Miss Turquoise Candi! Probably our favorite candi - she’s a lesbian and just gives the best hugs. (Turkis means turquoise in several languages.)

Velma Williams: Orange Candi! Straight up the coolest person alive. She’s aro, and helps Percy sort out his sexuality. Just really likes dinosaurs, you know? (Williams is for William of Orange)

Mary Brooks: Not a member of Dirty Candi, but their manager. Totally not in love with Julie what are you talking about that’s bananas (Mary - marron (brown) and Brooks is just a slightly less on-the-nose version of Brown).

Those Done Dirty:

Flynn Chadwick: Chat means cat in french, but we wanted Chadwick because it sounded neat.

Willie Greenwood: He just gives us green vibes I don’t know what to tell you

The Families:

The Danforth-Evans Family: Nick, Ryan, and Chad are a given. Nick also has a little sister named Phoebe Danforth-Evans. Phoebe is a gymnast and general rascal.

The Montgomery-Wright Family: Buckle up, y’all. Spencer has seven pets. - Laura Montgomery: Mom #1. Very chill, but very protective. - Francesca ‘Franny’ Wright: Mom #2. Just the sweetest, but is willing to cause harm to a bitch if necessary. - Dog: Herbert Fitzhoover (the light of all of our lives) - Cats: Tongs, Spoon, and Spatula. They’re just like old gay men. No further comment. - Bird: Chicken the parakeet. Spencer found him at the airport and just... brought him home. - Roomba: BoBo. Very Good Boy. - Kinda Penguin: Texas (a lesbian icon, married to Oklahoma)

The Chadwick Family:  - Dad: Nico Chadwick. Just, like, a really good dad. Living the life. - Older Brother: Andrew Chadwick. Absolute nerd, away at university, drinks his respecting women juice every day. - Younger Sisters: Rachel & Eliza Chadwick. Twins - they love tormenting Flynn. - Cat: Snoopy. The love of my life.

The Wilson Family:  - Cat: Peanut!! love him

The Mercer Family: - Alex’s Younger Sister: Annabelle ‘Annie’ Mercer. Deaf, has a bright pink hearing aid. Wants to be just like her big brother (is already halfway there, being that she is wildly queer).

RUNNING AND INSIDE JOKES:

Octoslashers III: Octoslashers shows up as some form of media in every fic we write. Every single one.

Twister: Alex is a GOD at Twister, and there’s no debating this.

Rasheed’s Leg: Rasheed breaks his leg, foot, or ankle somehow in every fic. He’s trying.

The Caleb Chew-Out: Let’s just say I’m making it my mission to write a scene into every fic of ours where a character yells at Caleb, and everyone is going to get their turn. 

Oklahomas: Oklahoma and Texas are soulmates in every universe. 

questions? let me know! i’ll add the answers (:

[pittarchives]

“Coming Out” via Print Media: Speech Acts and Queer Identity

This post was written by Joe Wozniak, a recipient of an Archival Scholar Research Award for the 2021 Spring Semester. 

Sifting through Pitt’s American Left Ephemera Collection for the ASRA project has been a true exposure to many ideologies focused on social progress. Publications from 1960’s-1970’s that center around Women’s Liberation, Civil Rights, and Gay and Lesbian Rights are plentiful. Each one allows the reader to take in a conversation from the time. While some have a single vision, many were starting to acknowledge the intersectionality of their causes. Lesbian women were no exception and created many independent publications to add their voices to the conversation. Lavender Vision is one example that aimed at creating a larger community of like minded, “women who love women”. In their own words, “We will not be forced into being a single issue liberation movement. Our struggle against sexism includes fighting all forms of domination because we believe sexism to be the first and most basic fucked up power relationship” (Lavender Vision for the Lesbian Community, vol. 1, issue 1, (1971): 2).

Excerpt from Lavender Vision. While some passages are calls for action, some were more centered around romance. Lavender Vision for the Lesbian Community, Vol. 1, Issue 2, (1971): 2-3. American Left Ephemera Collection, 1875-2015, AIS.2007.11, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

The time period was no cake walk for anyone who may have lived an alternative lifestyle. Creating spaces to find one another was crucial not only for the group’s progress, but also for the well-being of the individual members spread across the United States. Being a woman was hard enough, couple that with a queer identity and you’re bound to encounter problems. Despite this, inside Lavender Vision are pleas for companionship, pronouncements of identity, and inquiries into what it means to be queer. A particular question asked by columnist “Sue Sappho” begs, “Gay people speak of “coming out”. How does one come out when there is nowhere to come out to?” (Lavender Vision for the Lesbian Community, vol. 1, issue 2. (1971): 2-3).

