lgbtq2020

[lgbtq2020]

Hi friends I’m not sure if anyone uses this anymore but if you do share this link! It’s a way of financially helping the black lives matter movement by watching a two hr long YouTube video, and each advertisement you watch all the way through donated the profits to a list of organizations. You don’t even have to physically donate nor watch the video you can just have it playing in the background if you’re busy or enjoy it. It’s beautiful music and beautiful art created by black artists. ❤️

[lgbtq2020]

Saw these bits of graffiti while walking around downtown Des Moines, Iowa on Spring Break. Nice of them to try and correct their spelling...

zg

[lgbtq2020]

For my project I recreated a "Rooster Tails" panel with a queer black spin. My approach was a lot more forward and less satirical than the one the example we were given but to me it accomplishes the same goal of self-love and reflecting that same love to your black/queer siblings. In this panel I talk about black features that we have been socialized into seeing them as undesirable due to white supremacy and describe what makes them beautiful. I made this panel for a younger version of myself, something that needed to see when I was younger so that I could better practice radical self-love. In this panel, I was purposeful in mentioning slavery because for me it was a struggle to come to terms with the fact that my ancestors were enslaved. For me, I choose honor them by recognizing that part of history and never forgetting it. I, like many black queer people, struggled in finding my place in both communities. Its very easy to feel rejected by both and that you're some type of outlier, so I also wanted to speak to that and show that we have always been ingrained and existed in both communities.

[lgbtq2020]

Metro Inclusive Health is a health center throughout the areas of Tampa, New Port Richey, and St. Petersburg, Florida. Metro Inclusive Health is meant to focus on men and women within the LGBTQIA+ community and offers help to these members of the community when dealing with health issues, especially if it concerns AIDS. They came to visit my LGBTQ+ class this semester and discussed different methods of protection against AIDS. They mentioned a precautionary method, pREP, and a method for if you may have come into contact with AIDS. I highly recommend giving Metro Inclusive Health a firm look if you live in Florida and are apart of the LGBTQIA+ community or have friends or family who are. 

-AS

Word Count: 118 words.

[lgbtq2020]

Fe[me]ninity. For this project I wanted to try and recreate Coles Foust work, I loved his vibe in his art work and just himself as a person. I like the idea that femininity shouldn’t be something to hide but to let it blossom out of you as it comes because that is true and that is beautiful.

[lgbtq2020]

For the representation of Two-Spirit culture, I decided to choose this picture to use as representation. This picture was taken at Two-Spirit Powwow, which is a form of celebration that includes dancing, music, and more. In this context, a Powwow is used a celebration of Two-Spirited people and is basically a Pride for those who identify as Two-Spirit. A Two-Spirited person is someone of Native descent that does not stand with the typical male and female gender roles, but instead takes on the idea of a third gender role. The term is a modern, pan-Indian, umbrella term that is mostly used by Northern Americans.

-AS

Word Count: 104 words. 

[lgbtq2020]

For this assignment I chose to recreate me. I chose to use this picture of me because I feel it represents Module 14 where we discussed Queer Fat Studies. Throughout the whole semester things have stood out to me, but "Week 14: Queer Fat Studies" stood out to me the most because it resonates with me. So for this I decided it would be appropriate to post a picture of me, a queer "fat" woman so I could recreate myself into a positive light instead of a negative one that I've had for so long. Taking from Taylor's "Flabulously Femme Queer Fat Women..." part of the queer community has used the phrase, "No fats, no femmes"  which coincides with the heterosexual belief that glorifies thinness as well as masculinity. As both a "fat" woman and femme, I do not want to be in cahoots with this negative connoted phrase and so for this recreation I am officially looking at myself as a beautiful big queer woman who knows her worth. I needed to recreate some confidence and this was the start in doing so! I hope you understand why this is what I chose and why it is so important to me.

-AS    

[lgbtq2020]

What does LGBTQIA+ mean to me? Let me tell you. 

LGBTQIA+ represents my metaphorical home or safe space and my happiness.

It is how I go through each day feeling okay, loved, and supported even if not by my closest friends or family. It helps remind me that I am not alone and that I am loved and cared for in the community where I most fit. LGBTQIA+ means I get to experience new people and new things in my life, I get to go to concerts and prides and feel like I’m truly at home and at peace. LGBTQIA+ stands for everything I needed in my life and finally have. It gives me comfort. 

Word Count: 115 words.

-AS

*Not my image. Found on Google. 

[lgbtq2020]

An overarching theme that really stuck out to me this semester through photographer Zanele Muholi, artist Cole Faust, and the documentary State of Pride is the importance of visibility of QUEER JOY!!!

