#stellar bisexual sapphic

[vignetterose]

Bi Woman/Bi Sapphic Identities

Lunar Bisexual Sapphic (Fem Bisexual Sapphic)

Solar Bisexual Sapphic (Masc Bisexual Sapphic)

Stellar Bisexual Sapphic (Mascfem Bisexual Sapphic)

These are terms and flags to describe feminine, masculine, and masculine-feminine bi women/bi sapphics that aren't the lesbian terms butch and femme. I also couldn't find a term for what I experienced (both masculinity and femininity/fluctuating between the two) so I decided to create my own!

[moonlightsapphic]

Y’ALL NEED TO STOP ARGUING ABOUT BILLIE EILISH I SWEAR

She was obviously just being funny and in the comments of her post, it looks like other queer public figures (JVN, Lucy Dacus, Amybeth McNulty, Stevie Boebi, Alix Traeger, even Autumn Kennedy who runs tstourtips) are playing along in the comments. I think it’s heartwarming!

Yes, it’s clear she personally does not want to let the topic of her queerness overshadow her art in interviews, and she wasn’t quite ready for that follow up question from the Vareity interviewer. She looked nervous. she wanted to be able to come out casually and move on. (Perhaps she was just tired of being assumed straight or called a queerbaiter, and it was as simple as needing to quickly clear up public misconception. Which is so fair.)

> Especially considering how she was in good spirits during the red carpet interview in question (watch the video, just please watch the video and see for yourself), it’s obvious she’s just trying to lighten the mood (for both herself and everyone else) with that IG caption.

All of that said, she could have taken into account that the media and public can be both dumb and malicious, and that they would try to twist her funky li’l IG vent out of context and then blame the sweet reporter, who was quite nice (plus queer and PoC herself!). To an extent Billie should have expected and prepared for the polite follow-up questions, considering that her ideal world (where sexuality isn’t a big deal) isn’t the world we’re living in yet, especially outside of rich celebrity circles. It is important information that she should clarify, even for her own protection from the media/public trying to twist her initial vague statements about attraction to women this way or that. Her team prepared her poorly.

(We can make the argument that the Variety reporter could perhaps have started with “Are you comfortable answering questions about your sexuality?” … but I’m sure if at any point Billie had said “Actually I would rather talk about my music or fashion right now,” the reporter would have immediately complied anyway. I think she makes it quite clear that she is a part of the community, and ally and a safe space and well intentioned. Billie was just put on the spot, she didn’t think of that route. And she wanted to vent on IG, because it must be so much to deal with when millions of people and the fucking BBC is suddenly talking about your sexuality. That’s all.)

Still, I agree with y’all in that Billie’s wording on the IG post was poor considering how the masses are unsurprisingly thinking of it as an accusation. Perhaps most importantly, using the word “outing” lightheartedly is tone deaf considering recent events where celebrities have been forced to come out or actually outed. And that’s something Billie could take away from the absolute media clusterfuck this is becoming.

Finally, I agree that she is very privileged and has a lot of influence she could use to support the LGBTQ+ community. But she’s still a person and she deserves to “come out” (or like, just start talking about her queerness) and have people not make a big deal about her identity if that is what’s most comfortable to her. This is a right all queer people should have regardless of their status. She doesn’t owe it to us to immediately become a queer spokesperson. Identity is hard for everyone. You guys are quickly forgetting how people accused her of queerbaiting back when she put out the Lost Cause MV and captioned a photo “i love girls”. (Why people are obsessed with labels, and the nuances of it are a whole other rant for another day, but I digress.) And honestly? She’s so right, leave her alone. She’s had fucking enough. Let queer people be.

TL; DR: Billie is not mad at any reporters for “outing” her. Billie doesn’t think anyone “outed” her in the first place! Billie is just annoyed that a big deal was made of her sexuality after she started talking about her queerness (which she did, intentionally and of her own accord, and also confirmed that it was a coming out of sorts from her end). She simply did not feel ready to talk about it again at 11:00 AM on the red carpet and all the attention was nerve-wracking. So she was venting using (albeit tone-deaf) hyperbolae on an IG post. The reporter was great, too, and absolutely should not be canceled. I hope this clears it up.

