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Enjoy the visuals :)

-V.C.

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https://drive.google.com/file/d/1erlGNkIcQXfgRtdbEvab1WsbwbYdon-C/view?usp=sharing

Also, sorry I couldn’t upload it to Tumblr, it’s too big of a file! Here’s the link to it on our Google Drive.

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Interesting article! Abdullah Qureshi, Aziz Sohail, and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr express their remarkable journey as being a Queer Pakistani through the visuals of artwork. 

- V.C

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By Kysung Tisdale

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My Research Project:

A Vibe- featuring Alecia Hawkins

A vibe is a feeling or emotional space that is conceptually understood, felt, and noticed by few. In this photo my model sets the standard for creating her own vibe on campus. Depauw is an institution that is not very inclusive in recognizing all groups and minorities on campus so my dearest friend Alecia creates her own space with her vibe. My goal in choosing this angle is due to her being the centerpiece in her own setting creating a chill environment for others whom she only vibes with can indulge in. I aim to look focusing on her experience on DePauw’s campus as an African American queer individual. I aim to look at how she reclaims her personal space while facing the obstacles and double binds on campus.

-NF

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Jordan Horton gave a great talk about monuments and the ways that they reflect the cultural history and values of a society. Jordan is a senior she came back from her semester abroad in Germany. The monuments and memorials she saw inspired her senior thesis. Jordan is a posse scholar member of qsoc and feminista! Her involvement with social justice organizations also influenced her work. Her thesis looked at the ways that in the US our memorials and monuments reflect the attitudes of the United States and the ways that they are apathetic to the trauma and injustice that happened to People of Color in the US. Some of the examples included the statue of Teddy Roosevelt in front of the National History Museum that shows black and native American people as less than and savage. Another example included the monument in Central Park that applauded surgeon Marion Sims as the father of gynecology, but disregarded the history of him practicing on multiple black enslaved women getting consent on from their masters. This  blatant disregard of black lives is now being questioned, and the US government is under pressure to actually take ownership of the history and Jordan uses Germany as an example of what a good recognition of history may look like with its monuments dedicated to the Holocoust. Overall, it queered the ways that we look at statues, and the meaning behind them.

Jazz Kerr

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Sara Ahmed in the passage A Feminist Killjoy Survival Kit talks a lot about various things she puts in her kit. Abstract things like friendship and humor to more concrete things like books. That has made me think about what I might chose to have in my own killjoy survival kit. One of the most important ones to me is to have statistical facts from credible sources. To be a killjoy is to resist the narratives others set for us, and constantly work towards change. Change needs people to facilitate it, and more people are willing to listen to you and take you seriously if you have some statistics to back things up. Thus, facts are a part of the survival kit.

HG

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Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann is a novel featuring a Black, biromantic asexual protagonist named Alice who is finding out what she wants from life. Let’s Talk About Love is open about using and exploring the split attraction model without ever trying to present Alice’s experiences as the one true experience. Alice experienced a horrible breakup where her ex broke up with her once Alice told her she was asexual. Eventually, Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the romance feels she did not ask for. Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood. Let’s Talk About Love is known for its explicit discussion of boundaries and its acknowledgement that Alice is allowed to set boundaries on how and whether she has sex in a romantic relationship. I think this novel is a great read considering that you rarely see black characters, who identify as asexual, sharing their love and life experiences and challenges they face on a daily.

V.C.

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For my research project , I mainly want to focus on specifically black queer bodies and the discourses associated with their lived experiences on Depauw’s campus. Also, I want to analyze the differences in which black queer people interact in a queer white space versus their own space. After reading Queer Geographies by Lasse Lau and Between the Sheets, In the Streets by Chris Holmlund and Cynthia Fuchs, I was able to gain knowledge about identifying what is a queer space and how can one identify a queer space based on location. Visually, I want my research to capture the little things in which isn’t as recognized as it should be in today’s society: Black Queer Love. For my video, I I plan to film in safe spaces that are filled with love, unity, joy, and queerness. Prior to finding the spaces, I interviewed a queer couple on campus, who will be the star of my video, and asked them questions based on knowledge about the safe spaces for queer poc and experiences so far on campus. With the responses, I was able to find the perfect space for the couple to just be themselves and to express themselves freely. 

V.C.

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Our Places

My project revolves around three images, where each image leads into another to draw out a story. The story is of our places at DePauw. They are the places we go to think and places we go to congregate. However, some places/spaces can feel safer and/or more comfortable than others. In this sense, I begin with a shot of Roy O. West library. I should note that each image is in black & white tone in order to eliminate any biases or first-glance judgements, and so people can connect with the image itself rather than what objects or people are present. The next photo will be of me facing the opposite direction (of the camera) in the prevo library. I will be donning the macawis (pronounced “ma’awiis”) a Somali term for the garment called a sarong. It is a sort of skirt worn by both men and women in some parts of the world. When wearing it America, I am constantly being asked if it is a dress or skirt that I am wearing, and why I am wearing it. It’s comfy, I like the way it looks, and it’s great to go to bed in.....what else do I have to say! So, leading into the last image, I will be sitting in the music library below the GCPA wearing the macawiis and facing the camera this time. It is to show I am comfortable in my self as others should be, even when we find ourselves in uncomfortable places. My inspiration will be derived from mainly Muholi and some other artists alike. 