I knew I was queer (bi? pan? I usually stick with queer) from a young age but for a myriad of reasons didn't feel comfortable "coming out" to my friends and family until this past summer, at age 28 years old. When I was younger I let catholic schooling and societal dictations of gender roles paired with my mom's poor bi-phobic sex education explanation of "You can be gay or straight but if you're bi you're just a slut" keep me in the closet. Now, as an adult cis-gender woman, married to a cis-gender man, I'm often quiet about my queerness because by being in a cis-het relationship I sometimes feel like a fraud, a phony, or "fake gay." I cannot tell you how often my mother, (who I'm really painting in a horrible light she's a wonderful and supportive lady...just a white baby boomer from the midwest but we're working with it, lol), has asked "But if you're queer, what is Alex?" Like my sexuality somehow morphs this man into the only member of an alien race capable of loving a fat biracial queer bitch? But through this class I've been moved by so many mediums to embrace the joy of being myself-- even if that person doesn't fit into the boxes society thinks it should F#ck those boxes. It has taken me every ounce of the last twenty-nine years to embrace and love and nurture myself the way I deserve and I'm happy to shout from the rooftops that QUEER JOY IS RAD <3

[lgbtq2020]

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A post shared by Amanda Hodge (@proudcreationsstudio) on Apr 26, 2020 at 6:20am PDT

Yesterday was lesbian day of visibility so I have decided to write what the identity of being a lesbian means to me! Choosing to identify as a lesbian is rooted in my politics. Fuck patriarchy, the male gaze, tolerance instead acceptance, rape culture, capitalism (which consistently puts poc women and poor individuals at the bottom), homophobic policies that are aimed at erasing and silencing the LGBTI+ community.

I have been told the proverbial phrase that’s “it’s a phase” and as femme presenting most people assume I’m straight so lesbian day of visibility is important to me because I get to say I’m a lesbian and I’m proud suck it if you think it’s a phase 🤷🏾‍♀️

Nathalie

[lgbtq2020]

“Somehow we’ve come to equate success with not needing anyone”

In America being self-sufficient is regarded as a major personal achievement. Moving away and starting one’s life on their own is expected and parents often count down the days anticipating their own independence. However, this model is highly unsustainable because community support is essential for humans. Talking, collaborating, and connecting are how we keep the body and soul happy.

Nathalie

[lgbtq2020]

The works that inspired me the most this semester were Cole Foust's paintings and Taylor's Radical Self-Love Toolkit. Cole shared intimate parts of himself and his journey with gender identity through his art, which was extremely brave and lovely! Taylor's chapter was something I definitely needed to read (twice). The way she speaks about actively loving one's self in a world where we are perpetually meant to feel less-than was stunning and necessary for my personal growth especially during hard times like these. And, of course, I was particularly fired up by our discussion of bisexual erasure being a bisexual woman myself who has consistently felt left out of the conversation and seen an incredible lack of bisexual art getting any recognition. I wanted to combine these ideas into one painting- a lusciously curvy body painted through the colors of the bi-pride flag! It's surely no Picasso, but I had a lot of fun painting it, and I feel inspired to create more queer art (:

Tori🏳️‍🌈🤙🏻

[lgbtq2020]

Our body is fighting on our behalf even as we curse it as though it were a cheating lover

I chose this quote because I believe I constantly have this opinion that my body is my enemy, even though it is fighting on my behalf. Taylor reframes this by reminding the reader of how hard your body works to protect you and that your negative feelings towards your body and anger towards the pain it causes is not always a purposeful attack against you.

[lgbtq2020]

If you’re looking for a lovely queer horror podcast I 100% recommend The Magnus Archives is perfect for you. Also one of the main characters is canonically asexual. Jonathan Simms is described as never having sex with his previous girlfriend and has no interest in having sex, but he still has romantic relationships and feelings.

[lgbtq2020]

Darryl Whitefeather (Crazy Ex-girlfriend)

This is one of my favorite coming out stories in television. Mainly because it goes against the usual young bisexual accidentally realizes they like the same sex or the even worse trope of young bisexual finds out they are gay through a series of affairs. Darryl realizes he is bisexual right after his divorce, he is not young and his entire narrative of coming out and dating reflects that.

[lgbtq2020]

2020

-RH

[lgbtq2020]

While deep diving into different components of queer art, I came across this genre called queercore. Queer core has various different sounds, but it’s practically a hard core version of queer music. GRLwood is one of my favorite bands, and this album always reminds me about bisexuality. Both artists in this band identify within the LGBTQ community, and write music about the struggles with bisexuality. 

-jul