Excerpt from Lavender Vision. Above, columnist Sue Sappho asks, “how does one come out when there is no one to come out to?” Lavender Vision for the Lesbian Community, Vol. 1, Issue 2, (1971): 2-3. American Left Ephemera Collection, 1875-2015, AIS.2007.11, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Lavender Vision responds to that question with a grand proclamation on the opposite page, “WE ARE LESBIANS”. With a queer afflatus, the writer lays down a manifesto for lesbian women everywhere (see full transcript of image below). The constant use of the plural “we” shows the idea of a unified group with a shared vision that, “creates our own way of making love…of fighting… of making a revolution that is not just on walls and in leaflets but in our daily lives.” The jagged lines of the border which might be seen as forming the shapes of open mouths reflects a group shouting this affirmation with resounding effects. While mostly empowering, the piece makes clear that being a lesbian is, “historically dangerous…Gay sisters know what it means to be underground.” But more importantly Lavender Vision answers Sue Sappho’s question with an underground example: she could come out through this publication. While not traditional, there would be others to hear her announcement and acknowledge her as one of their own. This may seem trite in an age where just owning a cell phone allows access to a queer community, but in 1970’s America this potentially was a life-saving statement. Another of Sue’s statements hints at this, “please do not keep us waiting long. We need your help right now.” (Lavender Vision for the Lesbian Community, vol. 1, issue 2. (1971): 2-3.)

Excerpt from Lavender Vision. The above statement from the publication reads as a manifesto, not only for the writers but for the lesbian audience dispersed across the nation. Lavender Vision for the Lesbian Community, Vol. 1, Issue 2, (1971): 2-3. American Left Ephemera Collection, 1875-2015, AIS.2007.11, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

The act of “coming out” closely resembles what linguists call a performative speech act. A “performative”, first coined by J.L. Austin (Austin 1962), is the act of uttering what one is doing (performing) and in doing so creating a shift in reality. This could be as simple as a bet or a promise, but sometimes holds a bit more weight. A well-used example is a Western wedding ceremony. When two partners have reached the end of the ritual, they utter the phrase “I do (take you as my partner).” In doing so, they have entered into an agreed upon (and in most cases legally binding) contract committing themselves to one another. Of course, this could be considered infelicitous, a fancy linguistic term meaning null, for many reasons. For example, I wouldn’t be able to marry someone by just performing a ceremony and saying “I do” if no one else were around to hear me say it. “Coming out” for many queer identifying people is an affirmation of identity. Without an audience to hear that soul-bearing statement it may feel to many, like our friend Sue Sappho, as if it weren’t the same thing. Publications like Lavender Vision, whether passed around in queer spaces or read alone in a bedroom, allowed this conversation to happen.

Works Cited

Lavender Vision for the Lesbian Community, vol. 1, issue 2. (1971): 2-3. American Left Ephemera Collection, 1875-2015, AIS.2007.11, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System 

Lavender Vision for the Lesbian Community, vol. 1, issue 1, (1971): 2. https://voices.revealdigital.org/?a=d&d=CCGDEFA19700101&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN—————1 ( accessed February 25, 2021).

Austin, J.L., How To Do Things With Words. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA (1962): 12-38.

[dwindledglow]

001. MEET ISLA

FULL NAME: isla renee monroe. PREFERRED NAME: isla. NICKNAME/S: is. DATE OF BIRTH: may 15th, 1993. GENDER & PRONOUNS: cis female & she/her. ORIENTATION: hetero. RELIGION: agnostic. RELATIONSHIP STATUS: engaged to kendrick parker. OCCUPATION: sports agent, ceo of monroe corporation and actress. RESIDENCE: montauk, east hampton.

