#queer arts and culture

[nixxsmokeweed]

I made a new backpatch for my wheelchair. The first picture is the new one and the second is the old.

I made this new one with velcro which attaches much cleaner to the chair. That way, you can actually see all the patches.

I find these backpatches are much better than a traditional battle jacket for me. As Battle jackets get really heavy, which makes it harder to push myself. This way I can still participate.

If you make one I would love to see!

[justdavina]

Such a cutie!

[bennizone]

why can't happiness come easy!? HOW CAN WE ACHIEVE JOY? ...is drawing yourself as a pokémon the answer?

❤️ 8-pages, no planning; improvised comic. Just for silly fun :-) i actually debated whether to post this since it's not thought through at all, just a ramble.. but i hope u enjoyed!

[forsapphics]

Brokeback Mountain, sapphic version (x)

Art by @ msbhaive

[originalhaffigaza]

[menacewithawolfcut]

if this post reaches 500 notes, i will start a podcast where i will talk about my fictional crushes in a totally unhinged manner, like britanny broski talks about masked men, traumadump without anyone asking for it, and about various topics that make my serotonin levels go brrr (mostly about art, history/culture and queer stuff), video essay-ish-style, but executed in a worst way possible

[yourartur]

I’d wanna hold you just for a while

And die with a smile 🩵❤️

Instagram

[vacantgodling]

maryland miku aka old bay >>>>>

[makingqueerhistory]

Selected Works from Nasta Rojc

Nasta Rojc was born in Croatia in 1891 and left an enduring legacy as both a pioneer in the arts and a courageous figure in the Croatian resistance movement during World War II. Her life story is marked by resilience, creativity, and a commitment to women in the arts.

As a lesbian who lived in a time when LGBTQ+ rights were virtually nonexistent, she entered into a lavender marriage with fellow artist Branko Šenoa, which allowed her to attend art school and maintain her safety. As an artist, Rojc broke barriers by becoming the first female solo exhibitionist at the prestigious Salon Ullrich. Her art, characterized by bold colors and depictions of traditional Croatian folk wear, captivated audiences and earned her recognition within the Croatian art world. It is possibly because of her talent and uplifting of Croatian culture that she is remembered.

After Croatian independence, there has been a resurgence of interest in Rojc's works, with exhibitions and retrospectives celebrating her contributions to Croatian art and history. Her paintings serve as a testament to her talent and vision, while her legacy as a pioneer in both the arts and activism continues to inspire future generations. Nasta Rojc's life is a reminder of the power of art to transcend boundaries and its use as a tool to discuss and fight oppression.

You can find these works and more in our gallery!

[fixing-bad-posts]

[Image description: A tumblr text-post, edited blackout-poetry/collage style. Select lines of text have been superimposed over the painting, "Two Young Women Kissing" by Louis-Léopold Boilly. The painting depicts two women in full-skirted gowns, embracing each other and kissing. Full text is below.]

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So many women choosing women.

Why is it so hard to understand? a woman wants so many women.

women. women.

[leahhayess]

About to take a shower, who’s in ?

[whatismylacreating]

stellar, 2024

color pencil, marker, puffy paint, pen, and gems on paper

[justdavina]

Adorable transgender girl! Trans women are real women!

[eziojensenthe3rd]

So european peeps, remember chat control? Well consider making some noise atm and contacting your reps because it seems to be back on the agenda with october being a discussion on progress with december aiming to endorse it. Get cracking.

(Posting this under kosa tag cause its another bad internet bill)

[samimarkart]

magpie thieves are here!

[hussyknee]

Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani’s Kitab al-Aghani records the lives of a number of individuals including one named Tuways who lived during the last years of Muhammad and the reigns of the early Muslim dynasties. Tuways was mukhannathun: those who were born as men, but who presented as female. They are described by al-Isfahani as wearing bangles, decorating their hands with henna, and wearing feminine clothing. One mukhannathun, Hit, was even in the household of the Prophet Muhammad. Tuways earned a reputation as a musician, performing for clients and even for Muslim rulers. When Yahya ibn al-Hakam was appointed as governor, Tuways joined in the celebration wearing ostentatious garb and cosmetics. When asked by the governor if he were Muslim Tuways affirmed his belief, proclaiming the declaration of faith and saying that he observes the fast of Ramadan and the five daily prayers. In other words, al-Isfahani, who recorded the life of a number of mukhannathun like Tuways, saw no contradiction between his gender expression and his Muslimness. From al-Isfahani we read of al-Dalal, ibn Surayj, and al-Gharid—all mukhannathun—who lived rich lives in early Muslim societies. Notably absent from al-Isfahani’s records is any state-sanctioned persecution. Instead, the mukhannathun are an accepted part of society.

