gymsave

[wraithdance]

I wanna touch on a couple things I noticed from the asks that are being sent regarding the current discourse. About a month ago I received this ask, wanting me to 'name, names' after I made some generalized post about something or another (probs racism per usual because that's been consistent)

What I don't make clear outside of the vetted and trusted people I speak to daily, is I usually send messages to the person I'm talking about in hopes to advise that something was not hitting. I’ve blocked a couple ppl whenever I feel like my point was dismissed because I don’t got the time baby

Occasionally, I'll do anon if I'm just not in the mood for potential issues if the ask gets answered publicly and the reason for that is what I'm about to show you.

This is an ask my mutual @kyletogaz got after expressing frustration about the situation/lack of apology and so is this and this. And this is a link to @ungodlybre post on all the asks she's gotten in the last few days after she commented on a post about the Mace fic. I just received an ask a few seconds ago yall can look at as well

This is the post my friend/mutual kiko made that I reblogged and essentially got the ball rolling on the current convo about how Mace/black characters are depicted in fiction. Kiko has been one of the few other poc people providing links and information on what the issue is with the fic.

I noticed the glaring tonal difference in how non black people like Kiko, who originally brought up the issue, are in comparison to the black female bloggers that I referred to earlier, after they expressed frustration about the new crop of fandom shit.

I couldn't find the ask that @/Fulltacs (a non black person) answered when asked about why the writer was getting heat, but I read the ask and it was actually pretty respectful towards fulltacs, while being incredibly dismissive/rude when referring to Bre (@/ungodlybre)

I've seen several of my white mutuals repeat in their tags/posts the issue about the fic and what not. I have yet to see them receive the kind of directly antagonistic asks from anons who claim to be black/poc with the intent to shut down or convince us to stop talking about the writer. I’m not gonna get into digital blackface or blackfishing but I have my doubts on these anons being racially black.

Overall this is all an example of something called racial gaslighting but specifically misogynoir

Misogynoir is a form of racial microaggression towards black women where race and gender meet. It usually stems from implicit bias, which is the reason why people had a problem with the fic in the first place. Not the damn kink. or even the unwitting use of an anti black slur. 

The continued dismissing about word use/forgiving the author and the overall vitriolic tone asking these black women to educate or saying things like: ' You are a bully’ ‘shut up because it's not that big of a deal’, ‘the writer tried or I'm black and-' is just an example of how black women are spoken to on and outside the internet and why many of us have chosen to not directly say anything about racism outside of private messages. 

It’s why Kiko and the mutual that dm’d @/auspicoustidings are latinas who’ve chosen to address the situation as an act of solidarity when Jess (kyletogaz) and I were excited to read the Mace fic and were unsettled by it

"the intersectional nature of Black women’s identities triggers a particularized stereotype or trope of the “Angry Black Woman” and explains how this trope is often invoked in aggressive encounters to deflect attention from the aggressor and to project blame onto the target." - A quote From this article 

“racial microaggressions are subtle and everyday slights and insults that can include insensitive comments based on an array of racial assumptions … as well as the minimization or denial of the racialized experiences of people of color.” - From this study on Perceived Gendered Racial Microaggressions Experienced by Black Women.

I don’t have the time or the desire to do a crash course on misogynoir and the ways implicit bias shows up in real life and fandom. What I can say is if you need or want the visibly/vocally black people in this fandom to shut the fuck up right now, while non black people (including the author) are being afforded a sense of kindness/assumption of innocence and well doing for speaking up, than you are apart of an anti black problem

Those black bloggers said innocuous shit like “long suffering sigh” or “hate to see it” and are still getting hate and that is the reason we are saying many fics about black characters like Kyle who is often disregarded, make us uncomfortable . This kind of bias is a dog whistle only those who have been raised black/poc see irl and it’s present in the way people write fics. 

My ask is for people to take a second and really ask yourselves if you think this is a safe space for Black/non black poc people to educate on racist tropes in writing and then I wanna know if you even realized that before I said something

[pumpumdemsugah]

I feel like some people get sooooo tunnel visioned about proving that Black women experience misogynoir and racialised sexism and are treated roughly - they end up saying racist misogynistic things about Black women because they never stopped viewing Black people's bodies are alien . They go from talking about how Black women are treated to essentially saying Black women are those things, so you can't talk about us as full people who are impacted by other issues.

Like that Black woman saying Black women can't do " clean make-up " because we "need" heavy makeup. The white queers making up race science and saying Black women don't fit "eurocentric hormone standards " and have different hormone levels, but right wingers are fascist for thinking they can know people ( read white people's) chromosomes because whites are complex with complex bodies and Black women aren't

A lot of you genuinely think white people are normal humans, and Black women are animals with weird bodies that exist for you to feel better about yourselves, regardless of the reality of your own body and what you actually look like ( probably ugly )

Solidarity and advocating for Black women online often means treating Black women like gods' biological mistakes to be pitied and projected on but never diverse complex human beings.

There are things now said about Black women by people who claim to avodcate for us, that i never saw said by people that decided to let a forum full of Black women years ago learn what ghetto gaggers are ( its gross out racist porn involving Black women) because they thought we thought to highly of ourselves. You're disgusted by us and see us as animals, not sisters, victims, or humans

[cinamun]

girl wtaf is going on in ur country though fr! but I enjoyed the update today. I really was wondring like is hope okay since its mainly been mercy and jayce. anyways I hope you had a good day.

