#African lesbian lovers

[ai-yo]

I really hate the fanfic-ifcation of books as in the way how people describe them

Like how people say "this book has enemies to lovers, found family, coffee shop lesbians"

Babes those are search terms, that is literally what you enter into a search bar on fanfiction.net and ao3 and wattpad to find the fic you are looking for.

I also hate how when talking about a book they use short hand pitching as if talking to an agent, publisher or TV/film executive "this book is like Earthsea set in a dystopian far future" "it's like avatar the last airbender but African" "lesbian sky pirates nuff said" and that's it no follow up no real synopsis.

The reason why some fic can go without a real synopsis is because we already know the story and characters and can cut to the chase. "Rae and Kelly finally talk, after *THAT* scene in episode 2x08"

That makes sense because we know the context, nobody knows your book ma'am.

[celluloidrainbow]

OUT AT THE WEDDING (2007) dir. Lee Friedlander After telling her fiancé, Dana, that her entire family is dead, Alex whisks off to her childhood home in South Carolina to serve as bridesmaid at her high-maintenance, estranged sister Jeannie's wedding. As she tries not to steal Jeannie's thunder by telling her very conservative southern white christian family that she's engaged to a Jewish African American man, Alex's sharp-tongued, mischievous best friend Jonathan unwittingly starts a rumor at the wedding that Alex is gay and Dana is a woman. When her family reacts in a surprisingly supportive way, Alex decides to go with it. But after Alex and Jonathan decide to hire sexy lesbian Risa to act as her lover when Jeannie comes to visit Alex in New York, things really get out of hand when Risa and Jeannie find themselves attracted to each other. (link in title)

[lesbianboyfriend]

can i ask for lesbian book recommendations 🥹🕺

yeassss ofc my love <3

erm and obligatory disclaimer for any who might read that i don’t think “queer” or “lesbian” is a necessarily coherent category of books or adequate descriptor for a novel which is why i’ve also provided the actual genres here (sorted into which ever one i felt best fit) and descriptions. and these books have much more going on than just being about lesbians. however all books are undeniably awesomer with lesbians so yayyyyy

FANTASY:

-the salt grows heavy by cassandra khaw: fantasy horror; murderous mermaid and plague doctor come across a cult of children (could be read as not lesbians bc one character is nonbinary but i choose to read as. lesbians)

-the empress of salt and fortune by nghi vo: political fantasy; monk unravels the tale of exiled empress’ rise to power

-when the the tigers came down the mountain by nghi vo: political fantasy; monk unwinds the tale of a tiger and her scholar lover to prevent other tigers from eating them (stand alone sequel to empress of salt and fortune)

-ship of smoke and steel by django wexler: ya fantasy; girl has to steal a ghost ship to save her sister’s life

-the mermaid, the witch, and the sea by maggie tokuda-hall: ya fantasy; pirate falls in love with one of the ship’s hostages, a girl being sent to an arranged marriage against her will

-tremontaine created by ellen kushner: political fantasy; there’s a lot going on in this one okay just trust me that it’s really good esp if you love political intrigue (this was released serially and is easiest to acquire an electronic version)

-the deep by rivers solomon: fantasy/spec fic; African slave women thrown overboard gave birth to mermaid-esque descendants. one holds these traumatic memories for her whole people and must grapple with that pressure

-wild beauty by anna-marie mclemore: ya magical realism/fantasy; a family of women who can create flowers and whose lovers always tragically vanish fight to keep their land and to unravel the mystery of a strange boy who appeared

-siren queen by nghi vo: historical magical realism/fantasy; girl’s rise to stardom amidst the monsters of hollywood back in the days of the studio system

-gideon the ninth by tamsyn muir: sff; um. how to explain briefly. gideon wants nothing more than to leave the ninth house, but her nemesis harrowhark needs her sword skills to pass the emperors trial and become immortal. sure. (caleb i know you’ve read this just adding for any other viewers yayyy)

HORROR:

-white is for witching by helen oyeyemi: horror fantasy/magical realism; a house with women in its walls calls to miranda silver while the people she leaves behind struggle to make sense of what happened to her

-plain bad heroines by emily a. danforth: historical horror; when filming a movie about the macabre history of a boarding school, its past starts to become the reality for the stars and author of the novel it’s based on

LITFIC:

-girl woman other: contemporary litfic; the intersecting stories of Black british women told in verse

-nightwood: classic literary; i feel like i can’t describe this one well but nora and jenny are obsessed with robin, whose penchant for wandering and inability to commit drives them crazy. toxic dyke drama at its best

-the thirty names of night: lit fic; transmasc syrian american unravels the history of artist laila z who encountered the same rare bird his mother saw right before her death and realizes their pasts are intertwined

-under the udala trees: historical lit fic; coming of age set against the backdrop of civil war in Nigeria, two girls from different ethnic communities fall in love

-everyone in this room will someday be dead: contemporary lit fic; that moment when your ocd lands you a job at the catholic church even though you’re an atheist and also your relationship is falling apart

-stone butch blues: historical lit fic; butch lesbian realizing and grappling with her identity throughout the 40s-70s

-the color purple: classic lit fic; story of two sisters separated in their youth—one is forced into an abusive marriage and falls in love with her husbands mistress, wondering what became of her sister

-oranges are not the only fruit: semi-autobiography with slight fantasy elements; exploring growing up lesbian in a deeply religious pentecostal sect

SCI-FI:

-the weight of the stars: ya sf romance; aspiring astronaut is forced into friendship with a girl who waits on the roof every night for radio signals from her mother in space

-the seep: sci-fi/spec fic; what if aliens invaded and formed a hive mind of everyone and also your girlfriend turned into a baby again. wouldn’t that be fucked up

-the stars are legion: political science fiction; an awakes with no memory amid a group of people calling themself her family who claim she is the only one who can save their world

-not your sidekick: ya sci-fi; superheroes are real and they fucking suck

SHORT STORIES:

-sarahland: contemporary/spec fic short story collection; various stories about people named sarah

[mswyrr]

Highly rec! Excellent worldbuilding inspired by North African history, complex politics and psychology, and an intense lesbian enemies/lovers dynamic 👏 👀

[padawan-historian]

(1) Queer domestic worker and jazz lover Mabel Hampton (1919)

(3) Annie Bell and Sammie Pratt (1905)

(4) Mr. and Mrs. Joe Spears (1914)

(5) Bride and Groom (1926)

(6) William Biggers and his family (1916)

(7) A well-dressed couple strolling together (1925)

(8) A stylish New York couple in Harlem (1932)

(9) Lorraine Hurdle, a Black lesbian, posed in her United States Women’s Army Corps (WAC) uniform alongside a bespeckled lady friend during World War II

(10) A Family Portrait in Fort Scott, Kansas (1950)

(11) The wedding of transgender essayist Dawn Pepita Hall and her husband, auto-mechanic John Paul Simmons (1969)

(12) A couple shares a kiss inside a photo booth (1930s-40s)

(13) Two men share a kiss under a tree (1977-78)

Special Love to the Holsinger Collection, KyKy Archives, James Van Der Zee Studio, Mabel Hampton Collection, and the National Museum of African American History and Culture

[iruthomlogs]

World of Warcraft Yeehawgust undead cowboy

A World of Warcraft fanfiction for @yeehawgust event Yeehawgust 2024 day 10 undead featuring my forsaken characters Ansgar, Thorsten, Raphael, Hulbard, Amelia, and Celene.

A group of four cowboys and a pair of cowgirls arrived at a town in noon and a lot of town folks turn heads at these new arrivals as they smell bad. They soon saw that these folks are undead as their leader, a man wearing all black, said to his gang, "Let head to the saloon for a few drinks." and one of the men said, "Okay, Hulbard." The six undead cowboys then walk to the saloon as the scared town folks run to their homes.

As the undead cowboys take a seat in the bar and the people in the saloon look at the six undead folks, one of the undead men turn to a man sitting next to him at the bar and said to the human, "Hello, Robert." and Robert said in shock, "Thorsten? Is that you?" which Thorsten reply with a smile, "Yeah, I'm back from the dead." Thorsten then shoot Robert in the leg and one of the girls said, "Thorsten couldn't wait a little longer for his revenge." and the other girl reply, "I understand his thinking, Celene." Thorsten got up from his seat and said to the bleeding Robert, "You shoot me and left me for dead, Roobert. Now, I've come to get my revenge with my new friends. Each one of us has been killed by a friend of your ghost gang." and then shoot Robert in the face.

Sheriff Hatwing arrived to arrest the undead gang in order to bring justice only for the two women to walk up to him and said to him as they show their faces to the sheriff, "Hello, Sheriff Hatwing." and the sheriff's face turn grim as he said to the women, "It cannot be... Amelia... Celene..." and Amelia said to her lover, "Look at that, Celene. He remember the women that he has hung due to our live and our rejected of him." Celene ask her lesbian lover, "How can we killed him? Should we hang him?" and Amelia said, "That is a great idea, Celene." and then ask the others, "Boys, can you help poor undead ladies carry the sheriff to the hanging stand?" and the four undead men grab Sheriff Hatwing by his limbs and carry him to the hanging stand.

After the sheriff was hanged, the town was in a panic and both men and women start arming themselves and get ready to fight the undead six. As the six undead come onto the street, the adults start firing at them, but many of the bullets didn't hurt or even kill the undead gang and Hulbard wait until the living adults stop firing and he then said to the town people, "We don't want any trouble here. I understand that we bring terror to you, which we didn't mean to. Just hand us the men that we are going to named and we will leave town." and he start naming the men, "Thomas Lylodfuse, for the crime of killing his hunting partner Raphel for a woman. Edward Ragowl, for the crime of killing a mix wagon train overseen by Ansgar, when he was a man of God. Finally, Dean Kingsten, for the crime of killing me for silver." Once the three men are named, they are forced by the scared town people to face the men they killed, as the town people are willing to hand off these wicked men in return for their lives. Soon, the undead gang unload their bullets onto Thomas, Edward, and Dean, killing all three men. After the six undead got their revenge, they leave town and walk far from the settlement as the town people were shocked over what they just saw on this day.

Miles from the town wait a African American man whose lost his family to the infamous Ku Klux Klan and he use the power of Voodoo to bring back those whose were killed by the same Klan members whose murder his family. Soon, the undead six arrived to him and the African American man ask them, "Are those men dead?" and Hulbard reply, "Yes, they are dead. Old Nick will deal with them in Hell now." The master of the undead nod that revenge has come to them and he told them, "I have dug graves for you six. Go to these graves and I will return your souls." and the undead did as they are told before the African American man break the jars that hold their souls, allowing the undead gang to finally rest in peace and then burry their bodies.

[thisbuildinghasfeelings]

15 questions, 15 mutuals

Thanks for the tags @lemonlyman-dotcom @redshirt2and @saraminia!

1. Are you named after anyone?

My maternal grandmother. It was my dad's idea to name me Anne after her. I think he was sucking up to his mother-in-law.

2. When was the last time you cried?

I don't full out cry all that much. I'll tear up a little watching and reading stuff all the time. The last time I remember fully sobbing was in March 2022 when my 15 year old cocker spaniel, Jasmine, died. More recently, I probably cried a little out of frustration in an argument with my mom a few months ago.

3. Do you have kids?

No

4. What sports do you play/have played?

I'm not at all a sports person. The only official school sports team I was ever on was cross country for a single year in 7th grade. I hated it. I ended up with the worst record on the entire team. It was a middle school team, which was 7th and 8th grade only. One of the 8th graders was a slow runner and before one of our meets, a couple of the other 8th grade girls pulled me aside and told me it was my turn to run with her. If she had to stop running and walk, that meant that I had to stop running and walk with her. Looking back, this was complete bullshit and I should have just said no, but at the time I was afraid to not do what they said. We ended up walking a good portion of the run, and then right before the finish line, she put on a burst of speed and beat me. I was annoyed.

