#saphic history

[underground-secret]

Chappell Roan at the VMAs was everything. People keep confusing her outfit with Joan of Arc but she was actually Julie D’aubigny, which is so much more impactful. Let me explain.

In simple terms she was very good at fencing and she even did opera singing. But what really connects her to what Chappell did is her love story. Julie was a queer woman, she often dressed in men’s clothing but did not attempt to come off as a man.

At some point she had a relationship with a woman, yes a romantic one. Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the girl was shipped off to a convent to prevent the two from being in contact. And to frame it simply Julie followed after her, snuck in pretending to be apart of the whole thing, created this whole elaborate plan to sneak her lover out which included getting a dead nuns body and placing it in the girls bed followed by burning the building down, therefore faking the girls death.

They ran away together. But, a couple months later the girl went back to her family. Julie’s plan was found out and she was charged as a man on a variety of crimes, she was sentenced to death by burning.

Now let’s put this all together.

1. Chappell was consistently using swords

2. In the performance she looked back and shot a flaming arrow at a building burning it down which goes back to the burning of the convent.

3. The song performed was Good Luck, Babe! And Julie’s lover going back to her family is so Good Luck, Babe! coded. Like literally ur lover followed you to a conversion thing, setting up this whole thing so that you can run away together and love freely and then you go back home to ur family and she dies at the stake. Although not surprising for the time period it’s still so crazy and soooo poetic.

4. Julie d'Aubigny has this whole tragic queer story and Chappells music centers around that sort of thing, and what’s more impactful than a literal gay performer dressing as a gay performer who was killed for being gay?

Do you guys see what I mean??? So, while I love the edits I’m seeing please keep in mind that it is not Joan of Arc. In fact, I think it’s super important that this is corrected considering how real and tragic Julie’s story was.

[cha-mij]

"they were the BEST of friends"

[eala-dhubh]

Depictions of Female Tragedy in Art

Murder In The House by Jakub Schikander 1890

Death at Sunset for Sappho by Miguel Carbonell 1880

The Lunatic of Étretat by Hugues Merle 1871

Princess Tarakanova by Konstantin Flavitsky 1864

The Lady of Shalott by John William Waterhouse 1880

The Martyr of the Solway by John Everett Millais 1871

[tsp-narrator-ask]

“Greetings my dear readers! We are continuing the “happy pride month” posts with some help of my friend @the-artist-from-hell , also known as “juni!” They will be taking over the explanation from now on but still posting the pride facts and history here because this is there more prominent blog- I mean MY blog… yes-

“Any ways moving on! Take it away juniper!”

‘Alright then! Thanks shrimp!

Today we are learning about the “L” in LGBTQ! the L Of course stands for lesbian! Did you know that the label “lesbian(s)” is derived from the Greek island of “Lesbos”?

“What does some Greek island have to do with lesbians?” you may ask- well Because it’s well known for a famous past resident from 600 B.C named “Sappho” ((that’s also where we get the idea of the word “sapphic” when describing romance between feminine people)) she was known for being a great female poet who was openly attracted to woman… her writing was very erotic, and may I add this wasn’t common to see at that time- especially in writing from a woman.

Sappho lived in a time when women were not thought to be intellectuals nor sexual beings—especially without the participation of a man. How two women could be erotically connected was baffling to those at the time. Yet, despite this controversy Sappho was respected as a writer.

So now you know! And remember have fun this pride! Stay safe! And maybe read some lgbtq inspired poetry in memory of the great Sappho!

-signing off Juni’🏳️‍🌈

[notsofriendlyfriendlyreminder]

Sadie: Oh you know, I love Jackey, but I used to think that maybe, living with a woman would be better.

Abigail: Exactly! And I love John, but he does drive me crazy. I think you understand me better!

Sadie: Yea!

Abigail: Yea!

Sadie: ...

Abigail: ...