...

Far from isolated cases, across Islamic history—from North Africa to South Asia—we see widespread acceptance of gender nonconforming and queer individuals. - Later in the Ottoman Empire, there were the köçek who were men who wore women’s clothing and performed at festivals. Formally trained in dance and percussion instruments, the köçek were an important part of social functions. A similar practice was found in Egypt. The khawal were male dancers who presented as female, wearing dresses, make up, and henna. Like their Ottoman counterparts, they performed at social events.

- In South Asia, the hijra were and are third-sex individuals. The term is used for intersex people as well as transgender women. Hijra are attested to among the earliest Muslim societies of South Asia where, according to Nalini Iyer, they were often guardians of the household and even held office as advisors.

- In Iraq, the mustarjil are born female, but present as men. In Wilfred Thesiger’s The Marsh Arabs the guide, Amara explains, “A mustarjil is born a woman. She cannot help that; but she has the heart of a man, so she lives like a man.” When asked if the mustarjil are accepted, Amara replies “Certainly. We eat with her and she may sit in the mudhif.” Amara goes on to describe how mustarjil have sex with women.

...

Historian Indira Gesink analyzed 41 medical and juristic sources between the 8th and 18th centuries and discovered that the discourse of a “binary sex” was an anachronistic projection backwards. Gesink points out in one of the earliest lexicography by the 8th century al-Khalil ibn Ahmad that he suggests addressing a male-presenting intersex person as ya khunathu and a female-presenting intersex person as ya khanathi while addressing an effeminate man as ya khunathatu. This suggests a clear recognition of a spectrum of sex and gender expression and a desire to address someone respectfully based on how they presented.

Tolerance of gender ambiguity and non-conformity in Islamic cultures went hand-in-hand with broader acceptance of homoeroticism. Texts like Ali ibn Nasir al-Katib’s Jawami al-Ladhdha, Abu al-Faraj al-Isfahani’s Kitab al-Aghani, and the Tunisian, Ahmad al-Tifashi’s Nuz’ha al-‘Albab attest to the widespread acceptance of same-sex desire as natural. Homoeroticism is a common element in much of Persian and Arabic poetry where youthful males are often the object of desire. From Abu Nuwas to Rumi, from ibn Ammar to Amir Khusraw, some of the Islamic world’s greatest poets were composing verses for their male lovers. Queer love was openly vaunted by poets. One, Ibn Nasr, immortalizes the love between two Arab lesbians Hind al Nu’man and al-Zarqa by writing:

“Oh Hind, you are truer to your word than men. Oh, the differences between your loyalty and theirs.”

...

Acceptance of same-sex desire and gender non-conformity was the hallmark of Islamic societies to such a degree that European travelers consistently remarked derisively on it. In the 19th century, Edward Lane wrote of the khawal: “They are Muslims and natives of Egypt. As they personate women, their dances are exactly of the same description as those of the ghawazee; and are, in like manner, accompanied by the sound of castanets.”

A similarly scandalized CS Sonnini writes of Muslim homoerotic culture:

“The inconceivable appetite which dishonored the Greeks and the Persians of antiquity, constitute the delight, or to use a juster term, the infamy of the Egyptians. It is not for women that their ditties are composed: it is not on them that tender caresses are lavished; far different objects inflame them.”

In his travels in the 19th century, James Silk Buckingham encounters an Afghan dervish shedding tears for parting with his male lover. The dervish, Ismael, is astonished to find how rare same-sex love was in Europe. Buckingham reports the deep love between Ismael and his lover quoting, “though they were still two bodies, they became one soul.”

...

Today, vocal Muslim critics of LGBTQ+ rights often accuse gay and queer people of imposing a “Western” concept or forcing Islam to adjust to “Western values” failing to grasp the irony of the claim: the shift in the 19th and 20th century was precisely an alignment with colonial values over older Islamic ones, all of which led to legal criminalization. In fact, the common feature among nations with anti-LGBTQ+ legislation isn’t Islam, but rather colonial law.

Don't talk to me I'm weeping. I'm not Muslim, but the grief of colonization runs in the blood of every Global South person. Dicovering these is like finding our lost treasures among plundered ruins.

Queer folk have always, always been here; we have always been inextricable, shining golden threads in the tapestry of human history. To erase and condemn us is to continue using the scalpel of colonizers in the mutilation and betrayal of our own heritage.