Also, I was on a tee-ball team as a little kid. I hated it, but my dad was the coach so I HAD to go. I have a vivid memory of running to first base, putting my foot on the base, then having the little boy playing first base put his foot ON TOP of my foot, and wrongfully getting called out. I was LIVID. I didn't even want to be there in the first place!

I also took tennis lessons for a few sessions as a younger kid because my best friend liked it. I did not like it.

5. Do you use sarcasm?

At times.

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

I'm kind of a terrible noticer in social situations. I think it's my social anxiety. Especially when I meet new people, I'm very much in my own head about the whole interaction. I really have no idea what I notice.

7. What’s your eye color?

Hazel

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

I enjoy watching scary movies that are so stupid they're hilarious. It's something my mom and I love to do together: go see stupid scary movies. But if I had to choose just one, I'd say happy endings.

9. Any talents?

I think I'm good at cross stitching. I'm also a pretty good baker, particularly when it comes to cookies.

10. Where were you born?

In the same town I currently live.

11. What are your hobbies?

Cross stitch (obviously), reading, running, baking, does watching TV count as a hobby?

12. Do you have any pets?

Ruby!

13. How tall are you?

5'2''

14. Favorite subject in school?

English, particularly literature. In my final year of high school, I had space for several electives, and I filled the space by taking every single literature class the school offered. I think I took British Literature, World Literature, Contemporary Literature and African American Literature that year. It was amazing. I got to spend half the school day reading books.

15. Dream job?

I don't think I really have a dream job. Definitely not my current job. Maybe something low stress and high pay where I didn't have to interact with too many people? Or what about just not having a job? I think not having a job but still having money is my dream job.

Tagging @autistic-lesbian-story-lover @maxbegone @ladytessa74 @carlos-in-glasses @bubblesandroses8 @louis-ii-reyes-strand @reyestrandd @rachelsversion1 @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @strandnreyes @inkweedandlizards @alltheprettyplaces @firstprince-history-huh @birdclowns @bonheur-cafe

[randomwriteronline]

hey would you like some bionicle aus haha get in

A) g3 concept

this motherfucker. is a Big One. MANY thoughts on it, still trying to iron out some of it. heavily based on g1 but with g2 elements that are nice/interesting to me specifically Such As the mask making via elements deal, ekimu, and the okoto setting. i am Cramming As Much Mostly Relevant G1 Things In This As Possible. includes all main toa teams so mata, metru and inika as well as the chronicler's company, Lhikan lesbian ver, several of the Makuta, the Barraki (who are actual animals and also a polycule because why not) and a MNOG-like Makuta who honestly loves and cares for his brother the Great Spirit and thinks putting him in a coma will help. also pewku and jaller's crab. theres even a voriki implication. i have a big post in the drafts for this and perhaps one day it will appear

2009-10 elements will not manage to be included nor will 2016-17 elements. the former because i cannot fit those lads in here tho perhaps bara magna life & survival will make it through, the latter because i havent seen journey to one and frankly i dont know if theres anything of value to take from it. please do yell at me at length in case you disagree. i am very serious abt that i want to learn more, its just that i cant be arsed to get netflix for anything

B) human g2015 au

classic modern times human au but with 2015 characterization bc i like the web episodes. the thoughts i have about this are nebulous at best but good lord if it aint good fun to think about

THE GOOD NEWS IS that while the main characters will be limited to the toa mata nuva, i can mention as many characters in this as i want. possibly all of them. they are just new zelanders now, they live there. they have jobs and stuff. im going to include the fucking moburzhak. i can even put the g1 mata in there as bizzarely omonimous different characters. i am a god

THE ALSO GOOD NEWS IS i can overthink characterizations you wouldnt even dream of so i can take these cardboard cutouts that are the toa and try to engineer something compelling out of them somehow through the power of incredible neurodivergency and this morbid interest in group dynamics i just found

the bad news is i have little to no plot yet. few story beats that i have are discovery of the powers ala superheroes, lewa getting possessed, pohatu having a panic attack, subsequent slow kohatu development from strangers to friends to lovers because im Fucking Weak For Them, onua leaving lewa underground briefly because hes fucking tired of his attitude, slow lewa/tahu/gali development from clashing to friends to what i can only describe as the human equivalent of a cat colony, stupid winter episode, and undecover mission in drag at a fancy place. most of my fully formed thoughts are for this last one but i still have no idea how this happens or why they have to do it, i just know that the boys make for a bunch of pretty ladies. i am just spitting ideas

also had more specific ideas regarding the main toa such as them being half maori and half another ethnicity (australian aboriginal/hawaiian/jewish/latin american/african just to give a few ideas), onua being aromantic and lewa being goth

C) Foster Parent au

also known as What Watching A Whole Ass Blind-Run Of Bloodborne While Having A Soft Spot For Toa-Turaga Familial Relationships Does To A Motherfucker AU, or also alternatively Superpowers? Divinity? WRONG! COSMIC HORROR AU

only features the Toa Mata, Toa Metru Hordika, Artakha, Karzhani and Velika. the Toa Mata are six parentless siblings separated at birth, bounced around the system until each ended up assigned one of the Toa Metru as their foster parent. weird elemental shit starts happening more prominently now that theyre in a safe and loving environment, and a mysterious man named Artakha who seems to have history with the Metru begins showing up insistently and intimidatingly demanding custody of the kids as their father.

its about the PARENT-CHILD CONNECTIONS and the SIBLINGHOOD and the HORRORS and the FOUND FAMILY and the PARENTAL LOVE and the HORRORS AGAIN

i DO want to talk about it but also i do NOT want to talk about it but also i will never write it so PLEASE ask me about it i am Begging You

[popculturelib]

In honor of Juneteenth, we are featuring four books in our collection by queer Black and African authors. Descriptions of the books are below the read more.