Tilly: ... I think... I think you should borrow few books from Mary-Beth

[pxnkrocknerd]

"10 Reasons Why You Should Be a Lesbian" by Liz Tracey

OutWeek magazine, issue 10 (1989)

[posi-pan]

Watched a video titled "Problems with the bisexual spectrum" (would've preferred if they used multisexual but that's not the point) and scrolled down through the comment section. While the majority of the comments were mspecs appreciating the vid and sharing their own experiences and thoughts, I noticed a pattern of pansexuals (+ people who used to label themselves as pansexual) sharing how they were constantly harassed, judged, and mocked for using the label. The constant harassment eventually culminating itself into self-hatred

Some ended their piece by reassuring they learned to stopped caring about what exclusionist think, and happily continue labeling as pan (or later go on to discover that another label fits them better) but others ended it by saying that while they know pan is a valid label, the harassment consequently made them uncomfortable of pansexuality, and would rather not have anything to do with it at all.

I had a similar experience years ago. Witnessing multiple non-bi mspecs constantly mocked and forced to use the bisexual label, "Bi vs Pan" posts painting pansexuality in the most negative light imaginable being highly supported, exclusionist, without fail, commenting either "I don't see anything 🤔" whenever a pan flag is showed off or "I guess 'X' doesn't exist now 😔" whenever a fictional char is headcannoned as pan, just made me resent myself and pansexuality, forcing myself to simply use 'saphic'

Those comments made me realized just how common of an occurrence this was, and I felt dejected after thinking about them for too long. Like, we go through that whole proccess of self-loathing and constant pressure to ID as something else, and yet no one outside our community seems to care?

Whenever a prominent LGBT+ figure/site talks about pansexuality (IF they even talk about it as it's own thing), it's only "They exist, and they are valid <3". Don't get me wrong, this is very appreciated, but why do they never use that opportunity to shed light on more valuable pieces of information as well. Show the community at large our history without the misinformation, expose the normalization of pan exclusion and the prominence of anti-pan dogwhistles, show pansexual's mental health statistics, etc.

I want to finish off this long rant (sorry btw) by saying thank you 💖💛💙 Your blog has helped me mentally throughout these years. I love reading through the Pan History and Pan Statistics carrds especially. If it wasn't for you or this blog, I would still be that self-loathing resentful person I was years ago. So again, thank you 💖💛💙

(I also want to apologize again for basically sending you an essay 😅 I got passionate writing this; if I left out any info/context, I would've exploded. Have a good evening!)

it's honestly so sad that pan people go through this and seemingly no one cares. and ugh yeah when the only thing regarding pan mentioned is something like "it's valid" or "pan people are part of the bi umbrella" it's like....that's it? what about something meaningful? it's just telling, ya know? like we're not worthy of genuine and meaningful consideration.

but yeah, no worries about the long rant! sorry for taking a while to get to it, though! i'm glad the blog and stuff has been helpful to you. you deserve to love and celebrate yourself and not be weighed down by hatred or doubt caused by the ignorance and malice of others. i hope you're doing well and have a lovely day! 💛💛

[underground-secret]

is there any source for chapell being julie d'aubigny?

This is a great question! And i’m gonna be so honest when i say im not really sure. I too thought she was Joan of Arc, which is of course slay but didn’t exactly make sense with the story being told through the performance. So, when i saw people saying she was Julie d’aubigny i wanted to do some research on her and, well, you know where that went.

I should correct myself: while i don’t know for certain who Chappell really intended to be i find that it is likely to be Julie rather than Joan of Arc.

[n3kk1tty]

Only in beasts of Santa Carla will you get Star being mom coded, saphic story lines, penguins, and the history of crack cocaine. Chapter 8 will be a great update hopefully of angst, humor, perverted-ness and eventually violence.