[gealach-in-a-misty-world]

As head phoenix keeper at a world-renowned zoo for magical creatures, Aila's childhood dream of conserving critically endangered firebirds seems closer than ever. There's just one glaring caveat: her zoo's breeding program hasn't functioned for a decade. When a tragic phoenix heist sabotages the flagship initiative at a neighbouring zoo, Aila must prove her derelict facilities are fit to take the reins. But saving an entire species from extinction requires more than stellar animal handling skills. Carnivorous water horses, tempestuous thunderhawks, mischievous dragons... Aila has no problem wrangling beasts. Inspiring zoo patrons? That's another story. Mustering the courage to ask for help from the hotshot griffin keeper at the zoo's most popular exhibit? Virtually impossible. Especially when the hotshot griffin keeper in question just so happens to be her arch-rival from college: Luciana, an annoyingly brooding and even more annoyingly insufferable know-it-all with the grace of a goblin and the face of a goddess who's convinced that Aila's beloved phoenix would serve their cause better as an active performer rather than as a passive conservation exhibit.

"Let her prove she could be worth something."

S.A. MacLean's The Phoenix Keeper is a cozy fantasy novel about bisexual zoekeeper Aila and her struggle with anxiety and with the zoo program that's trying to save a Phoenix species from extinction. It's a low-stakes story, sweet and slow-paced, taking its time to describe the daily life at the zoo and the steps taken to bring the program back to life, while chronicling her journey to become a more functional person. It's marketed as a sapphic romantasy, but while the romance is lovely, it's not focussed on and it's more of a subplot.

The tension between Aila and her love interest crackles as Aila has to first navigate a blooming relationship with another zookeeper, a man who on the surface looks perfect for her. But looks can be deceiving, and when Aila lets herself see people for who they truly are, she might reach a different conclusion than she thought.

Throughout the book, she's helped by her best friend, whose friendship has to overcome a few hurdles. Aila is a self-centered protagonist, trapped inside her anxiety that makes her not quite so insightful, but as she slowly comes out of her shell, she becomes more mindful. Her love interest is a more well-rounded character than her, showing hidden depths behind a cool demeanor.

The worldbuilding isn't too elaborate, but it works. The world looks mostly like our own, with the notable exception of magical fauna that's preserved in zoos. The book excels in describing these habitats and enclosures with a lush and colorful prose, showing a zookeper's life with the joy and enthusiasm of a child's visit, building on that nostalgia to really pluck at the heartstrings.

The Phoenix Keeper is a quiet story of self-realization.

✨ 3.5 stars

[seefasters]

Regina spektor anon again (hi!!!) Getting through mash at an unbelievable pace cus ive been putting it on while i ink a 20-something page comic. Im at the end of s7. Margaret being part of hawkeye and bjs little crew is amazing. Her lightening up a bit and also getting more, like, consciously written as sad and hardened by her experiences is soo good. Also i think by s7 theyve finally (correctly) landed on the idea that she does not need to be paired off with hawk or charles or any main cast male in order to justify her presence. Thank god for that cus her Platonic Chemistry with ppl, esp hawkeye, is off the charts. Shes my favorite character i think (her and hawkeye anyhow)- shes just so compelling. Shes also getting a little more masculine sometimes. You see her in fatigues and shit like that which yknow👀. Sapphic hotlips agenda (i know what was up when that old childhood friend came to visit). Btw I love Charles. Hes awful and elitist and a chauvinist but hes definitely a far better foil than frank cus he's capable of holding his own against bj and hawk and he's not a warguy rlly. (I say this with great affection for larry linville and for frank as a character, cus he was great too!! Its just that i like charles more) and watching charles warm up very slowly is great. I tend to not be on charles's side but its very satisfying to watch hawkeye get put in his place sometimes and it also makes it a lot more satisfying to see ppl get one over on charles because its actually a challenge. Speaking of which, i loved in love and war and inga Very Much. What stellar episodes. I demand More slamming hawk into the ground about his misconceptions and fuckups (affectionate) especially regarding women. Also the show made me cry again- when hawkeye tells radar off and makes him cry, margaret's little dog monologue, and especially especially when mulcahy punches that wounded man during the xmas ep??? :,>( the shame he felt was so relatable and touching. again thanks for introducing me to this series, its such a joyful experience to get to know this piece of art and experience it. Ooh oh also, i wanted to weigh in on the Where To Start Debate. While im not a purist and i think any way a person comes to a piece of art is valid, imo the best way to do MASH is to start from the start. The sexism and racism was genuinely very disheartening, and the cornier, sitcom-ier writing does make it feel a little less essential than subsequent episodes and seasons but honestly if you're in for the longhaul it ultimately deepens the experience cus so much of subsequent MASH is invested in interrogating its past, generally thru giving margaret more of a voice and by complicating Hawkeye's role as the guy we the audience are meant to agree with and identify with. The satisfaction that comes with deepening Margarets characterization and taking her problems more seriously is partially predicated on, for example, the early shows casually dismissive attitude regarding instances wherein she was sexually assaulted or harrassed or demeaned. I hope they continue doing that. I know that that isnt an experience everyone wants, but it feels rlly cool to watch the show learn empathy and grow from its crueler, fratbro-ish perspective to something more holistically empathetic. Sorry thats soooo many words dont feel obligated to respond if its too much. I just have thoughts. Thanks.