Lez Talk: A Collection of Black Lesbian Short Fiction (2016) ed. by S. Andrea Allen & Lauren Cherelle.

Black Love Matters: Real Talk on Romance, Being Seen, and Happy Ever Afters (2022) ed. by Jessica P. Pryde

The Black Imagination: Science Fiction, Futurism and the Speculative (2011) ed. by Sandra Jackson and Julie E. Moody-Freeman

Meanwhile: Graphic Short Stories about Everyday Queer Life in Southern and East Africa (2019) by the Qintu Collab

The Browne Popular Culture Library (BPCL), founded in 1969, is the most comprehensive archive of its kind in the United States.  Our focus and mission is to acquire and preserve research materials on American Popular Culture (post 1876) for curricular and research use. Visit our website at https://www.bgsu.edu/library/pcl.html.

Lez Talk

A necessary and relevant addition to the Black LGBTQ literary canon, which oftentimes over looks Black lesbian Writing, Lez Talk is a collection of short stories that embraces the fullness of Black lesbian experiences. The contributors operate under the assumption that "lesbian" is not a dirty word, and have written stories that amplify the diversity of Black lesbian lives. At once provocative, emotional, adventurous, and celebratory, Lez Talk crosses a range of fictional genres, including romance, speculative, and humor. The writers explore new subjects and aspects of their experiences, and affirm their gifts as writers and lesbian women.

Black Love Matters

An incisive, intersectional essay anthology that celebrates and examines romance and romantic media through the lens of Black readers, writers, and cultural commentators, edited by Book Riot columnist and librarian Jessica Pryde. Romantic love has been one of the most essential elements of storytelling for centuries. But for Black people in the United States and across the diaspora, it hasn't often been easy to find Black romance joyfully showcased in entertainment media. In this collection, revered authors and sparkling newcomers, librarians and academicians, and avid readers and reviewers consider the mirrors and windows into Black love as it is depicted in the novels, television shows, and films that have shaped their own stories. Whether personal reflection or cultural commentary, these essays delve into Black love now and in the past, including topics from the history of Black romance to social justice and the Black community to the meaning of desire and desirability. Exploring the multifaceted ways love is seen--and the ways it isn't--this diverse array of Black voices collectively shines a light on the power of crafting happy endings for Black lovers. Jessica Pryde is joined by Carole V. Bell, Sarah Hannah Gomez, Jasmine Guillory, Da'Shaun Harrison, Margo Hendricks, Adriana Herrera, Piper Huguley, Kosoko Jackson, Nicole M. Jackson, Beverly Jenkins, Christina C. Jones, Julie Moody-Freeman, and Allie Parker in this collection.

The Black Imagination

This critical collection covers a broad spectrum of works, both literary and cinematic, and issues from writers, directors, and artists who claim the science fiction, speculative fiction, and Afro-futurist genres. The anthology extends the discursive boundaries of science fiction by examining iconic writers like Octavia Butler, Walter Mosley, and Nalo Hopkinson through the lens of ecofeminist veganism, post-9/11 racial geopolitics, and the effect of the computer database on human voice and agency. Contributors expand what the field characterizes as speculative fiction by examining for the first time the vampire tropes present in Audre Lorde’s poetry, and by tracing her influence on the horror fiction of Jewelle Gomez. The collection moves beyond exploration of literary fiction to study the Afro-futurist representations of Blacks in comic books, in the Star Trek franchise, in African films, and in blockbuster films like Independence Day, I Robot, and I Am Legend.

Meanwhile

The lived realities of young queer people in African contexts are not well documented. On the one hand, homophobic political discourse tends to portray queer people as 'deviant' and 'unAfrican', and on the other, public health research and advocacy often portrays them as victims of violence and HIV. Of course, young queer lives are far more diverse, rich and complex. For this reason, the Qintu Collab was formed to allow young queer people from a few African countries to come together, share experiences and create context-specific, queer-positive media that documents relatable stories about and for queer African youth. We see this as a necessary step in developing a complex archive of queer African life, whilst also personalising queer experiences and challenging prejudicial stereotypes. The Collab is made up of eighteen queer youth from Botswana, Kenya and Zimbabwe, two academics, three artists and a journalist. We first worked in small groups in each country through a range of creative participatory methods that focused on personal reflection and story-telling. Young people created personal timelines, and made visual maps of their bodies, relationships, and spaces. We then had group discussions about themes that emerged to help decide what to include in the comic works. At the end of 2018, we all came together in Nairobi, Kenya, for a week to collaborate on this comic book, and a set of podcasts on similar topics. We worked through various ways of telling stories, and developed significant themes, including family, religion and spirituality, social and online queer spaces, sex, and romantic relationships. Each young person created a script and laid out the scenes for a comic that told a short story from their lives. They then worked one-on-one with an artist to finesse those ideas into a workable comic, and the artists thereafter developed each story through multiple rounds of feedback from the story's creator and the rest of the group

[the-dump-of-whump]

WOULD YALL LIKE TO MEET MY OTHER OCS?

Jk you don’t have a choice

These are my guys from big project tm that I’m working on. I’m just gonna give brief intros of the main cast.

Hazel- the main character, a mixed (half elf and half this universe’s equivalent of being an African human) butch lesbian, she’s 16 and there’s a prophecy about her

Desmond- the loveable sidekick, a bit emo but truly a big softie, he’s awkward, he wears glasses

Silas- the morally grey one, Desmond’s immortal older brother who works for the big bad but really can’t choose a side, living weapon, rather dapper

Malachi- the big bad’s right hand, Desmond and Silas’s father, also immortal

Lailah - the evil queen, femme lesbian, immortal, the counter part to the prophecy

Viv - Silas’s assistant and lover, gender fluid shape shifter

This story is high fantasy in a modern setting. Feel free to ask questions about these characters as I will randomly be rambling and dropping lore about them from now on.

[arlosworld91]

New Intro Post

Hello and welcome to my intro.

