#qwoc history

[macbxth-pdf]

Fish Flag

Original Flag, Inspiration, and Palette by @estrogenism (Thank you for the permission to edit this flag!)

What does Fish mean?

Fish is a black exclusive term for a femme lesbian. This label was first recorded as a counterpart the label 'Stud' in a Masters of Arts thesis titled, 'A Study of a Public Lesbian Community' by Ethel Sawyer. Black masculinity is to Stud as Black femininity is to Fish.

The Flag: Symbols and Colors

School of Black Fish: In the original flag I found on my dash, estrogenism uses an image of a tropical fish to represent the body diversity among black femmes. I decided to go with a school of fish to represent the community among black femmes. Initially, I wanted the school to look like a crescent moon to represent femininity further, but I wasn't fuckin' with it.

Colors:

The darkest purple: Womanism (a feminist school of thought centered around the black experience)

2nd darkest purple: Black sapphicism

2nd lightest purple: Black sapphic history

Lightest purple: Unity between all fish (trans, cis, intersex, aspec, arospec etc)

Lightest pink: Subversion of femininity

2nd Lightest Pink: Vulnerability (????)

Orangey-Pink: Persistence

Red: Love

Recommended Reading

Femme: Feminists, Lesbians, and Bad Girls (Edited by Laura Harris and Elizabeth Crocker) [There are two relevant segments. Fish Tales and Fish Pond]

A Public Study of a Lesbian Community by Ethel Sawyer (This study was done by a heterosexual woman. Due to the time it is from, harmful stereotypes of both studs and fish are portrayed in this thesis. These misconceptions are incredibly dated.)

Note: Based on the reading that I have done (Including the original thesis itself), some bisexual women were involved in the lesbian bar culture and identified with the label Fish. Out of the 7 fish interviewed by Sawyer, 2 out of 7 (28%) enjoyed sex with men. That being said I don’t mind or care if black bisexual femmes use this flag. But please understand the difference between presenting femininely and femme culture within the sapphic context (specifically butchfemme/studfemme/stud-fish community) before using this label.

THIS IS THE FIRST FLAG I MADE SO PLEASEEEE BE KIND

Software/Website used: Canva (Design and Assets) and Coolors (palette picking)

[wlwaxsthetic]

Happy Black History Month. Black queer love should always be celebrated and validated

[forsapphics]

DIDIxDADA - Rosemary | OFFICIAL M/V — directed by Piriyayut Tangchitmate

A Thai WLW couple, affectionately known as Grandma Pokchakorn & Grandpa Kan, stars in the music video, celebrating the historic passage of the marriage equality bill. After more than 30 years of love, commitment, and tireless advocacy for LGBTQ rights and marriage equality, they will finally have the opportunity to officially register their marriage! (x)

[yourdailyqueer]

Nadine Hwang (deceased)

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Lesbian

DOB: 3 March 1902 

RIP: Died 1972

Ethnicity: Chinese, white

Nationality: Various - she moved about but died in Belgium and lived with Nelly in Venezuela for 20 years.

Occupation: Lawyer, veteran, chauffeur, spy

Note 1: Was one of the first Chinese female pilots and served in the Chinese Air Force as an honorary colonel. There is evidence to suggest that Nadine Hwang also spied against the Nazis as an agent on behalf of the French Resistance.

Note 2: Had a relationship with opera singer Nelly Mousset-Vos

[slimbug]

HAPPY BLACK HISTORY MONTH ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 If you ain’t afraid to slap the Jim Crow outta somebody’s racist daddy you can use code BHM to get this shirt for 20% off on my website.

[gracefullybrianna]

I am whole ×3

Black. Queer. Healing.

[gwydionmisha]

Shave 'Em Dry II - Lucille Bogan

[oti0se]

Just got prescribed olanzapine…I am NOT looking forward to these side effects

[macbxth-pdf]

Please read this!!!