I had a good day friend thank you! I'm always glad when folks give feedback on the story so I appreciate you.

*clears throat* Chile...

So basically, bro showed up to the debate elderly

the media ran with it and spun it like that one washer nobody uses in the laundry room with the spin cycle that sounds like a 1987 pontiac

next thing we know all these dems is like 'nah homie gotta give it up'

whole time kamala lookin mad presidential right? but she's also complicit in genocide and prison funding

so the head boomer in charge (HBIC) officially dropped out today and threw his support behind pink chucks

now we got the aka vs the kkk and everybody is losing their fuckin minds

because she could be the first Black woman prez

except they threw her less than 4 months to fix the shit like the sisters from hidden figures

i can hear the skee wees from my bedroom and

in conclusion they already looking for her birth certificate, the misogynoir is ramping up and the racist dogwhistles got louder as i'm typing this

[homonationalist]

At present, it is standard among practically all communities to fête the family as a bastion of relative safety from state persecution and market coercion, and as a space for nurturing subordinated cultural practices, languages, and traditions. But this is not enough of a reason to spare the family. Frustratedly, Hazel Carby stressed the fact (for the benefit of her white sisters) that many racially, economically, and patriarchally oppressed people cleave proudly and fervently to the family. She was right; nevertheless, as Kathi Weeks puts it: “the model of the nuclear family that has served subordinated groups as a fence against the state, society and capital is the very same white, settler, bourgeois, heterosexual, and patriarchal institution that was imposed by the state, society, and capital on the formerly enslaved, indigenous peoples, and waves of immigrants, all of whom continue to be at once in need of its meagre protections and marginalized by its legacies and prescriptions” (emphasis mine). The family is a shield that human beings have taken up, quite rightly, to survive a war. If we cannot countenance ever putting down that shield, perhaps we have forgotten that the war does not have to go on forever.

This is why Paul Gilroy remarked in his 1993 essay “It’s A Family Affair,” “even the best of this discourse of the familialization of politics is still a problem.” Gilroy is grappling with the reality that, in the United Kingdom as in the United States, the state’s constant disrespect of the Black home and transgression of Black households’ boundaries, as well as its disproportionate removal of Black children into the foster-care industry, understandably inspires an urgent anti-racist politics of “familialization” in defense of Black families. Both the British and American netherworlds of supposedly “broken” homes (milieus that are then exoticized, and seen as efflorescing creatively against all odds), have posed an obstinate threat to the legitimacy of the family regime simply by existing, Gilroy suggests. The paradox is that the “broken” remnant sustains the bourgeois regime insofar as it supplies the culture, inspiration, and oftentimes the surrogate care labor that allows the white household to imagine itself as whole. As a dialectician, “I want to have it both ways,” writes Gilroy, closing out his essay. “I want to be able to valorize what we can recover, but also to cite the disastrous consequences that follow when the family supplies the only symbols of political agency we can find in the culture and the only object upon which that agency can be seen to operate. Let us remind ourselves that there are other possibilities.

There are other possibilities! Traces of the desire for them can be found in Toni Cade (later Toni Cade Bambara)’s anthology The Black Woman, published in America in 1970, not long after the publication of the US labor secretariat’s “Moynihan report,” The Negro Family: The Case for National Action. The open season on the Black Matriarch was in full swing. And certainly not all of the anthology’s feminists, in their valiant effort to beat back societal anti-maternal sentiment (matrophobia) and the hatred of Black women specifically (more recently known as “misogynoir”), make the additional step of criticizing familism within their Black communities. But one or two contributors do flatly reject the notion that the family could ever be a part of Black (collective human) liberation. Kay Lindsey, in her piece “The Black Woman as a Woman,” lays out her analysis that: “If all white institutions with the exception of the family were destroyed, the state could also rise again, but Black rather than white.” In other words: the only way to ensure the destruction of the patriarchal state is for the institution of the family to be destroyed. “And I mean destroyed,” echoes the feminist women’s health center representative Pat Parker in 1980, in a speech she delivered at ¡Basta! Women’s Conference on Imperialism and Third World War in Oakland, California. Parker speaks in the name of The Black Women’s Revolutionary Council, among other organizations, and her wide- ranging statement (which addresses imperialism, the Klan, and movement- building) purposively ends with the family: “As long as women are bound by the nuclear family structure we cannot effectively move toward revolution. And if women don’t move, it will not happen.” The left, along with women especially of the upper and middle classes, “must give up ... undying loyalty to the nuclear family,” Parker charges. It is “the basic unit of capitalism and in order for us to move to revolution it has to be destroyed.”

Forty years later, the British writer Lola Olufemi is among those reminding us that there are other possibilities: “abolishing the family...” she tweets, “that’s light work. You’re crying over whether or not Engels said it when it’s been focal to black studies/black feminism for decades.” For Olufemi as for Parker and Lindsey, abolishing marriage, private property, white supremacy, and capitalism are projects that cannot be disentangled from one another. She is no lone voice, either. Annie Olaloku-Teriba, a British scholar of “Blackness” in theory and history, is another contemporary exponent of the rich Black family-abolitionist tradition Olufemi names. In 2021, Olaloku-Teriba surprised and unsettled some of her followers by publishing a thread animated by a commitment to the overthrow of “familial relations” as a key goal of her antipatriarchal socialism. These posts point to the striking absence of the child from contemporary theorizations of patriarchal domesticity, and criticize radicals’ reluctance to call mothers who “violently discipline [Black] boys into masculinity” patriarchal. “The adult/child relation is as central to patriarchy as ‘man’/‘woman,’” Olaloku-Teriba affirms: “The domination of the boy by the woman is a very routine and potent expression of patriarchal power.” These observations reopen horizons. What would it mean for Black caregivers (of all genders) not to fear the absence of family in the lives of Black children? What would it mean not to need the Black family?