002. CHECK ISLA’S BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: quebec, canada. NATIONALITY: canadian and american. ETHNIC BACKGROUND: hungarian and canadian. LINGUISTICS: french and english which are her native languages, spanish, german, portuguese and italian in a fluent level and she can lead a conversation in japanese. EDUCATION: she attended university of birmingham where she got her BSc in physiotherapy and, later, she attended queen mary university of london where she got her MSc in sports and exercise medicine. CRIMINAL RECORD: despite some mishaps along the way and almost being charged for public lewdness and, later, having allegedly assaulted a paparazzo — which was settled in a deal, isla has a clean record. BIRTH ORDER: first. FATHER: lawrence jude monroe, born on may 19th, 1966 in toronto, canada, passed away on august 11th, 2006 in los angeles, california. lawrence was a high-profile hockey player and the founder of monroe corporation. MOTHER: audrey gabrielle kelly, née jones, born on october 29th, 1968 in montecito, california, residing in los angeles, california and working as a communication and media teacher at the university of southern california though she used to be a successful sports reporter. SISTER/S: elizabeth sophia kelly, born on june 8th, 2002 in malibu, california, residing in los angeles, california where she also studies. she’s one of two children audrey had in a second marriage, making her isla’s half-sister. BROTHER/S: anthony dean kelly, born on april 7th, 2000 in malibu, california, residing in los angeles, california where he also studies. he’s the first born of audrey’s second marriage and, thus, isla’s half-brother. SIGNIFICANT OTHER: kendrick parker. CHILDREN: bella nicole parker, born on june 9th, 2018 in montauk, new york. zoe eliza parker, born on june 9th, 2018 in montauk, new york. kyd lawrence parker, born on january 14th, 2020 in montauk, new york. OTHER RELEVANT FAMILY: none. EX/ES: joseph taylor. PETS: gliss and qana, two french bulldogs and brooklyn, an english bulldog.

003. GET UP CLOSE & PERSONAL

HEIGHT: 5′5″ or 168 cm. WEIGHT: between 117 lbs or 53 kg and 125 lbs or 57 kg. BODY BUILD: isla has a naturally willowy and curvy frame, something in between a hourglass shape and the classic supermodel-rectangle one — leaning more towards the first. she's not overly slim but she has the average weight for her height, and she has curves in the right places. her body isn't the most defined but she has a toned frame and she has more lean muscle than fat. isla has a big bust — 32C —, a flat stomach and long legs. EYE COLOR: she has cerulean blue eyes but, on occasion and depending on the light, they might look a grey-ish blue. EYESIGHT: whereas isla doesn't have any kind of issue like miopia or astigmatism, she has severe eye fatigue. she can get away without wearing anything but for activities that demand a lot of focus, such as reading, and when it comes to spending time in front of a laptop, as well as reading or watching television at night or in places where the light isn't the best, she needs glasses to stop her vision from going blurry. HAIR COLOR & STYLE: naturally, her hair is more of a caramel brown shade but, currently, it’s more of a chocolate brown shade. appearance and the way she portrays herself is very important for isla due to her career both as a sports agent / ceo of a world renown company and as an actress. naturally, her hair is straight and when the girl is in a rush, she opts for keeping it that way, using few products and a straightener to sleek it back. when she has the time, she prefers to spend some time making loose, beach waves or a few loose ringlets so there's some volume to her hair. if she's home or off-duty, she'll not waste much time on it and will often try to get her hair out of the way by throwing it on a ponytail or some kind of messy bun. if she has events, she likes to mix it up and often leaves the more elaborate hair styles to a trusty stylist. DOMINANT HAND: right. NOTABLE PHYSICAL TRAITS: her electric blue eyes paired with her angular facial features and plump lips are, perhaps, the most notable characteristic when it regards isla. there's almost a vintage quality to her features, something outstanding and that distinguishes her from other girls — and most people, in general — out there. likewise, her willowy figure is one of her most obvious, notable appearance features. SCARS AND MARKS: she has a few scars here and there, courtesy of her clumsy moments, but it’s nothing major or particularly noticeable. other than that, she has a few notable moles spread out on her tummy. TATTOOS: she has a small knife with a rose lying atop of it on her left hip — reference —, she has nineteen tattooed in cursive on the side of her left hand, her dad's favorite number, and she has I of III on her right ankle — a matching tattoo she's got with her two siblings. she has a b behind her right ear and a z behind her left ear, respectively representing her and kendrick’s daughter’s bella and zoe.  PIERCINGS: she has her regular lobes pierced. VOICECLAIM: barbara palvin. ACCENT & INTENSITY: to this day, and in spite of having lived a good portion of her life between los angeles, new york and england, isla still has her quebec accent intact and it's still as distinctive and as intense as it has always been. ALLERGIES: lactose intolerant, white chocolate, vanilla. PHOBIAS & FEARS: solitude and oblivion. MENTAL & PHYSICAL ILLNESSES: she has rhinitis. ALCOHOL USE: in social situations, she does drink. SMOKING: she stopped smoking ever since she started trying to get pregnant. NARCOTICS USE: not anymore. when she was younger ( read from fourteen to sixteen ) she did heavier drugs such as heroin, ecstasy, shrooms and cocaine and she used to smoke weed and, occasionally, do adderall to focus during college. INDULGENT FOOD: occasionally, when she’s down in the slumps or having major cravings. SPLURGE SPENDING: it doesn’t happen often, it’s rare for isla to lose her mind and splurge. GAMBLING: no, never.