[artbytesslyn]

ah i was so excited for a second that my fav sapphic author and artist shared nationality and ethnicity with me but still thats awesome!!! if you and your wife would ever consider going back to that project i would scream its so hard finding gay romanian content and for it to be traditional on top of that??? but still, you're a big inspiration to me and why im pushing to try and start my own comics so who knows maybe i'll be the next romanian saphic content creator LMAO

Mora and Stima are gonna be explored more in our new work UMP, which me and my wife have been pitching to publishers! It takes place in Romania and has a strong focus on culture and history (with gay people and monsters also)

Good luck with your work! I’m sure you’re gonna make something great! I’d also love to see more sapphic Romanian work out there!

[allow-me-to-ruin-that-for-you-2]

Infodump time part 2 ( I told you not to indulge me )

Time for lesbian flags history!!!

Ok SO idk if you know this but this

Is the labrys flag. It was created by a gay man in 1999, but the symbols in it were being used by lesbians for decades, sometimes centuries before. It has really cool meanings! The color purple is used by the saphic sommunity, as you may know, because of Sappho, who used to give purple flowers to her lovers. If I'm not wrong, in the 1950s lesbians and wlw in general were excluded from one of the first internacional feminist meetings, called the lavender menace, and accused of being a threat to the movement. In the labrys flag we also have the black triangle which is to represent the saphics and feminists who were murdered during the holocaust ( the triangles were their organization system, black for feminists and sapphics, pink for gay man, red for Jewish ppl, etc). The black and pink triangles were both widely used by the lgbt movement as resignified symbols. Nevertheless, they are no longer being used, and out of respect for Jewish sapphics there's now a version of the sapphic flag without the black triangle.

Then we get to the main symbol : the labrys ax itself!! It is said to have been a symbol of goodness Artemis, protecter of children and women. As a sapphic symbol it's very strong and one of my favorite things! ( I have labrys earrings )

Now, there's also the lipstick lesbian flag, which I hate and it's terrible! Created by a transphobe, racist, biphobic person and the concept of lipstick lesbian itself was not created by the community but by men who sexualized lesbians.

Nevertheless, from it came the sunset flag, which has really cool meanings, is super duper cute and awesome!!

There's also the sapphics community flag, but unfortunately I don't have much research done on that one. :(

There's so much more I know and I love to share!! And I LOVE lgbt history!!! If you have any fun facts or stories please share them! Sjjdndbs

I actually just learned about the lipstick flag and it’s creator unfortunately but it didn’t know about the history of the labrys flag or the symbolism of the sunset flag!

And you asked so here’s some random queer facts:

The bi flag was originally designed by Michael Page in 1998 with pink at the top representing women, royal blue on the bottom representing men, and lavender purple in the middle representing the combination of the attraction to the two (although many bisexuals date outside of that pool) and it’s intention was to a) bring more eyes to bisexuality and b) to start a Bisexual Visibility Day, which was made September 23 the following year.

In 2009, Rachel Crandell got on Facebook and started Trans Visibility Day on her own, and so now every year on March 31st trans and gender non-conforming people’s voices and we are able to further bring up issues that endanger our lives.

That’s all I have for now, but I did just wake up.

[deathlywounded]

I saw you like sapphic stories and Florence + the Machine and I've just gotta ask you: have you heard of Burn the House Down by Kenna Jenkins? It's an alternate history novel abt the 1st woman president and her secret sapphic relationship/bearded marriage with her mlm best friend and has massive Florence + the Machine vibes (The end of Love, Grace, Landscape, South London Forever, Queen of Peace, Bedroom Hymns, No Choir, and definitely, most especially June!!!). It also has a subplot about arson at the White House and ft. An entirely queer main cast and really fleshed out characters!

Aaaahhhh I NEVER answered your message!! I'm sorry! I adore both, saphic stories and Florence, yes! (All recommendations on these topics are welcome ❤️)

Okay that's sounds amazing! I didn't know about it but I will definitely look it up! Thank you for the recommendation and passing by, and again, sorry for forgetting to answer ❤️‍🩹

[distortedclouds]

What do you think of Mikapiku? Underrated IMO

like both of them are known for being super ship friendly bc everyone is in love with them

just makes sense to me

im honestly down with pretty much all saphic Mikasa ships. she can make it work

though ive never thought of Mikapiku before... like it makes sense but also the lack of canon history makes it difficult to dive headfirst into it without investing house headcanoning about them

but aesthetically, yeah i tall could-kick-your-ass Mikasa with her sharp and sleepy-eyed Pieck. nice!