Sophie Lewis in “Abolish Which Family?” from Abolish the Family: A Manifesto for Care and Liberation, 2022.

[horizon-verizon]

I just thought of something else about HotD. *EDITED POST*

One explanation for having the Velaryons be uniquely black (as in throughout their house, there are only black members and they are the only exclusively black Westerosi house shown in HotD thus far) was to make it so that Rhaenyra's first three kids were so "obviously" not Laenor's.

And one justification that I think Ryan Condal and some green stans who have read the book would use to explain the switch up from:

Rhaenyra was the one to wear a dress that silently announced her new self-determination against a harassing opponent

-> the Alicent doing the same but in green

is because it is "obvious" how Rhaenyra's faction got to be called the "blacks". Since the Targ colors are black and red, and she came out, in the book, in black and red at the marriage anniversary tourney held for Alicent and Viserys. (The same one where Daemon entered via circling dragon from the Stepstones.)

Ironically Condal though it more worthwhile to show how Rhaenyra's kids aren't Laenors over how and why the blacksa came to be called the "blacks".

There is this peculiar pattern of apparentness of features used as the justification for superficial and bigoted changes concerning character identification and development that troubles me, which also concerns the casting of the Velaryons.

Why is it so important to "make it obvious" that Rhaenyra's sons are not Laenor's in the show, why even cite that as a good reason to make the Velaryons black? Why not just say that we want inclusive casting and center black actors more in fantasy media?

So it's unimportant that we see Rhaenyra assert herself, but:

it is important that Alicent (the woman with the internalized misogyny and the usurper against another woman having power) assert herself?

it is important it's made "obvious" that Rhaenyra's 1st 3 kids are not Laenor's?

The math aint mathing.

A) There is already the absurd narrative trope of the "test" of white female infidelity through the color of the baby's skin in Western media. Such a trope reveals and affirms white male anxiety over the control over white female bodies and perceived competition with black men AND bestialization of the same black men. Cheating is wrong, (and I define cheating as when the partners got into an exclusive relationship and one/both/all look for others) but the fixation on the color of the skin and using that to "catch" infidelity centers the white man's need for control more than anything.

With the Velaryons and their own family not really displayed as a family, with all its love and care, devotion, and conflicts already (what did Laena feel when she discovered her parents wanted to marry her off at 12 to a 30-year-old? Corlys and Laenor's interactions, before and after Laenor revealed his sexuality? Him and Laena and Rhaenys listening to Corlys' adventures and how they met? Rhaenys, how do she and Corlys rule Driftmark and Hight Tide together or separately? How did Laenor meet Joffrey or better, how did the 'rents take this, what did that look like? We know Laenor loved his sister and mourned her so much as to stand in the sea, but can we see happier moments between them?) It reduces the Velaryons (esp Corlys) further as their own unit and makes Corlys, now black, look closer to this stern black dad who is only interested in his kids selfishly with no softness or concern for their well-being.

Where and who are the Velaryons a little apart from Corlys' political plotting and goals?

Simultaneously, it also makes the Velaryons' political interest in the Targs seem...superficial isn't the right word, more like it comes out of nowhere maybe?

This all while grouped with and related to the misogynoir (lagosbratzdoll).

B)

It makes it as if the most important thing or the primary thing is that Rhaenyra's adultery was unique or something to point out as wrong. That she flagrantly causes her own doom instead of her doom presaged by Jaehaerys I's misogyny (ozymalek's youtube video), again, his misogyny (my post), Alicent's ambition, and Andal patriarchy. I wrote how even Viserys is the actual origin of her plight HERE.

Rhaenyra's black/red dress moment wasn't just about her declaring for her house. It was also about her own self-determination against the harassment implied in the original canon. Here is what mononijikayu to had to say in a reblog:

equally so, the removal of important aspects of rhaenyra's vindication against alicent like the dress reveal scene was also something that can be questionable. because that serves an important purpose of showing us that she just didnt sit there and take the beating. she developed a desire to stand up for herself and not let herself dive down to surrender. that was the establishment of her will to lead her faction against alicent's greens. and yet somehow that seems less important or that was not feminist enough. that rhaenyra stood up for herself and survived that toxic environment. that she was ready to assert her stance against it.

The book does enough of the "it's obvious that Rhaenyra's kids are not Laenor's", which we were supposed to take as misogynist propaganda means to twist us against Rhaenyra and see her having children out of wedlock as the "true" issue anyway:

The features the Velaryon boys had is also meant to subtly insert the idea of them still Laenor's, as his mother, Rhaenys, had dark hair and "violet" eyes. Taking the teased ambiguity out of the parentage and then flattening it to "obviousness through race" (at least when it's promoted as a good reason --primary or not -- to hire black actors) further tries to make the audience feel that rhaenyra had more control over the lineage/house and others than she really did, instead of making do a lot.