004. DIG DEEPER

CAN THEY DRIVE? yes, she can drive. CAN THEY COOK & BAKE? yes and ish. CAN THEY CHANGE A FLAT TIRE? yes. CAN THEY TIE A TIE? yes. CAN THEY SWIM? yes. CAN THEY RIDE A BICYCLE? yes. CAN THEY JUMP START A CAR? yes. CAN THEY BRAID HAIR? yes. CAN THEY PICK A LOCK? yes. EXTROVERTED OR INTROVERTED? extroverted. DISORGANIZED OR ORGANIZED? organized. CLOSE OR OPEN MINDED? open minded. CALM OR ANXIOUS? calm. PATIENT OR IMPATIENT? in-between. OUTSPOKEN OR RESERVED? outspoken. LEADER OR FOLLOWER? leader. OPTIMISTIC OR PESSIMISTIC? a balance of both. TRADITIONAL OR MODERN? modern. HARD-WORKING OR LAZY? hard-working. CULTURED OR UNCULTURED? cultured. LOYAL OR DISLOYAL? loyal. FAITHFUL OR UNFAITHFUL? faithful. NIGHT OWL OR EARLY BIRD? a balance of both, leaning more towards night owl. HEAVY OR LIGHT SLEEPER? not heavy, nor light. an in-between. COFFEE OR TEA? coffee. DAY OR NIGHT? night. TAKING BATHS OR SHOWERS? showers. COCA COLA OR PEPSI? neither. CATS OR DOGS? dogs. NETFLIX OR CINEMA? cinema. SHOWS OR MOVIES? movies. LAPTOP OR GAMING CONSOLE? laptop. HEALTHY OR JUNK FOOD? healthy food. ICE CREAM OR FROZEN YOGURT? frozen yogurt. PIZZA OR HAMBURGER? hamburger. LOLLIPOPS OR GUMMY WORMS? neither. BEACH OR POOL? beach. SNOWBALLS FIGHTING OR ICESKATING? both. LITERATURE OR SCIENCE? science. HISTORY OR ART? art. CHOCOLATE BARS OR COTTON CANDY? chocolate bars. XBOX OR PLAYSTATION? playstation. FACE-TO-FACE OR PHONE INTERACTIONS? face-to-face interactions. DRAMA OR SCI-FI? drama. HORROR OR COMEDY? horror.

005. ISLA’S FAVORITES

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: working out. FAVORITE ANIMAL: caracal. FAVORITE BOOK: requiem for a dream by hubert shelby jr. FAVORITE COLOR/S: black and red. FAVORITE CUISINE: mexican and spanish cuisines. FAVORITE DISH/ES: poutine, nachos, tacos, huevos rancheros, chili, paella, gazpacho and fideuà. FAVORITE DRINK/S: watermelon lemonade, caipirinha and margarita. FAVORITE FLOWER/S: lotus, yellow hibiscus and plumerias. FAVORITE GEM: ruby. FAVORITE MOVIE: it’s only the end of the world, although she loves anything by xavier dolan. FAVORITE SONG: sleep on it by gallant. FAVORITE SCENT/S: peaches, the scent of the earth after it rained, lavender and leather. FAVORITE SHOW/S: how to get away with murder and scandal. FAVORITE SPORT/S & TEAM THEY SUPPORT: basketball, american football, hockey, baseball, soccer and volleyball. FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR: summer. VACATION DESTINATION: vaadhoo, maldives.

[necromancy-savant]

THE ONES THAT END IN 5

5: Top 3 subjects of study/classes to take

Early modern literature, Assyriology, Linguistics. 