[merlot-and-chardonnay]

The Sweetest Kiss- Phillipa Eilhart

This was me trying my hand at the lesbian period piece trope here, I think it would be very interesting to explore it here. The reader is a princess engage to wed Radovid (who's not king yet). She meets Phillipa, whom initially teaches her the ways of courting and romance, and it starts to awaken something in the reader. So saphic stuff, repressed sexuality turned sexual awakening with some angst. Enjoy.

You woke up in your new bed and rise and stretch. You look around, taking in the surroundings of your new bedroom. It was officially your first day here and it only just occurred to you that this would be your life from here on out.

You were a princess from Kaedwen, and you had been betrothed to the prince of Redania, Radovid. You weren't really sure what to expect. You only met the man yesterday when you first came here. He exchanged a few pleasantries, kissed your hand, and treated you like a lady which was followed by a banquet dinner to celebrate your engagement and the joining of the two kingdoms. Apart from that, you didn't really know the man all that well.

You were to wed him within the next four months or so, enough time for nobles from both Kaedwen and Redania to flock to the castle for the wedding. If you were being honest, you weren't sure what you should feel about all this. You know this betrothal was nothing more than a political arrangement; you had no love for Radovid, hell, you didn't even know the man. Frankly, you didn't even know that much about men to begin with.

After getting dressed and eating breakfast, you take this moment to explore the castle. It was to be your home, so you may as well familiarize yourself with it. You found yourself in the library, which was vast and impressive to say the least. You pull out a random book which was a volume of the history of Redania. You were already familiar with this subject as this was something your tutors educated you on following your engagement to Radovid back home. But you decide to read the book anyway.

"A history of Redania," you hear a female voice behind you, startling you. You turn to face the person who interrupted your reading, "a dreadfully boring read if I do say so myself," the woman states. You were speechless in this moment; the woman looked ethereal in appearance, wearing a dress that left her arms bare, and carrying herself with a certain air of dignity.

You pull yourself from your thoughts and reply to her statement, "well, that may be the case, but if one doesn't learn from history, they'll apt to repeat it." "Wise words," the woman agrees, "if only more people out there took that advice seriously. You must be the Kaedweni princess I've heard so much about. The future Queen of Redania."

Your eyes widen when you realized who this woman is, "you're Phillipa Eilhart. The sorceress. I thought you'd be busy with courtly matters." "And I thought you'd be busy getting to know your future husband," Phillipa points out. "I would, if only I knew where he was," you admit, "I'm not sure what to expect from the prince if I'm being honest." "I can tell you if you wish," Phillipa offers, "I've known Radovid since he was a boy, anything you wish to know of him, I can reveal." "That's...that's generous of you," you say, certain unknown feelings stirring within as you gazed upon the sorceress, "but I think it best if I try to get to know him by asking the man myself."

"Very well," Phillipa nods, "but if you change your mind, come and seek me out."

You nod, unable to stop yourself from looking as Phillipa turns to leave; even walking away, the woman was somehow dignified as ever. She seemed to exude confidence and femininity, something you couldn't help but admire. Yet there was something else there to, something you didn't know how to put into words.    

After walking around the rest of the castle, you decide to seek out Radovid. Prior to that you had requested the servants to prepare a luncheon as you wanted to invite the prince over so as to get to know him better. It was all for nothing however as Radovid was busy with his own royal duties. You were a little disappointed when you heard he decline the invitation, but you understood. He's the future King of Redania and needed to learn all the tasks that would come with such a responsibility.