It normalizes the unfairness of women being discouraged from thinking of their own needs or happiness or autonomy in favor of the status quo's compulsion for them to sexually reserve their bodies for their husband's (despite that not being reciprocated at all) instead of encouraging the audience to really feel she's owed more, that the rules she's compelled to follow follow are absurdly impractical AND unfair towards her and any woman. Very anti-feminist.

And that idea of legitimacy = cradle-bonding stuff needs to stop.

Conclusion

If you needed (as you do) to introduce black characters and put them into higher positions of power, wealth, and prestige (as the Velaryons had in canon), do not under any circumstance make the troubling aspect of racial paternity "tests" a good thing. I admit that audiences would be bringing this up and using it as a gotcha moment against Rhaenyra, saying that it was "obvious" those kids weren't hers. My point is that it didn't matter, the show bts made it matter more on the producers and marketing end, and the show steers away from misogyny as the central issue, not adultery.

Not only does the show wrongly identify the source of wrongdoing through that green dress moment, but the show also exposes its antipathy and disfavor for a side where white/EU patriarchal mores against female autonomy, leadership, and centrism go to die. Or get as choked out as Rhaenyra was by Daemon in episode 10.

*Yes, the first picture is there for jokes and to mark this post as unique on my activity page.*

[antarctite]

I would love to hear your ms sweetie thoughts 👀

when i think ab little misters i wanna go into the capitalism vs family and “this corporation is like a family” angle, and sweetie (in my interpretation) being a black trans woman has some pretty relevant points to discuss from that angle:

- shes expected to take care of the rest of the “family” AND take care of the rest of the members of the corp (simultaneously, due to the nature of the “family”) as a woman AND as a black person (i wouldn’t say reggie is intentionally perpetuating misogynoir for putting her in that position, but hes definitely the kind of ‘doing what he thinks is best but doesn’t *know* what is best’ guy)

- her being associated with candy stripers, that coming from candy (her whole deal, and the title of the story in which the oufit is mentioned) + hospitality (candy stripers were volunteer hospital staff), and the design ive given her being a combo of that and a lolita maid/baker look. she wants to reclaim (in a way? idk if thats the right word here) her femininity bcuz its been so expected of her, and obv Femininity is not afforded to black women in the same way it is to other women + its important to think ab how lolita fashion was in part born as responses to societal expectations. oh i havent even mentioned how these relate to her being a lesbian. note that she is a lesbian. and that compounds all the stuff about expectations and femininity

- back to reggie holding her to specific expectations of being a caretaker, redd also has a Lot of expectations for her (and note i think both these guys are white,) but not in the same way. he’s definitely got a view of her on a pedestal (she was one of the only people close to him before shit went down, other than smiles and maybe isabel,) but ever since he’s 1) believed he’s the Scarlet Prince (the scarlet king is a narrative parasite in this story, not an actual Being) and 2) attempted suicide (he realized he’s immortal) - he thinks sweetie could actually manage to kill him! also the cannibalization thing does happen, ive said this before. and while its definitely a “fucked up kind of affection/possessiveness” thing (NOT ROMANTIC OR SEXUAL HERE,) remember that cannibalization has often been used to represent colonization. just. keep that in mind! while we’re talking about a black woman’s care being taken advantage of by her white family members!

- also her being the tallest of her family and a woman specifically is why i think of her concept, in the eyes of the company, as “the big sister of the little misters.” the other misters love her, they really do, but that title can feel a bit othering and reiterates what she’s expected to be. but part of her story (and part of the little mister’s life under isabel as the Wonder in charge) is reclaiming stuff so it’ll eventually be a title she’s rlly proud of yayyy

- isnt her building called The Kitchen iirc????? was that in Candy or am i having a false memory ?? holy shit we haven’t talked about The Kitchen. yea reggie or whoever named it that and she’s gonna change it

[fandomshatepeopleofcolor]

I’m so tired, as the release date of The Little Mermaid approaches, racists (because I know they are) keep posting videos complaining about everything about this movie. YouTube keeps recommending videos with titles such as “The problem with The Little Mermaid”, “Disney promoting polygamy” (referring to the fact that Ariel’s sisters are all of different ethnicities, because apparently mermaid genes have to work exactly like real-life genes), “How Disney ruined your childhood”

Like... I have never inflicted to myself the pain of watching any video complaining about the movie, why does YouTube want me to do that. And it seems like every two days there’s a new “problem” with it. I’ve never seen so many complaints about a Disney remake before it’s even been released. Even for The Lion King there weren’t so many “issues”... Curse them. All of those nasty racists. They really think people can’t see they’re just trying to come up with new reasons to hate the movie every day without being called racists.

you know I feel your pain Nonny. I'm sorry its taking me so long to answer but yeah people aren't even being subtle about their misogynoir.