aaaaaaa hi anon!!!!!! i love reading your thoughts dw <3

margaret's character arc is definitely one of the best things in mash. everyone say thank you to loretta swit for fighting for her character

and yes wlw margaret is so real!!! some ppl hc her as a lesbian, i personally prefer to think of her as bisexual bc her relationships with men on the show are too important to her character to consider them comphet. 2 me. all headcanons are beautiful though love is love

i'm so happy you like charles! he's definitely a more fitting antagonist for the kind of show mash became by season 6. the way his character is explored does add a lot more depth to the show (and at some point i feel you'll find yourself rooting for charles too lol. maybe! maybe not) and dont worry there will be more slamming hawkeye into the ground. maybe too much even

and i think you're right about starting mash from the pilot! part of my enjoyment of mash is about seeing how it changes, evolves and confronts its own shortcomings. for some people that might not be the case though, so i generally think if someone's not vibing with season 1's pacing or jokes but still wants to check out the show, s2 is a solid place to start. it has a soft pilot AND it's one of the best seasons of television ever like literally win win

youre always welcome in my inbox!!! i'm v jealous of you experiencing mash for the first time tbh so i'm living vicariously through you lol

[poetofdiana]

14. Is there a word for

This feeling?

A thousand bursts of light

Exploding from my chest

Falling like fireworks

On my audience

You sit in the front row

Smiling up at me

And I wish we were alone

Because I would kiss you

And in that moment

You would kiss me back

But you look away

And I'm not so sure

I believe myself anymore.

April 14 2019

@starlitpoems

[sapphicpoetspost]

I finished reading One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston.

A sapphic romance between a nerdy bisexual and a punk time-traveler lesbian? That's my kind of novel. Casey McQuiston knows their audience. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's such a fun read and has really great LGBTQ+ representation. Also it has a stellar ending that is impeccably well written. Highly recommend. Perfect read for pride month!

[grelleswife]

I'm curious!! We know our lovely girl is trans, but what do you think her sexuality is?? I know she seems mainly interested in men; but wasnt it at least insinuated that she was in a relationship with Madam Red?

(Answering these together since they’re closely related)

The short answer: I suspect that Yana intended Grelle to be straight, but there is room within the text to read her as bisexual and to interpret her relationship with Madame Red as romantic.

The long, rambly answer: Throughout the manga, Grelle’s primary romantic interest has been directed at male (or at least male-presenting) characters, such as William, Sebastian, and Undertaker, and her interactions with Kuro ladies other than Angelina have been few and far between. Although I haven’t been able to track down the link, I believe Yana once tweeted that she envisioned Grelle and Madame as being “like sisters.” Thus, the narrative that sensei appears to be pushing is that Grelle is sexually and romantically attracted to men.

However, a mangaka’s intentions might not always align with the way a character is coded. For example, Ohba and Obata, the creators of Death Note, are notorious for having less-than-stellar attitudes towards the queer community. Yet protagonist Light Yagami merely views the women in his life (when he thinks of them at all), as pawns in his game. His fixation on his rival L borders on obsession, and the man dies cradled in Light’s arms. I doubt that Ohba and Obata set out to depict Light as gay, but the man sure doesn’t come across as straight. 😂