15: Top 3 kinds of flower

I honestly don’t know if I know 3...I guess rose, sunflower...tulip? The only other one I can think of period is lavender which I don’t particularly like. 

25: Top 3 most used websites

Facebook, Tumblr, Netflix.

35: Top 3 celebrity crushes

Crush is way too strong of a word. To me it means “want a relationship with” and I couldn’t feel that way about someone I don’t know.

45: Top 3 things you hope to accomplish in college

Let’s make that grad school instead, or even just Master’s and keep my future PhD goals separate: find my niche, start teaching, make strong connections and friendships. 

55: Top 3 things you want to say to someone in your lifetime

Someone specific, or...? I don’t understand the question. It would vary depending on the individual person. 

65: Top 3 cars you dream of owning

Owning one car is already one of my least favorite parts of being alive lol.

75: Top 3 recipes you want to try 

Ramen, drunken noodles, fried chicken.

85: Top 3 magazines/news papers/ journals to read

I literally get all my news from social media. 

95: Top 3 things to do in the rain

Play video games, play music, bake. 

105: Top 3 taylor swift songs

That video of Richard II and Henry Bolingbroke. Not the song but specifically the combination of the song with the video element. That video specifically. I don’t think I know any other Taylor Swift songs and it wouldn’t be the same without the video element. 

[linguistlist-blog]

Calls: Lavender Languages and Linguistics Conference 29

Call for Papers: We are pleased to announce that the 29th Lavender Languages and Linguistics Conference will take place at Boise State University with a hybrid online component from 9-11 March 2023. The Conference has a rich history of examining language use and representation in relation to LGBTQ+ life, including linguistics, sociolinguistics, (critical) discourse analysis, and the analysis of communication in various text genres, modes and media, as well as research into historical, lit http://dlvr.it/SXypdN

[lavender-language-blog]

The “Lisp”  |  Sibilant /s/

Being a self-identifying bisexual myself, I have always pondered the phenomenon of lavender language, particularly the quintessential portrayal of gay men and how they sound overtly genteel across American media and television:

“[Such] ... stereotypes are also propagated in popular literature. For example, author David Sedaris recollects how the group of boys with whom he attended speech pathology as a child for an /s/ misarticulation appeared to be a ‘Future Homosexuals of America’ organization (Sedaris 2001). This is arguably an illustration of perhaps the most widely cited characteristic of [Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual] speech style, the ‘gay lisp’.” 

Sedaris also notes in Me Talk Pretty One Day that the other boys in his speech class appeared more feminine than masculine, or “gayer” more so than straight. This example aids to further the notion that media’s portrayal of the gay stereotype and how it shapes the ideology of the “gay voice” in turn leads to the misjudgment of the voice as being some sort of error in or inability to speak the right way. Associate Professor of Linguistics at Stanford University, Robert Podesva, too, suggests that some California speech varieties sound basically identical to those of stereotypical characters as demonstrated in "valley girl, [...] stoner” flicks where the characters’ speech is used to categorize them as the fun, wild, ready-to-party type.

...

Another experiment (Munson, McDonald, DeBoe, & White) was conducted to measure the perceptions of sexual orientation based on read speech. 

Forty-four speaking participants aged 18-40 (11 lesbian/bisexual-identifying women, 11 heterosexual women, 11 gay/bisexual-identifying men, and 11 heterosexual men) from the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota fluent in North American English were recruited. 

The 44 speaking participants were split into four groups of 11, each given a subset of 12 words:

“[Each speaker] chose one of three words containing front vowels and sibilant fricatives (gas, said, same); three words with front vowels and no sibilant fricatives (bell, fade, path); three words with back-round vowels and sibilant fricatives (loose, soap, soon), and three words with back-round vowels and no sibilant fricatives (hoop, note, tooth).”

The 40 listening participants who were members of the University of Minnesota also fluent in English and aged 18-40 listened to the samples taken from each speaking participant and were asked to identify whether the speaker was gay or straight.

TL;DR: Gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals were perceived as sounding more homosexual than their heterosexual counterparts according to the experiment. Regression analysis done by the research facilitators further examined the vocal parameters of G/B men and non-G/B men, suggesting that judgments made on a male’s sexual orientation were influenced significantly by the auditory skewed sibilant ‘S’ ... A.K.A. what many still refer to as the “gay lisp”!