mod ali

[deliciouspirateangel]

random thoughts on the first two eps of cruel summer s2 dont spoilers open inside

so im watching with my sister of course and we also rewatched s1 together and wow. we were going back over summaries of the show that were like "two sides to the story, who will you believe?" as if we were ever supposed to be on jeanette's side. the thought is sooo laughable its sad

anyway in that same vein we're also both automatically for isabella and against megan (bc you have to choose sides you cant like two characters at once duh) like isabella has been in town for 6.3 seconds and megan already hates her and is also snooping thru her stuff like ??? get a grip get a life and get over it

and then my sister asked me which character i thought would have the unnecessary gay subplot this season and now we're scared its gonna be megan lmao. that one shot with the fireworks and the song playing and megan staring at isabella had us like uh oh

bc my god that gay relationship was the least necessary subplot of the first season it was so bad. not that it needs to be relevant but they treated it like it was lmao. and the mallory/kate thing was fine but so rushed so idk these writers dont do justice to queer. id rather be spared

the "twist" of the first ep was something we saw coming a mile away lmao. youre supposed to think isabella is dead and i was like "if she is dead then no she's not it's her twin sister" and then it showed that missing persons poster with the person torn off and my sister was like "i bet its the guy friend" and i was like ooh yeah you're right it's the guy friend

and then they unzip the body bag and are like "it's guy friend" and we were immediately like no tf it's not let me see the body!! so idk why the dad would lie or misidentify the body maybe they wanted to save money on special effects so they didnt show it but we still think something is fishy idk

and since me and my sister share one brain cell we both got the idea that isabella is like brenda song's character in stuck in the suburbs. if you dont understand then idk what to tell you </3 basically she's just hyping up her life but its mostly a lie idk

and omg the bullshit about that video was so gross. again one brain cell after the first ep we were like "you couldnt even see the person in the video i bet it wasnt even her!" well surprise

and isabella taking the blame anyway bc megan could lose her scholarship and get suspended from school like ??? why should this involve the school ewww and of COURSE misogyny and misogynoir and of course no one can say or do shit to the boy in the video bc his daddy owns half the town bleh

even a year later when she's in college like the whole town still believes this lie that could ruin isabella like ??? yall just tell omg. i think they at least mentioned the fact that she was underage and that constitutes as cp but goddamn no one in shows ever cares

like literally the guy's dad who owns half the town couldve spoken up like "i know my son isnt going to get in trouble for any of this so i dont think the girl in the video should either" but no lets get the whole town to hate her

i think the dad killed his son idk thats my guess

the show isnt great but at least its fun lol what do YOU guys think is gonna happen this season??? hmu

[rjalker]

I I've never understood what people mean when they say complexion. When in McCaffrey is saying that Alesan and Oklina have a dark complexion is she saying that they are black or brown? Is she saying they have dark skin? Is she saying that this makes Alesan hot but his sister ugly because now she's adding misogynoir to her misogyny??

She wasn't a pretty girl, which the uncharitable might say was one reason I related to her so easily, for the dark complexion and strong features that became a man suited her no better than my family resemblance suited me.

-

She had a vague recollection that he was the leggy young man with light-green eyes that were an odd contrast to his dark complexion and shaggy black hair.

-

The dark complexion, which suited Alessan, did nothing for the girl yet she had a sensitivity in her face and a grace of movement that had its own appeal. And, Moreta noted enviously, thick long black plaits gleamed in the well-lit room.

Like if she literally saying that this girl is ugly because she has darker skin?

[rebeleden]

Nicole Brown’s Sister Reacts to OJ Simpson BET Awards Tribute

KILLER OJ ALWAYS HAD A POSSE.

BET LOST ITS SOUL LONG AGO.

CC RABID MISOGYNOIR AND BLACK FEMICIDE

[digital-dryad]

Yeah i will stop using transmisogyny as a form of analysis when tme queer people stop making irl and online community spaces unsafe and unlivable for me and my sisters

(I wouldn't actually stop then bc its an important analysis of intersecting forms of privilege and power, much like misogynoir and transmisogynoir).

[tedcruzisthezodiackiller]

“all queer media is one dimensional, tropey, mass market, and made for teenagers-” not true. look harder

Memorial: Mike and Benson have been together for a few years and are in the middle of determining if they're going to stay together when Mike learns that his estranged father is terminally ill, and goes to Japan to reconcile with him before his death. meanwhile Mike’s mother stays with Benson in the US. my favorite part of the novel was the part in Japan, exploring the relationship between Mike and his father (TW for racism and abuse) 

the luminous dead: w/w romance between a spelunker on a mission on an alien planet and the women who hired her for unknown reasons, who’s stationed on the surface and communicates with the mc through her high-tech caving suit. toxic but intriguing romance, killing eve and TMA fans you will enjoy this (TW for graphic descriptions of injury) 

The Vanished Birds: explores a society that was created after the Earth has been environmentally destroyed and humanity has moved onto space stations, and all space travel and commerce is controlled by corporations. queerness isn’t the focus of this book but many of the main characters are queer. beautiful writing, will make you super depressed in the best way (TW for child abuse) 

The Color Purple: Celie is separated from her sister in childhood when she’s forced into an abusive marriage by her father, but she continues to write to her over the years. an important part of the novel is the relationship that develops between Celie and her husband’s lover Shug. what I love about this book is that its an important look at misogynoir and abuse of vulnerable people, but Celie ultimately gets her happy ending. (TW for abuse, racism, sexual assault, incest) 

The Miseducation of Cameron Post: the first half chronicles the early life of Cameron, a closeted lesbian growing up in rural Montana in the 90′s. the second half is about Cameron’s experience in a conversion camp. I love the writing of this book, it’s very atmospheric. I felt like I could picture Cameron’s town in my sleep. (TW for conversion therapy, homophobia, self-harm) 

boys run the riot: manga, a trans boy who wants to work in men’s fashion one day works with two of his classmates to design and create a clothing line. I’ve only read the first volume so I cant speak on the series as a whole. the MC is only out to some people, so he gets misgendered and still wears the girls’ uniform in school. this might be difficult for some people to read, although there isn’t too much overt transphobia if I remember correctly (at least in the first volume)