——Introduction——

My name is Arlo, but you can call me Lizzie or Kit if you so wish and I was born in 2005.

My pronouns predominantly are: He/They + Ze/Zem/Zir, She/Her.

I’m an agender person, but have multiple different gender experiences. I’m acespec and arospec, and also Pan, Abro and Omni (don’t ask how that works, I don’t know either)

I talk a lot about men, but also I have queer attraction to women.

My terms can be found in my pronoun page, and i hope you find that of interest.

My preferred terms are masculine and neutral terms (most fem terms make me icky but would like to experiment.)

——DNI List——

I do have a DNI, which goes as followed, please don’t interact if:

You don’t respect good-faith identities. Including: Xenogenders and Neurogenders, Neopronouns and Emojiself Pronouns users, M-Spec/Bi Lesbians/Vincians, Conforming Identities (including heterosexuals, cisgenders, allosexuals, etc), Plural Systems (including Endogenics), Alt/Non-Verbal Individuals.

Normal DNI of Homophobes, sexists, racists, etc.

Supportive of bad faith identities, and share, promote and identify as them, eg. zoophiles, MAPs, incest, etc.

Use the word ‘Woke’ out of its African American context. I don’t even condone the mocking of people who do and jokingly using it.

NSFW/NSFT blogs.

Pro any kind of abuse.

Anti recovery.

Anti men/women.

Mock, jock about and are racist towards people regardless of country. (Note that means countries that you don’t think can be discriminated against, e.g. UK, USA., etc.)

Speculate about celebrity identities. And also making them uncomfortable and breaking their boundaries. (Note that this includes YouTubers)

Pro Israel, and are a Zionist.

I do have a DNI for minors but it’s generally tread lightly, and for anyone younger than 15 please do not interact.

——Please Interact If——

Enjoy the MCYT series: Hermitcraft, Empires, Life Series.

Are a big fan of writing, regardless of what the writing is.

Are a big fan of reading!

Are a fan of any of these artists- Louis Tomlinson, Taylor Swift, Little Mix, Niall Horan, Adele, Avicii, Ed Sheeran, Imagine Dragons, Lewis Capaldi.

Language Learner! (Not gonna state as it could change)

Playing the Sims, Minecraft, Football Manager.

Hunger Games fan and/or Stranger Things fan.

Learning about LGBT Terms.

Enjoy History and/or Etymology.

Dog and/or Cat lover.

——Boundaries——

Asks? Sure! Feel free!

DMs? Ask, unless we are mutuals!

Shipping with others? Hell no.

Flirting? Hell no.

Compliments? Sure!

——

That is the end of my intro list, I may have missed some things, but who cares, I hope to talk to you soon! I am kinda lenient and I can just block you.

[searchingforleo]

welcome to my blog ☆⋆｡𖦹°‧★

18, lover of all things lesbian, african and a voguer!

i love games, movies, and graphic novels.

i also love to write poetry and make zines!

i also have a letterboxd! follow it here!

feel free to reblog!

love you <3

[allgirlsareprincesses]

Just read a West African Sleeping Beauty tale in which the heroine is awakened by another maiden and they fall in love. Her lover's father marries the Sleeping Beauty and then the two women are "companions" for the rest of their lives.

Lesbian happily ever after!

[lgbtqiamuslimpedia]

A Jihad for Love (2008)

Director - Parvez Sharma

Producer - Sandi Simcha Dubowski

Cinematography - Parvez Sharma, Berke Baş,David W. Leitner

Writer - Javed Haider Zaidi

Cast - Imam Muhsin Hendricks,Arsham Parsi,Maryam,Abdellah,Mazen,Ferda,Qasim,Ahsan,Amir,Mojtaba,Kiymet,Sana,Maha,Pedram Abdi (Payam)

Languages - Arabic,Farsi,Urdu,Bengali, Hindi,English,French,German,English,Turkish,etc

Genre - •LGBTQ •Islam •Documentary

Year of Release - 21 May,2008

Box office - $105,651

Awards - •Best Documentary Award,MIX BRASIL •Best Documentary, Image+Nation Film Festival •Best Documentary,The Tri-Continental Film Festival,India • GLAAD Media Award •Teddy Award,etc

A Jihad for Love (preceded by a short film called In the Name of Allah) is an award-winning international documentary on Homosexuality & Islam.It took total six years to make this groundbreaking documentary.Parvez Sharma took the risk to film this documentary in most dangerous country (like Islamic Republic of Iran,Iraq, Saudi Arabia,Pakistan,Egypt).Homosexuality is a punishable crime in most Muslim World.

The work that Sharma started with this film has become a staple in many books on Islam and at U.S. University libraries.The website Faith in Equality put it at number 9 in a list of LGBT films about faith.IMDb rates the film at 13 on its list of 58 titles under the category of "Best documentaries on religion, spirituality & cults".The film first premiered at the TIFF in 2007, and has been screened to great acclaim at several film festivals around the world.The film went on to win 15 other international awards.

Plot

At starting it shows a glimpse of Islam across the globe.The film first featured Hendrick Muhsin, a South African,Pakistani Gay & Muslim.He is also the first Out Gay Imam of Africa.Filmmaker Parvez got into the deep of Hendicks's personal life struggles,his understanding of Islam & reconciliation of intersecting identities.

Mazen, an Egyptian effeminate muslim was arrested in 2001, in a gay nightclub named Queen Boat.He was beaten,forced to stand trial twice on "debauchery" charges & sentenced to a total of 4 years in prison, where he was raped.He eventually moved to Paris.Mazen also has left his families & friends in Egypt.

Sana is a Black Lesbian refugee, & a victim of FGM.She has a deeper understanding of Islam & told Parvez that Queerness is not against Islam.Sana didn't have any kind of sexual relation with any women.But she had intimate loving relations with women.Like others, she came to France as a refugee.Sana befriend with Maryam & Mazen.