It took a few more days, but finally Radovid accepted your invitation for luncheon. You tried to get him to talk, though the man was stoic in his responses. In fact, it felt like you were the one doing most of the talking over trivial things, subjects in history, politics, anything to impress him and maybe get him to open up.

No such luck there.

Radovid actually seemed more preoccupied with other things on his mind, something you've brought up. "Apologies princess," Radovid says standing up, "this has been lovely, but I must get back to my duties," he got up and approached you, "rest assured we shall have plenty of time to know each other better when we are wed." "I wish to know more about my future husband now," you point out. Radovid only responds by placing a kiss on your hand in a respectful manner before leaving.

You sighed a bit. You didn't know what you were doing wrong.

After lunch, you wonder the castle again, hoping that maybe there was something you missed. You walk past one room with the door slightly open. You hear unusual sounds coming out of the room. Frowning a bit, you open the door and walk into a sight you were expecting. It was Phillipa, half naked, making out with another equally half-naked women, the sorceress's fingers between her legs, making the woman moan out in pleasure. They stop when you made a surprised sound to stare at you. Face heating up, you quickly close the door and run the other way as fast as you could. You run back to your room and wave your hand in front of your face in hopes to cool off. You didn't know what just happened in there, and you weren't even sure you wanted to know. It was strange to you how Phillipa kissed that woman like she was a man. You had no experience in such matters, hell, you've never even so much as kissed anyone. But wasn't this something you were supposed to do with only a man? At least that was what you remembered your mother telling you.

Whatever it was, it was clear both Phillipa and that strange woman were enjoying it. You felt those strange feelings stir again. You press your legs together in response, not even sure what was going on. You felt this urge to explore that area, the one thing your mother also said proper ladies weren't supposed to do.

You jumped from your confusing thoughts when you heard a knock at the door. You hesitantly answer it.

"Phillipa," you say, face heating up again, "I uh, I didn't mean- it's just, I...what happened in there?" "I suppose I should explain," Phillipa admits, "that was Laura. She started working here a few days ago, I was trying to make her feel..welcome." "I'm...guessing it worked," you say, laughing a bit, "if only my betrothed would make half that effort to do the same for me." "Have you changed your mind on that matter?" Phillipa asks. "No...yes....I don't know," you admit, "I don't know anything about what I'm supposed to do."

Phillipa felt some empathy for you. You were all alone in a place far away from what you once called home. It seems you could use a friend, "would like to discuss this over some wine?" she asks, "I keep a personal stash in my chambers imported from Toussaint." "Wine would actually be good right now," you admit.

 "I thought I could get Radovid to open up to me," you say after half a goblet of Beauclair Cabernet later as you sat at the table with Phillipa next to you, "I know he's learning everything he needs to know about being king, but he couldn't take some time to know me and me him? He's to be my husband after all." "In my experience men aren't encouraged to talk much," Phillipa admits, sipping from her own goblet, "more often than not, they are raised to do the opposite. And when they do speak, it is to give out commands or to express happiness or anger. The former is more appealing." "Does Radovid get angry often?" you ask. "Not as long as you do as you're told," Phillipa says, "both in court and in your marital duties."

You look down in embarrassment at the mention of the last part. "I wish I knew more about what those duties entail." "What were you told?" the sorceress inquires. "Well..." you have to think about it for a moment, "nothing concrete now that I think about it. My mother said that the night of the wedding when I...consummate the marriage, it was going to be unpleasant. But it's something I have to bear if I wish to please my husband and produce heirs to further the royal line." 

"It doesn't have to be unpleasant," Phillipa tells you, "nor does it always have to be done for the sole purpose of procreation. For many, it can be a pleasurable experience." "You mean for the men?" "For men as well as for women," Phillipa points out, "provided you know what you like and your lover knows as well." "You mean like..." "touching yourself," Phillipa states outright, making you furiously blush, "No, uh, I don't do things like that," you shake your head, "that's...it's not..." "Proper? Lady like? Something good girls do?" You nod, feeling shame. "and who told you such things?"