The 57 bus: nonfiction, follows the stories of an agender teen who experienced a hate crime, and the boy who attacked them. A tough read, but a really important look at the justice system, racism, transphobia, and restorative justice (TW for transphobia and homophobia, violence, depictions of police and the justice system) 

our dreams at dusk: manga series about an LGBT+ center in Japan. follows gay, trans, and asexual characters. an interesting look at queer issues in Japan. also the art is gorgeous (TW for homophobia and transphobia) 

in the dream house: memoire about the author’s experience in an abusive sapphic relationship. super important, as abuse in queer relationships is so seldom talked about. hard to read but the writing is very lyrical and poetic, and beautiful (TW for abuse) 

ask the passengers:  mc is a girl who’s falling in love with another girl, while staying closeted from her gay friends because she’s not sure how to identify. the gimmick of the book is that the mc talks about her problems to airplanes in the sky, and this magically touches the lives of the people in the planes. I felt this part of the book was goofy and honestly I think it would be better without it, but I remember that the journey the mc goes through regarding her sexuality made me feel very seen (TW for homophobia) 

king and the dragonflies: written by the author of Felix Ever After. the rest of his books deserve an equal amount of attention. middlegrade, about a boy dealing with the death of his brother and coming to terms with his sexuality. I liked the relationship between King and his family. they weren’t super homophobic but they also weren’t completely accepting at first either, it felt like a very realistic and healthy depiction of a family (TW for homophobia, racism, child abuse) 

haven’t personally read, on my tbr: Giovanni’s Room, Nevada, Stone Butch Blues, Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, My Cat Yugoslavia, My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness 

“queer media is all boring period pieces and people getting divorced and experiencing horrible homophobia and tragedy-” not true. look harder

The Magic Fish: graphic novel, a young Vietnamese-American boy reads fairy tales with his mother to help her practice her english, and searches for a way to come out to her. some of my favorite art in a graphic novel, look it up its stunning

Honeygirl: going through quarter life crises and unsure of what to do after earning her PhD, the mc goes to vegas and ends up getting drunkenly married to a woman she doesnt know. the mc’s relationship with academia was very relatable to me 

whatever: basically just about the mc fucking around with his friends, being in a band, and discovering that hes gay. a lot of fun, love the characters

anything by Alice oseman: Alice Oseman is the only person I trust to write about the fandom experience in YA fiction. my personal fave is iwbft. disclaimer: I haven’t read solitaire, cant say whether its good or gay

Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World: middlegrade, Ivy’s family’s home is destroyed by a tornado, and shes also dealing with the fact that she’s realizing she’s a lesbian. some internalized homophobia, but everyone in Ivy’s life is really accepting and its very sweet

my love mix-up: manga, mc has a crush on a girl in his class and asks to borrow her eraser, and sees the name of a different boy written on it (this is a popular love charm in Japan). boy #2 sees the mc holding the eraser, and thinks HE has a crush on HIM. very wholesome and funny, and one of the few times I’ve read a manga that actually allows a character to have crushes on people of multiple genders. it deals with homophobia in some cases, which makes it feel grounded in reality, but all of the mc’s friends are very accepting, and its very cute. 

The Tarot Sequence: urban fantasy set in a modern magical society, mc is the heir to a family of the magical aristocracy, but since his family was killed he’s fallen from grace, is broke, and works as a mercenary for other powerful families. he tries to unravel the mystery of his family’s death on the side. m/m romance and found family. love the characters and the world building, and the author is planning for this to be a NINE book series. next book is coming out May 2022!! (TW for sexual assault) 

In Other Lands: mc gets recruited to go to magical summer camp, except he’s genre-savvy, hates fighting, and misses technology. super funny satire of portal fantasy books, but will also have you aching for the mc? elliot schafer my beloved 

havent personally read, on my tbr: a hero at the end of the world, the poster children, tell me how you really feel, heavy vinyl

we absolutely do have a long way to go in regards to queer representation, but it frustrates me to no end when I see post claiming that queer fiction is all one specific type of story. there are lots of queer creators out there writing unique, thoughtful, beautiful stories who deserve our support! if theres a particular type of queer fiction you would like to see, do a little digging because its likely that SOMETHING similar exists. it just doesnt exist on like disney+

also @lgbtqreads is an incredible resource, if you want to read something gay and have a specific genre or type of story in mind I highly recommend looking around on their blog 

additional recommendations welcome!

[lj-writes]

From what I can see misogynoir in fandom doesn’t always look like tearing Black female characters and fans down. It can also look friendly and benign on the surface.

Like, take some of the additions to the very welcome news that Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson are considering doing a remake of the 1992 hit The Bodyguard together.

One commenter on this post, for instance, thought that Chris must look up to Tessa like a big sister after having worked with her.

Uh, really? Big sister? Chris and Tessa are the same age, both born in 1983, and if you want to split hairs Chris was born in August and Tessa in October of that year. Yet this commenter somehow assigned the elder sister role to Tessa. I wonder why. Could it have anything to do with the fact that Black people tend to be seen as older starting from childhood onward? Also with the fact that Black people are frequently cast as caretakers and supporter for white people?