Maryam is Moroccan-born queer womxn who lives in Paris.Her girlfriend Maha lives in Egypt.Both lovers met each other on Bint-al Nas - a meeting site for Arab LBTQ womxn.Maryam still believes that she deserves punishment for her lesbian sexual relationship.Both have survived abusive marriages and can only share their love for each other in private.Maryam & Maha go on a shared journey of search and discovery of female homosexuality.In Al-Azhar, they discover an old bookstore where they find a copy of the Fiqh al-Sunnah(The Laws of the Prophet).In the heart of an ancient mosque in the Citadel,they discover beautiful Islamic calligraphy as they declare their impossible love for each other.

Amir, an Iranian gay shia who has respect for Imam Hosseini.He sacrificed his life for Allah & reconciling his muslim faith.While in Iran, he was persecuted under the charges of illicit sexual conduct,illicit mannerism & received 100 lashes.After being brutally beaten and tortured in the police custody.The judge also threatened Amir that he should be punished by stoning.However he was sentenced to flogging.He told Sharma that Allah helped him to escape this traumatic situation.He fled to Turkey as soon as well.There he met 3 gay refugees - Arsham,Payam,Mojtaba.Mojtaba, another (Persian) gay muslim who ran away from Iran,due to his same sex marriage ceremony in 2005.

Ferda & Kiymet are a happy couple in Turkiye.Kiymet belongs from a conservative family.In her early Kiymet's marriage was fixed with a man.Kiymet's marriage ended up at divorce.Then she found Ferda, her soulmate.Ferda's mom is very supportive & tolerant of sexuality.Ferda is a devout sufi queer muslim, who honors Rumi - a prominent sufi icon for both LGBTQ+ & Straight Muslims.

Ahsan & Qasim are queer platonic friends.Ahsan is a Sunni Muslim & Qasim is a Shia Muslim.Both men, belongs from poor backgrounds do not adopt the western peronae of ‘gay’ and instead rely on vernacular terms.Ahsan & Qasim are part of transvestite,transgender community called Zenana,Kothi in Northern India.Most of these community hide themselves from public.Ahsan,Qasim find a safe space in his community.While Qasim is struggling with his sexuality in heteronormative society.

The filmmaker also documented the diverse tolerance of sexuality in sufi traditions (Pakistan,India & Turkey).

Is it the first film on Islam & Homosexuality?

''A Jihad for Love'' is called world's 1st film on Islam & Homosexuality.A Jihad for Love would be an international feature documentary film rather than world's first film on LGBT muslims.However there are several films that focused on LGBTQ muslim or Queerness in Islam.For Example:

Road to Love (2001)

Act of Faith (2002)

Haremde dört kadin (1965)

Hammam al-Malatily (1973)

Köçek (1975)

Ihtiras Firtinasi (1984)

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)

Marcides (1993)

Istanbul Beneath My Wings (1996)

Hamam (1997)

Lola & Billy the Kid (1999)

Production

Bismillah (In the name of Allah) was considered as an early working title for this documentary.Among muslims,the word Bismillah is very auspicious & used before beginning actions,speech,writing.But the tittle was not considered as the final title of this film due to controversy.

A Jihad for Love is produced by Halal Films, in association with the Sundance Documentary Film Fund,Channel 4 (UK),ZDF (Germany),Arte (France-Germany),Logo (US) & SBS Australia.The director & producer Parvez Sharma & co-producer Sandi Dubowski raised more than a million dollars over a 6 years period to make the film.

In an interview with The NY Times,Parvez Sharma said that he "would shoot touristy footage on the first 15 minutes & the last 15 minutes of a tape", with interviews for documentary in between, to avoid having his footage seized at customs.He compiled 400 hours of footage from a dozen countries ranging from Iraq to Pakistan to the UK.The nature of the work placed him at considerable personal risk.He adopted hardcore guerrilla film-making tactics,pretending to be a tourist in one country,a worker for an AIDS charity in another country.Wherever he went,he asked his queer friends to keep copies of footage and destroy the tapes once he had successfully smuggled the masters out of the country.

During his filmmaking Parvez traveled several countries including Pakistan, Iraq, India, Bangladesh, Egypt, USA, UK, Turkey, France, Saudi Arabia, South Africa,[...].

Interviews

In an interview with NY Times magazine,Parvez Sharma said,"Being gay and Muslim myself,I knew that this film had to be about us all coming out— as Muslims. It's about claiming the Islam that has been denied to us." With a target audience of "faithful Muslims," he undertook a variety of outreach tactics, including leafleting mosques,blanketing MySpace,screening in Astoria for 15 key progressive Muslim leaders.In an interview to Der Spiegel, Sharma explained the significance of the title: "I'm not looking at jihad as battle.I'm looking at the greater jihad in Islam, which is the jihad as the struggle with the self.I also thought it was really compelling to take a word that only has one connotation for most -- to take that, reclaim it and put it in the same phrase as love,which is universal.I really think it explains it very well.

Film Screening

A Jihad for Love first premiered in Toronto International Film Festival(TIFF) in September 2007.At its premier,the director was given a security guard for safety reasons.After this film festival A Jihad for Love got huge applaud internationally.A Jihad for Love film premiered as the opening film of Panorama Documente of the Berlin Film Festival in February 2008.

The film was screened in The Rio Film Festival,Brazil on September 2007,Morelia Film Festival,Mexico, on October 2007,The Sheffield DocFest on November 2007,London Gay & Lesbian Film Festival on March 2008,Melbourne International Film Festival on July 2008,Thessaloniki Documentary Film Festival on March 2008,etc.A Jihad for Love's first premier in African continent was The Out in Africa Film Festival in Johannesburg and Cape Town,November 2007. On April,2008 A Jihad for Love film was successfully screened at Istanbul International Film Festival.It was the first time that the film allowed to screen in a muslim-majority country.Film also screened in Q! Film Festival of Indonesia.Although singapore banned the film from festival in 2008 due to its sensitive subject.