"My...mother," you admit.

The sorceress nods in understanding, "mothers do have a way of influencing their daughter's way of thinking. Especially in ways that prevent women from challenging the men in our lives."

Feeling uncomfortable with this conversation, you down the rest of your wine and stand up, "Excuse me, I really must be going." You hastily walk out and back to your own room. 

Later that evening, you sit on your bed, thinking back to what Phillipa told you earlier. Up until this point, you've never considered doing such things. You were warned from an early age that indulging in something so indecent would make you less desirable a suitor for potential husbands. Now, here you were, wondering why this was the case. What could be so wrong about it? And why was it so bad for women? What about men? Were they given such warnings?

You slowly, and rather hesitantly, lift your gown, placing a hand between your legs. You take a deep breath and slip a finger in, not sure what to expect. Nothing happened. You move your finger a bit, and you feel something that you couldn't quite explain. You quickly pull your hand away. You felt your face heat up, wondering what just happened. You didn't know how to explain it, but it didn't feel terrible.

You take a few more deep breaths and snake your hand back to the same place, repeating the same action. You work your fingers again, letting out a rather lewd moan as you did so. You were shocked by this reaction, but you couldn't deny how good it felt. You resume your actions once more, the good feelings slowly starting to buildup as you did so, until eventually you felt what you could only describe as a wave of goodness wash over you. This, you feel, had to be the pleasurable experience Phillipa was talking about. Now you wonder why and how could anyone possibly prevent you from feeling this when it felt so good?

When you fell asleep later that night, your mind subconsciously went back to when you walked in on Phillipa and that woman Laura. You jolted from your bed, that strange urge between your legs coming up once again. Why were you feeling this way, you wonder.

You pull your gown up again, working yourself once more, and revisiting that dream as you did so.

------------------------------

The next day, you did your best to avoid Phillipa at all costs.

You had all these strange and confusing feelings swirling around your head, and the thought of seeing the sorceress again, you felt would only make these same feelings even worse.

You hide yourself in the library, immersing yourself in whatever books you can find in hopes of distracting yourself.

You were in the middle of reading a text on the Conjunction of Spheres, not paying attention to your surroundings. "Another interestingly boring read?" you nearly jolt from your chair at the sound of Phillipa's voice. "Good gods, woman," you exasperate, "ever thought about wearing a bell? You can't just sneak up on people like that." "I wasn't sneaking up on you," Phillipa points out, "it's not my fault you were so immersed in your reading."

You huff a bit, leaning back in your chair. "This is a very nice conversation, but I must be going?" you stand up and start to walk away. "Are you trying to avoid me?" Phillipa asks, walking in front of you so as to keep you from leaving. "No," you quickly shake your head, "I really do have somewhere to be, I..."

You look up at Phillipa, specifically to her lips, suddenly driven by this strange desire to kiss her, and you wanting to kiss you back. Up until this point, you had wanted to get know the man who was to become your husband. Now all you could think about was wanting to get this women before you instead.

"I really need to go," you push the sorceress aside, intending to get away as fast as possible, but stop in your tracks. You needed to make this known to Phillipa now. If not, then you may never have a chance to tell her again.

You turn and run back to Phillipa again, kissing her with an intense passion you didn't know you even had. "(y/n)?" Phillipa pulls away. "I'm...I'm sorry," you say, feeling ashamed, "I, uh, I don't know what came over me. I just...I'm sorry." You quickly run away and back to your room.

You sit on the bed, not knowing what else to do. You were getting married to the prince and future king of Redania, this wasn't supposed to happen. This was the first time you ever kissed anyone, but before this you had imagined it would've been with a man, with your husband. It felt so wrong, but at the same time it felt so right. 

In this moment, you didn't want to get married now. You didn't want to marry Radovid, you wanted to know Phillipa, you wanted to kiss her some more, and do the things she did to that servant girl.

It was all so confusing.