There’s also the really interesting fact that this commenter’s mind reflexively went to “brother and sister” when faced with the possibility that Chris and Tessa might be playing the leads of this blatantly romantic movie. Where have I heard the implied comparisons to incest before? Oh yeah, in response to every fucking Black/white ship ever. Because SOMETHING about these ships immediately brings some people’s minds to incest, i.e. an abomination. Which is a pretty hypocritical hill to die on, given how much fandom loves its actually incestuous white ships, your Wincests and Joneryses.

Then there was the addition to that same Bodyguard post saying that this was only valid if Tessa was the bodyguard and I’m like... *heavy sigh* Look, I agree there’s a certain girl power appeal in the delicate and petite Tessa being the bodyguard of that hulking humongous hunk Chris. If we were talking about a white woman I’d  love that setup. But the thing is, that commenter is--probably with the best of intentions--perpetuating the idea that a Black woman is automatically a caretaker to a white dude rather than someone who is herself cherished, vulnerable, and protected. What is progressive and empowering for a white cis woman is not necessarily so for other women.

I don’t think the people saying these things were malicious, nor would they think they’re hating Black women. This isn’t a matter of intent or personal morality, though. Sometimes racism, misogyny, and the toxic combination of the two don’t look like hatred, but more like unchecked assumptions to unpack and unlearn.

[phuckknows]

im here

digital think print

we want to put the energy we put into folks into us because our cup full the community cup runneth over

clout is scary

mmisogyny is enraging

misogynoir is what runs the world

we notice it in the way the boy-friend we have doesnt know how to share or love or be patient sometimes

we forget sometimes its a breath of fresh air that needs to be had and that I also just need to release this shit

did you know a Long time ago

I was a frank ocean stan

I cant remember how old I was

maybe 13 maybe 16 maybe 11

I would go to frank oceans Tumblr and go to the messaging/submitting section and go in there and spill my heart out my guts out my shit outtttt ALL OF IT the darkest secrets the pain of migration the pain of being at home with a person who hated themselves so much they put it on themselves

I recognise now I ws crazy

we still are

we tapped out of our mothers pain

tapped out of our sisters angst

what if frank shows that shit one day

to be honest

I am not that type of main character

and ill just deny it xoxo

[badpanda143]

Track 1

Hip Hop Element: Graffiti

A classmate and I artistically collaborated in achieving this Graffiti piece. The layout of this piece is set as Salt’N Pepa’s album cover labeled “Hot, Cool, Vicious” (1986) (on the next page for reference) This album is influential as it was one of the first albums to be released by an all-female MC group and the first album by an all-female group that to become platinum. Because of this album, Salt’N Pepa became cultural legacies and provided a loud and influential voice for Black women in a largely male-dominated space, with multifaceted lyrical content and themes throughout their music. I pay homage to these icons by using the album that gave them a voice, following the visual look, and apply their style and words (cool, hot, vicious) to the other women on this poster, using graffiti techniques. No doubt, Salt’N Pepa was an influence on Missy Elliot, but likely on Lauryn Hill and Lil Kim as well. Each of these Black women made room for themselves in a country that systematically pushes Black women to the side. Using the elements of graffiti, this piece connects to the readings and pays homage to the influence these Black women have had on Hip Hop and society as a whole. 

The Parental Advisory Feminine content was placed on the left of the art piece. This content warning sign is placed to symbolize how just by being Black women in the spotlight, they are a threat to white supremacy and patriarchal order- and therefore is often perceived as foul and inappropriate. However, when men in Hip-Hop create outrageous rhymes about exploiting women it oftentimes society doesn't consider them as explicit or shocking because unfortunately, in violent patriarchy, we are desensitized to hearing violent language towards women. The title ”Rap Females” was written with “Rap” first and “females” second, which is typically opposite to how women are seen in this career path. More than likely we hear the term “female rappers”, signifying that she’s a female first, and a rapper second. Which can be interpreted as needing to prove herself as a “respectable woman”,  before she can be taken seriously as an MC. I decided to switch the words around, to question why we feel the need to explicitly state the gender of MCs only when they are women. Although each of these icons that we sprayed on  (Missy, Lauryn, and Lil’Kim)  can simultaneously switch between being positioned in the sections of hot, cool, or vicious. I placed these women in particular spots based on the reading and influence on society. Each of these MCs navigated their way through a male-dominated space using different paths. Within the transcript, I will further explain the chosen colors, symbols, and themes, as they correspond directly to the reading.

Transcript

Missy Elliot is painted in blue, with the word “cool” written on her section of the piece. The blue signifies the word cool and cool and fly are synonyms. In Chapter 21 of That’s the Joint, Missy Elliot is put into the category of “Fly Girl”. “Fly describes someone in chic clothing and fashionable hairstyles, jewelry, and cosmetics, a style that grew out of the blaxploitation films of the late 1960s through the mid-1970s. The fly persona in these films influenced a wave of Black contemporary youth who, in turn, resurrected flyness and its continuum in hip-hop culture.” (286) Missy Elliot is unique in this role because as a full-figured fly woman, she breaks new ground by being in a space that typically favors slender women. Missy Elliot had a style that consisted of baggy and vibrant Adidas tracksuits. Although at times she was categorized as being “desexualized” using a patriarchal white supremacist framework of thinking-to me and many women who look up to Missy, she actually actively reclaims her sexuality, fights misogyny, and makes us want to dance- simultaneously. “With her single “She’s a Bitch” from her sophomore LP Da Real World (1999), Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott appends another image to her fly girl posture. Her usage of bitch makes a self-statement about being a mover and shaker, on- and offstage, in rap’s male-dominated arena.” (Keyes, 287) In the Hip Hop industry, women tend to have to prove themselves not only with their MCing skills but also with their “look”. Missy Elliot was able to navigate this system by staying true to her lyrics while executing a fly girl demeanor. 