Popularity

A Jihad for Love film's sale and broadcast on NDTV, South Asia's largest network in 2008 would have a "remarkable" impact on this LGBTQ cause. "NDTV's broadcast has in effect made the film available to over one billion viewers in India,Bangladesh,Pakistan, & large portions of the Middle East and Africa.The various distributors and their Total Rating Points in European television, the Indian/South-Asian sale with its claimed footprint of 15 billion viewers, the theatrical release & the purportedly large numbers of Netflix viewers made the filmmakers and the TRP experts arrive at a number of 8 million total viewers calculated over a period of four years for this documentary.

International Muslim Dialogue Project

Immediately after the film's theatrical launch around the USA,Parvez & Sandi launched the International Muslim Dialogue Project on 2008.The aim of the project was to organize screenings of the film in Muslim Capitals.Sharma called it the "Underground Network Model" of film distribution.He invented this model sending unmarked DVD's of the film with friends & colleagues to Muslim capitals across the world with full permission to sell pirated copies.Some of the boldest were Beirut,Cairo,Karachi,eight cities in Indonesia & Kuala Lumpur

The film was screened privately screened in Iran,Palestine,Bangladesh and Somalia.

[walkingwiththegods1]

Gods, Goddesses; Demigods, Demigoddesses and Humans, than belongs to The LGBTQIA+'s Community. (My post, celebrating The LGBTQIA+ Pride's Month!)

Hello, Lovely Souls!... This is a post I was thinking in make, since I readed somewhere online; than there is LGBTQIA+'s characters in Myths and Legends, but somehow... Those Myths and Legends are ignored, or intentionally shunned... Well, this post was made; for two reasons:

Than all than didn't knew this stories, become at least inform than they exists, and/or do their own research; (If you feel inclined to do so) and tell them to any person interested and tolerant, so we could ended the disinformation about LGBTQIA+'s in Mythology and Legend. Also, so any person of The LGBTQIA+'s Community; felt happy to being seen visible and represented, by powerful beings of ''The Myth and Legend's Era'', which... Some of them, are followed today. AND...

Because I notice than some of my followers, are of the LGBTQIA+'s Community... This post is my ''Thank You So Much, Card!'', for all of you: I hope you like this gift, than I send to all of you from the distance, gives you warm and light; makes you smile... And you kept it as a gift, in your heart! ♥

I hope than any person than find this post, enjoy to read it; as much I enjoyed to write it: Have a nice reading day, Everybody!

LGBTQIA+'s African Characters

The Akan people of Ghana, have personifications of Celestial Bodies; where Abrao (Jupiter), Aku (Mercury) and Awo (The Moon); manifest as Androgynus, or Transgender.

LGBTQIA+'s Aztec/Mayan Characters

Tezcatlipoca: He turned into a woman, and slept with the last king of The Toltecs; Huemac.

LGBTQIA+'s Chinese Characters

Lan Caihe: Is one of The Eight Immortals., whose gender... Is unknown.

Tu'er Shen: A man than, after being ordered to be killed; is turned into a God of Homosexuality and Protector of Homosexual Affections, as a way to repair his unfair death.

LGBTQIA+'s Diasporic African Diasporic Characters

Inle and Abbata: As result of being isolated and lonely, after been banished for their mother; they eventually become lovers, and being able to communicate by empathy. (Inle was mute, and Abbata; deaf... That's the reason they have to communicate between them, in this unique way.)

LGBTQIA+'s Greek Characters

Admetus: King of Pherae, was one of Apollo's lovers.

Adonis: One version stated than, the beautiful young man was beloved by both; Aphrodite and Apollo.

Amazons: They capture men once or twice in an year, only for reproduction; and the rest of the year... These admirable warrior women daughters of Ares, have deep and romantic relations within them.

Ameinias: A young man than fell in love of Narcissus, but... That didn't ended well, for the poor Ameinias!

Aphrodite: I readed in an extint online Encyclopedia, about a legend of the Goddess using a beard; and seducing maidens of a greek island, which results in pregnancy. (Plus: Their is an aspect of Aphrodite, called Aphroditus; where she have female and masculine physical traits.)

Apollo: He had lovers of both sexes, being the most famous: Hyacinth, The Muses (Yes... THE NINE OF THEM!); Cyniras, Cyrene, Hymenaios, Coronis; Phorbas of Thesaly, Hecuba, Admetus, and many others.

Achilles: His reaction to Patroclus's Death, during The Trojan War... Is of someone than losed to the Love of his Life.

Ares: It was said than Alectryon, was a lover of The God of War.

Artemis: She vowed to remain an virgin, and have nymphs as her companions in her hunting trips. Also, she defended fiercesly her chastity; so we can assume she is asexual. (Or... An Asexual Lesbian, maybe?)

Athena: She loved to Myrmex, an Athenian young woman known for her purity and intelligence... Until she said than she invented The Plough, (One of Athena's inventions) and Athena; turned to the insolent girl into an ant, ending forever her only romance. (And closing her divine heart to Love, forever.)

Caeneus: A woman than, according the first versions of the myth; after being with Poseidon, asked to be turn into a man.

Callisto: Zeus, transformed in Artemis; and Callisto slept with him, believing than he was Artemis. (Obviously... She was a lesbian, because she had sex with somebody than looked like the Goddess; thinking than Artemis herself, returned to the same feelings/atraction/desire!)

Dionysus: It is said than Dionysus, was The God of Intersex and Trans People, (Probably for his custome of sometimes dressing in woman's clothes, when drunk) and; he had romances with various men, including the Satyr Ampelus, and the handsome Adonis.

Helen of Troy: When Aphrodite went to talked to her, to convince her to continue to be with Paris... Her heart raced in her chest, by only seeing to The Goddess of Love; in front of her!

Helenus of Troy: The Trojan Prince, was a son of Priam and Hecuba... And Apollo's Lover.

Heracles: The symbol of Masculinity in The Ancient World, had adventures with women, BUT... Had closer relations with men, too: 11 of them in total, been Iolaus; Hylas, Admetus, Sostratus, Abderus and Nestor, as the most famous of Hercules's Male Lovers. (I don't know why, but... The idea of Hercules having boyfriends, sounds charming to me!)