On the masculinisation of Black women and how this affects studs and stems:

In the case of nonfeminine lesbians, cultural notions of black female sexuality may inhibit their freedom of gender expression in certain contexts and disrupt the image of middle-class respectability they have achieved through other symbols of their socioeconomic mobility. As black women, many feel that they have to work harder to be accepted in mainstream society, and admitting a nonfeminine gender display categorizes them as “other” in yet another way by confirming pejorative conceptualizations of the black bulldagger and other stereotypes of black female sexuality (Collins 2000).

When black lesbians take on these forms of gender display, they run the risk of confirming negative stereotypes about black women’s sexuality and subject themselves to dangerous confrontations with a larger society that devalues any raced expression of sexuality but particularly denounces and denigrates images of masculinity in black women. Transgressive presentations of self also reify stereotypes of black women as mannish and are particularly threatening to the male possession of masculinity. Thus, women who dress in a transgressive or gender-blending style may be reluctant to admit publicly that they have a nonfeminine presentation of self. As a result of their gender display, many face hostility from conformists in mainstream society, including middle-class black lesbians.

Lipstick or Timberlands? Meanings of Gender Presentation in Black Lesbian Communities, Moore, Mignon R. (2006)

Note: Don't wanna get too personal on the sideblog so I'll save most of this for main but yeah I really felt this section. I'm happy this was addressed and I'm not alone on this.

[macbxth-pdf]

A little tidbit of knowledge for all the black sapphics who may come across my blog

Source: Dagger: On Butch Women ( Edited by Lily Burana, Roxxie and Linnea Due )

Passage: The Myth and Tradition of the Black Bulldagger by SDiane A Bogus (pg 29-36 in the physical copy, pgs 30-37 on the pdf)

Mutuals who I think would like this post: @femmepire-butchbiter @nsslaughter @cobwebgf @blackhighfemme @brownsugarbunny @cottagecorewitchebitche

[holyblanchett]

Not Billy/Wanda stans acting dumb about why people hate the chars/them when they're literally taking over the fandom and possibly even the actual show. That is named after agatha. And should be about her. That was so refreshing and important because it was about older women, queer women, qwoc. And they're literally villainizing Agatha who clearly is not able to control her magic but crying about their boy who clearly can and used it to harm everyone else. (And if the rumors are true that the intimacy coordinators are for the goddamned gay boys but the main character lesbians are stuck avoiding censors??)

SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK! Not only that but outmagazine just released an article saying Joe/Billy just made queer 'history' in AAA when Agatha and Rio are legit ex wives. The erasure is insane. If we don't get an Agathario kiss by the end of the show I will be LIVID.

[forsapphics]

San Francisco, 1993

photo by Cathy Cade and Jane Clelland (x)

[yourdailyqueer]

bell hooks (deceased)

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Queer

DOB: 25 September 1952  

RIP: 15 December 2021

Ethnicity: African American

Occupation: Writer, activist, professor

Note: Prefers her name to be in lowercase to honour her late grandmother.

[rev-krissy]

I'm sitting in a bath with no bubbles, reading;

reading about Lorraine Hansberry, reading her poems...

Because at a lecture earlier this week the radical, black, queer lesbian* professor quoted this poem and I, fool that I am, knew Hansberry only for "Raisin in the Sun", and was not aware that she was a lesbian who wrote for the ladder. (* her self description)

So my lovelies, part of a poem by Lorraine "L.H.N." Hansberry                             

I like 69 when it really works the first scotch the fact that I almost never want the third                                                                or even the second when I am alone. Praise fate! The inside of a lovely woman’s mouth The way little JW looks in the movies Her coquettishness Her behind - those fresh little muscles Parts of the lingering memory of a betrayer. ... I should like to be utterly, utterly in love to work and finish something

And a link to part of her story: http://lavenderpoems.com/lorraine-hansberry-lesbian-poet-dramatist/ Have a lovely lavender day, my dears: love deeply, finish something (even if it is only your coffee/tea), and know that God/ the universe loves you.

[slimbug]

Us.

I aint did an “Us.” post in a while. Hol’ on

[gracefullybrianna]

I love my hair/head. ×3

February: Black. Affirmed. Healing.

Briance EBEQ By Brianna.