-V.L.A

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“A tool: a means to a killjoy end. The blog itself becomes a tool; it is how she can extend her reach; how she can find a community of killjoys” (Ahmed 241).

This quote stuck out to me in particular because it resonates so deeply with what we try to achieve in this class each week. Every time we post something on tumblr, we are expressing our thoughts and opinions on ‘said’ matter. We come together as a community when we do our posts, and can see the effect of it when going over things in class. Tumblr is our tool for justice, expression, and freedom of speech. Without it, we are left with one less tool to work with. 

-V.L.A.

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“Life matters; we are killjoys because life matters; and life can be what killjoys are fighting for; life requires we give time to living, to being alive, to being thrown into a world with others. We need to be thrown by how others are thrown. We need to be unsettled by what is unsettling. We need to let life in, in all of its contingencies” (p. 243).

I like this quote because sometimes it is easy to feel numb to the way things are, and this can be an important coping mechanism. It takes vulnerability to feel everything, but Ahmed points out the value of trying not to become desensitized. If you are desensitized, you will not be outraged by what is outrageous. There is also power in being with other people who are also unwilling to be comfortable with the way things are. I think this is a point that comes up a lot with our political climate; if we treat this like a normal presidency with normal actions, then Trump will not be held responsible; as difficult as it is at times, it is important to continue to be unsettled and outraged at every new offense. It is dangerous when Trump is not held responsible for things that would be unacceptable from any other president because the nation has gotten used to him to a degree. This is not to erase the labor that goes into making yourself vulnerable to everything that happens, but it is important to not tune out as much as possible. It is also important to keep in mind all the good things in life that make it worth fighting the bad things.

-Megan

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Todd Chavez is an asexual character in the Netflix show BoJack Horseman. He came out as asexual in Season 5, the most recent season of the show. This show has its perks in asexual representation. For example, Todd is a white, cis-gendered, able-bodied male with no none sexual trauma. Hence, viewers are not prompted to think his asexuality originated from anything other than his sexual orientation. Moreover, Todd provided a good definition of asexuality: It differs for each person. Some asexual folks experience romantic attraction, some are aromantic. The limitation of the asexual representation in this show would be Todd is a cartoon character. Even though Bojack Horseman is known for tackling dark, serious issues like drug and alcohol abuse, abortion, gender inequality, immigrants and first-generations, mental illness etc. Todd is a comedic character most of the time in this show, hence it may make his asexuality be taken less seriously by viewers. All in all, Todd is a step up for representing asexuality on mainstream TV.

- C. Chan

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Project description:

My project focuses on being a “bisexual” “androgynous” “Chinese” “woman”. I chose comics as a medium as it is a combination of pictures, an easily interpreted medium and words, an informative medium. Moreover, I love drawing and it could translate my emotions well. The comic will revolve around my personal experience. As for my paper, ideas from informative sources like journal papers will be incorporated in addition to my own experience. My goal with the comic and paper is to increase the representation of bisexuality, androgyny and queer Asian women.  

- C. Chan

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Project Description

The work that gives me inspiration is an artwork made by Jeffery Gibson called “Burn baby burn”. I found it during spring break in the Seattle Art Museum. It reminded me of the movie “Paris is burning” when I saw the sewed letters on it. Jeffery Gibson aimed to use unconventional materials to create contemporary artworks that redefine identities, social constructions, and institutional norms. I admired his style of working and I redo the artwork in a simple version and translated the English words into Chinese. I want to use this redo version to argue “Is China burning?” based on the reading of Chinese queer theory, and the transformation of China’s cross-dressing culture. I will also relate to knowledge about Asia Queer theory, a movie made under Chinese cross-dressing culture similar to the movie “Paris is burning”. My personal view on the question I pointed out earlier is nowadays Chinese and Asia people are having more tolerance, understanding, and welcomeness on cross-dressing. 

—Jasmyn Mao

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if feminism is a bubble we need that bubble to burst

Ahmed 259

The reading about being a killjoy and sticking to it was very interesting. The notion of feminism and feminists being in a soft or safe place that only centers feelings and emotions were discussed and the ways that being a killjoy can be very difficult but necessary for sustenance. The quote I choose talked about the way that it should not only be feminists living a feminist life and that other peoples joy should not come before some peoples safety. The arguments and principles were very clear cut and non-negotiable, I try to live by many of them but at times I fail especially when it comes to consuming media. 

Jazz Kerr