Lauryn Hill is spray painted in purple and is wearing a crown to signify her royal status in Hip-Hop Industry. It’s impossible to fit Lauryn Hill into a single category. She is such an inspiring artist, songwriter, and human. In her music, she steals the show with her deep, lyrical content. Her lyrics and songs are diverse, but I placed her in the category of vicious for her unwavering voice and dedication in her music about Black liberation, critiquing the system of white supremacy on which America was built on. She has an “attitude” because demands respect for her own autonomy. The readings categorized her as “Sista with Attitude” but I also believe she has elements as “Queen Mother”, hence the crown. “In general, “Sista with Attitude” comprises female MCs who value attitude as a means of empowerment and present themselves accordingly. Many of these “sistas” (sisters) have reclaimed the word bitch, viewing it as positive rather than negative and using the term to entertain or provide cathartic release. Other sistas in the interpretive community are troubled by that view. These women, such as Lauryn Hill, have “refused to be labeled a ‘bitch’ because such appellations merely mar the images of young African American females” (Keyes, 289). Lauryn Hill is vicious in her inability to accept the standards that have been inflicted on Black Women in America. She is a true political leader, feminist, and one-of-a-kind MC. 

Lil Kim is painted in silver and red. The red color and the 3 X’s signify Lil Kim’s mindset regarding her freedom of sexuality, which can be exhibited through her style, lyrical content, and overall demeanor. She brought to the Hip Hop industry another element different from the other MCs in this painting. In the Book, she’s categorized as a “Mack Diva”.“By the mid- to late 1990s, the “Sista with Attitude” category was augmented with rappers Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown, who conflate fly and hardcore attitudes in erotic lyrics and video performances, bordering both “Fly Girl” and “Sista with Attitude” categories. In doing so, they are designated by some as the “mack divas, or “bad girls of hip-hop” The bad girl image also parallels the “badman” character to the African American oral narrative. The feminist rendering of “the badman” includes those sistas who brag about partying and smoking “blunts” with their men; seducing, repressing, and sexually emasculating male characters;10 or “dissin’ ” (verbally downplaying) their would-be female or male competitors—all through figurative speech.” (Keyes, 289). Because Lil Kim falls into this role, she is not highly respected for her creative skills, but rather vilified, dehumanized, and viewed as misusing sex. I argue that Lil Kim was defining her own sexuality, and in doing so- has helped many women find the value in their “erotic power”. Lil’ Kim still is under-credited for her influence on sex-positive feminism and making space for other Mack Divas who followed in her footsteps. 

In conclusion, the final sentences of this reading sum up this piece entirely “Female rappers have attained a sense of distinction through revising and reclaiming Black women’s history and perceived destiny.  They use their performances as platforms to refute, deconstruct, and reconstruct alternative visions of their identity. With this platform, rap music becomes a vehicle by which Black female rappers seek empowerment, make choices, and create spaces for themselves and other sistas” (Keyes, 290). These women had to navigate through dominant notions of femininity, black female sexuality, and misogynoir. Each of these variables creates different pathways and themes to navigate the system. With the help of Salt’N Pepa, Missy Elliot, Lauryn Hill, and Lil’ Kim, Black women are continuing to make strides in the Hip Hop industry.

[fandomshatewomen]

Re: the supergirl wlw couple - yes the actors were two white women, but it wasn't just fandom thinking one of them was brown - the character was explicitly brown. She mentioned "growing up non-white" in the south, and was a latina. It was brownface. Currently, Alex is in a relationship with a black woman, but where are the gifsets? The same blogs who went nuts over the first relationship are mum now - they'll only talk about the fanon ship Superc*rp which is two white women! (1 of 2)

It's really hard being a queer brown woman in fandom, because the racism is so ingrained. And if you try to talk about interracial couples (straight ones) - you're shut down for being homophobic. It's exhausting. (2 of 2)

__________

Its not your fault I’m p sure my co mod didn’t use the proper term for it either but what Floriana Lima did was brownface.  Yes it was partly the show runners fault but we’ve seen white actors like Ed Skrein take a step back from whitewashing a role before. like actors can be woke. sorry for the tangent. 

But yeah I personally stopped paying attention to supergirl when she was with that slave owner but it honestly does not surprise me that now that supergirl’s sister is dating a black woman tumblr hasn’t let me know this through gifs.

Furthermore there’s been such little support for Maria Deluca and her ship Marichael when technically they’re not straight because hello Michael is bi so therefore no ship he’s in is straight. like there’s just no respect for Black women in fandom. So many white girls cry homophobia when you point out that fandom misogynoir is a problem when in reality they’re just so much more invested in white slash ships.  like there’s absolutely no love for thundergrace too because neither of them are white.

I’m so sorry its hard for you in fandom! Come vent to us anytime or if you see a post you don’t have the energy to address just send us the link and we’ll address it!  

mod mal