You jump back when you hear a knock at the door. You answer it to see the sorceress on the other side. "Phillipa," you say. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" "You don't need to explain anything to me," she says, "Though...I must confess it was...rather unexpected. You surprised me, albeit it was a pleasant surprise. I wouldn't mind doing that again."

"We...we can't do it again," you tell her. "What?" "I don't want to do this again," you firmly state, "whatever this is, we can't go further then what just happened. I'm marrying Radovid, if he finds out, if anyone else finds out, I could lose everything." "...alright," Phillipa nods in understanding, "if that is what you wish." "Can we just be friends?" you ask her.

"Very well then," the sorceress nods.

----------------------

The next couple months you and Phillipa had grown closer, remaining friends. You always admired how confident and unapologetic she was, and how she carried herself with dignity, especially when others would try and challenge her.

When around other nobles and royalty, she was one to stand her ground, not allowing their status to put her down and belittle her.

Radovid had seemed to notice how close you were to Phillipa, but he chose to shrug it off. As your wedding date had drawn closer, you notice the man finally take an interest in you. Courting you, giving you gift, inviting you to dinner.

While it did feel nice that he was finally noticing you, you weren't exactly all that interested in him now. All you could think about, during these times is Phillipa.

The night before your wedding, you tossed and turned in your bed. You were anxious.

You didn't know what was going to happen once you were married. You were conflicted, caught between what you felt was your duty and what you wanted. You knew what you wanted, and if you weren't going to get it after your marriage, it would have to be tonight.

It was now or never.

You walk out of your chambers, looking to see if anyone was present in the hall. The cost being clear, you walk to Phillipa's room and knock. Thankfully, she answered. "(y/n), what are you doing here at this hour?" she asks, rubbing her eyes a bit like she's been sleeping.

You pull her in for a kiss again, taking her by surprise once more. "I'm sorry," you say again, "...okay, I'm not sorry. I know I said I wanted to be just friends, but I can't fight these feelings anymore." "(y/n)-" "I need this Phillipa," you tell her, "if not now, then I don't know when. Please, Phillipa. I want to be with you."

Nodding, Phillipa kisses you back, and escorts you to her room, closing the door and helping you out of your clothes. Even though you were in your small clothes, you were feeling a little self conscious right now.

"Phillipa," you say as she coaxes you to lay on the bed, "I've never done this before. I...I'm not entirely sure what to do." "Leave that to me," the sorceress smirks, pressing a kiss to your lips, slowly taking your clothes off as she worked her way downward. The moment you felt the pleasure build, you start to forget your initial embarrassment, lost in the similar waves you felt before those nights when you've touched yourself.

When it was all over, you laid in the bed, Phillipa pulling you in and wrapping her arms around you. It had felt so good, and it was this moment you knew you what you had with this woman you wouldn't have with the man you were going to marry.

You had no regrets doing this, but now you were regretting not doing this sooner.

"Phillipa," you speak. "Mmm?" she murmurs, pressing a kiss to the side of your head. You didn't know what to say. You wanted to tell her you didn't want to marry Radovid, you wanted to be with her. You wanted to profess your true feelings and run off with her to parts unknown across the Continent or beyond. Some place where no one would take you away from her and the other way around.

You wanted to say all these things, but instead you lean against her chest and say to her, "thank you."

May consider a part 2 in the near future.

Masterlist

[longlivethe-lesbians]

Barbary Gittings & Kay “Tobin” Lahusen | Photo by Ray Harriman, 1995

Barbara and Frank [Kameny] went to a Gay Liberation Front (GLF) meeting in New York City shortly after the Stonewall uprising and were challenged by one of the leaders of that new organization who asked them what entitled them to be there.  Barbara, who was shocked and angered by the question, said, “I’m gay, that’s what entitles me.” Another person at the meeting who recognized them, called Barbara and Frank “dinosaurs” and “lackeys of the establishment.”