Hermaphroditus: Was turn forever in a being of both sexes, after the nymph Salamcis; hugged to the young and prayed to The Gods, they will never being apart.

Hermes: He is accounted in mythology, to have relations with both; women are men. And... That he had some liaison, with the mythic hero... Perseus!

Hypnos: There is a tale, where Endymion; instead of being Selene's Love, was loved by... Hypnos: The God of Sleep and Dreams.

Iphis: A child being borne female, than was transformed into a man; so he could married with the woman he loved.

Kalamos and Karpo: Two young men, whose tragic end; is the origin of the water reed and the fruit of the fields than dies and revives every year.

Leucippus: A girl that was turn into a boy, to avoid his father's anger.

Poseidon: He loved to men too, including to the prince of Pisa, Pelops; and Nerites.

Orestes: It was said than, he had a romance with a young man; called Pylades.

Orpheus: An account said than he loved to a man, (Calais, a young Argonaut) before to fall in love to his wife, Eurydice.

Siproetes: A man than saw Artemis bathing, and Artemis turned him in a woman.

Thamyris: According to Mythology, is the first man to have loved; to another man.

Tiresias: The Seer, spended 7 years as a woman; for killing a female serpent while it was mating. (So... Now all you know: Killing mating snakes, turns you into a person of the opposite sex!)

Zephirus: He fell in love with Hyacinthus, (But... Hyacinthus choosed to Apollo, in the end.)

Zeus: The prince Ganymedes, so beautiful and charming; than Zeus tricked him and taked him to Olympus, where the prince became the Cup Bearer of The Mighty Ones; and Lover of Zeus, and; as far as I know... The only lover of Zeus, to be made IMMORTAL. (...End of The Story!)

LGBTQIA+'s Japanese Characters

Inari: Kami of Agriculture, than is draw as of various genders.

Kitsune: Trickster-Fox Spirit, than disguise as women; hiding their true identity (and gender); so they could trick men into sleep with them.

LGBTQIA+'s Native American Characters

Xochipilli: Mexica Deity, than has been interpreted, as The Patron God of Homosexuality.

LGBTQIA+'s Nordic Characters

Freyr: May have been followed, by Homosexual and/or Effeminate Priests.

Loki: Just in case you don't know, why he is in this list... I'll made a little resume: Crossdresing many times, being capable to change of sex many times; he had relations with both sexes, and... Let's not forget than he gave birth to some of his children. (Conclusion: Loki is not ashamed of his sexuality, and...Why he should be?! He is marvelous and perfect, and we love him just like that!)

LGBTQIA+'s Oceanic Characters

Ungud: An Creator Snake-God of Australia and associated with rainbows, than is sometimes male; sometimes female, AND... Sometimes, androgynous.

LGBTQIA+'s Sumerian Characters

Gilgamesh: His relation with Enkidu, was so intimate and close... Than is strange than is depicted today, as only Friendship in The Media.

LGBTQIA+'s Taino Characters

Sexless Creatures from the Trees: Is a VERY WEIRD MYTH, but... As the Americans said, 'To make a long story, short...'' One day, one of the man named Guahayona; took all the women and their kids to other lands, promising to the men than he will returned for them... Which never happened: The kids were abandoned near a river crying, till they were turned in tiny frogs; and the women were left in an island where it was said than even today, only women lived there. After a while, the men needed of female company... Found to beings with long hair, but with slippery skin and than wasn't men; or women. The Cacique, (Chieftain) called for men with thick skin than grabbed four of the beings; and after thinking, ''How the heck can we turned this weird beings, into women?!...'' they used a Inriri (A Caribbean's Woodpecker), and... Let's said, than it was ''The first operation of change of sex, in Myths'' (...As far as I know!...)

Now all you know: LGBTQIA+' People, has many representatios in Ancient Myths and Legends; which shows than our Ancestors were more tolerant and acepting in general, of all the people than we kindly calls Humanity.

That's all in this post: To all my followers, and to all the people than belongs to the LGBTQIA+'s; Community: Happy Pride's Month, Everybody! (Never give up... And fight for your happiness, 'cause only the ones than fight for their rights; will receive what their hearts desires the most!)

Than The Deities protects you always in each step you make, and helps you to arrived soon to that beautiful and peaceful future life in Earth; where you are loved and accepted, as a whole and wonderful human being... So Be It!

[lavendervetstudies]

hi! do you have a reading list for your black queer media and lit class? i would love to check it out x

I don't want to put the full syllabus out there just in case its intellectual property of my incredible professor, but I can tell you what we've read as of now (midterms)! I know that not many people have gotten to study black queerness in an academic setting, so I want help how I can.

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde – (I couldn't find a pdf sorry!!) a partially-fantasized biography about a Caribbean first-generation American lesbian in NYC

Black Atlantic, Queer Atlantic by Omise'eke Natasha Tinsley – recontextualizing the middle passage as the birthplace of African American and Afro-Caribbean queerness, and how blackness and queerness intersect

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez – this one's for the fantasy and historical fiction lovers!! it's about a black lesbian vampire finding her identity, family, and agency over the decades (slavery to 2020)

Punks, Bull Daggers, & Welfare Queens by Cathy Cohen – I actually haven't read this yet; it's our reading for next week! but as far as I know it's about the future of queer politics if we stopped centering white supremacist ideals to achieve societal acceptance

and now films!

The Watermelon Woman (1996) – I've seen this film at least 3 times now and it's always great. it's a documentary made by and starring the black lesbian filmmaker Cheryl Dunye as she researches the forgotten life of an actress who became famous for playing "mammy" archetype roles (which parallels her own life and newly-formed relationship with a white lesbian)

The Aggressives (2005) – we also haven't watched this in class yet, but it's a documentary about AGs (aka Aggressives, Studs, or black mascs). I really look forward to seeing this though!!