A few months later Kay bought two stuffed dinosaur dolls from a floral shop in Philadelphia. She said that she bought them because: 

“We decided we’d make lemonade out of lemons.  We used to carry those dinosaurs around to meetings of other gay organizations and conferences in the years that followed. We were dinosaurs in a way, but we were good dinosaurs.  Every movement has people who you can call dinosaurs because they started in the old days. But if you started in the early days, so what?” (source)

Barbara Gittings (1932-2007) and Kay Tobin Lahusen (1930-) were gay civil rights pioneers and partners for nearly forty-six years.

Barbara Gittings | Photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen, 1966

Kay Lahusen – more commonly known as Kay “Tobin” in the gay rights movement – was the first openly lesbian photojournalist in the US.

Between 1964 and 1966, Lahusen’s photos appeared on the cover of The Ladder, the first nationally distributed lesbian publication in America, while her partner Barbara Gittings was the editor. (later ousted for being too political)

The photojournalist then went on to help with the founding of the original Gay Activists Alliance; contributed articles and photos to the New York-based paper Gay Newsweekly; and co-authored The Gay Crusaders with activist Randy Wicker. Throughout the middle of last Century, Kay was one of the most prominent and influential LGBTQ+ activists working in America. (source).  (side note: there doesn’t seem to be many pictures of her, probably because she was taking just about all of them!)

Barbara Gittings | Photo by Kay Tobin Lahusen

Lahusen joined Daughters of Bilitis, and started going to the group’s meetings. In 1961, she met Barbara Gittings at a Daughters of Bilitis picnic in Rhode Island. Gittings, who founded the East Coast chapter of Daughters of Bilitis, was a key LGBTQ+ rights activist and is often regarded as the mother of the gay rights movement in the US.

“[We met in] 1961 at a picnic in Rhode Island. We hit it off, we started courting. I flew to Boston [to see her] and got off the plane with a big bunch of flowers in my hand. I couldn’t resist. I didn’t care what the world thought. I dropped the flowers, grabbed her and kissed her. That was not being done in 1961.” - Barbara Gittings (source)

At a time when few gay men and women dared come out in private, much less in public, Barbara Gittings was a vocal — and highly visible — figure in the fledgling gay rights movement. In the late 1950s, she founded the New York chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis, the first national organization for lesbians. In the 1960s, she took part in early gay rights demonstrations at the White House and elsewhere. In the early 1970s, she helped lobby the American Psychiatric Association to change its stance on homosexuality; in 1973, the association rescinded its definition of homosexuality as a mental disorder.“She was one of the rare people in the homophile movement — before Stonewall — who took a militant stance,” David Carter, the author of “Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution” (St. Martin’s, 2004), said in a telephone interview. “And she not only took a militant stance, but she was in the forefront.” (source)

Gittings also worked to make lgbt resources more widely available in libraries. In discussing her pursuit of the improvement of materials for gays and lesbians in libraries, she said,

"For years I would haunt libraries and secondhand book shops trying to find stories to read about my people, and then I became active in other arenas of the gay rights movement, but I always kept an eye on the emerging literature...It began to talk about homosexuals who were healthy and happy and wholesome and who had good lives...That rang the bells for me—libraries, gay books!" (source)

Lige Clarke, Barbara Gittings, Kay Tobin Lahusen, and Jack Nichols

Barbara Gittings died on February 18th, 2007 at the age of 74 after a long battle with breast cancer... Matt Foreman, the executive director of the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force, went on to ask those gathered, “What do we owe Barbara?” His response was “everything.”

During the last years of Gittings’ life, she and Lahusen closely followed the debates surrounding marriage equality. Unfortunately, she did not live to see the 2015 landmark Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-gender unions. Gittings is buried in the Congressional Cemetery in Washington, D.C., where Lahusen will join her. Their monument reads: 

“GAY PIONEERS who spoke truth to power: GAY IS GOOD. Partners in life, Married in our hearts.” (source)

[blumcamp]

Source: Emily Dickinson Bot, from Twitter.