Grelle is a bit like that; if you view the Jack the Ripper arc through a sapphic lens, it’s hard not to see her and Angelina as more than just gal pals. Their collaboration wasn’t a one-time deal. Grelle knowingly broke multiple reaper laws, willingly disguised herself as a man (which must have been extremely dysphoria-inducing for her), and stayed by this woman’s side for about two years. That’s an awful lot of dedication for some mortal she met through happenstance. But if Grelle is doing these things because she’s smitten with An, her actions make perfect sense. There’s a morbid sort of intimacy in killing together (just look at Hannibal)—these ladies committed their crimes as a unit, their identities so closely intertwined that they were known as a single entity, Jack the Ripper. They were enmeshed in a secret relationship whose true nature was known only to them...I think there’s at least a smidgen of queer subtext to be found there. Moreover, in the licensed English translation, Grelle admits outright that she “fell head over heels for a woman.” I don’t know what she says in the original Japanese, and whether the connotations were altered in translation...but most people wouldn’t talk about “falling for someone” in a platonic sense. 👀

Moreover, An and Grelle also tend to be get rather cozy in sensei’s official art; Yana may say they’re not a couple, but they certainly look like one. 👀👀👀

Sisters... 🤔

Sure, Yana. 😂😂😂

Of course, the disclaimer to this whole spiel is that I myself am bisexual, so my perspectives of the Red Butler arc are a little biased (see what I did there? 😜💖💜💙) toward the narrative that Grelle and An were lovers. If you prefer to see their bond as sisterly and platonic, that’s fine, too! Canon Redcliff is ambiguous; definitely there if you see it, nonexistent if you don’t. But there is absolutely room to interpret Miss Grelle as bi.

[mirandalinotto]

Rake (2014) Review

For your information, I fast-forwarded through any scene that didn't have Miranda Otto in it, so this review is only about her storyline.

Trigger Warnings: Stalking and Harassment, Internalized Biphobia/Homophobia, Pedophilia, Jealousy and Possessiveness, Drugs/Alcohol

So, I went into this having seen a few clips here or there. I knew that there was a sapphic kiss, a pretty stellar punch, and an uncomfortabe scene where Miranda/Maddy gets "birthed" and is supposed to suck on her boyfriend's chest, but she freaks out and breaks up with him.

Yeah, it was a wild first impression, without any context. Now I have context, and I almost wish I didn't.

Maddy Deane (Miranda Otto) is a psychologist who used to be married to Keegan Deane, the main character of the show, and notorious "rake."

Rake: a man who is habituated to immoral conduct, particularly womanising. Often, a rake is also a prodigal son, wasting his (usually inherited) fortune on gambling, wine, and women, and incurring lavish debts in the process. Cad is a closely related term.

Keegan fits this definition, and spends most of the series sleeping with lots of different women, drinking, and being an all-around asshole, especially when it comes to his ex-wife.

Maddy and Keegan have a teenage son, Finn, who is sleeping with his English teacher. Keegan knows about this before Maddy does, and basically chalks it up to the boy having too many hormones, while his ex-wife is obviously furious that he's allowing their son to be abused by a woman 20 years his senior. Maddy is made out to be the "bad guy" in this equation, when you'd think the pedophile-teacher would be the one in the "wrong."

Miranda Otto isn't really given that much to do in the early episodes. She's in maybe one or two scenes, at most. When she is in a scene, she's usually being disrespected by her son or her ex-husband or both. I was particularly annoyed by the scenes where Keegan either flirts with a woman in front of her, or tries to impress her with his reckless spending.

I have to say, Maddy is dealt a pretty shit hand in this show. Her new boyfriend, Bruce, turns out to be an obsessive stalker, who refuses to leave her alone even after she breaks up with him multiple times. Bruce is downplayed as a threat to her, because on the surface, it appears that he is relatively harmless, but eventually his stalking behavior is confronted by Keegan. It bothers me that Bruce only stops bothering Maddy after Keegan gets involved. It implies that Maddy needed a man to fight her battles for her, when really, she was extremely clear with Bruce, and threatened to call the police multiple times; Bruce just didn't respect her wishes.

It also bothers me that Keegan gloats about this situation (about being "right" about Maddy's newest relationship being bad for her) and only temporarily stops his pissing contest with Bruce when he realizes that his ex-wife might actually be in legitimate danger. It reeks of possessiveness and equally controlling behavior, when he has no moral high ground, considering how many women he's slept with since his ex-wife.

Ultimately, Maddy only has three storylines over 13 epsiodes:

1) her son is sleeping with his teacher, and she's understandably upset about it.

2) her boyfriend, Bruce, turns out to be a creepy stalker who won't take "no" for an answer.

3) her ex-girlfriend from college, Glenn, gets pulled into the story in the eleventh hour, and all-too-predictably gets into a pissing match with Keegan. They make a bet to see who can sleep with Maddy first. I found this to be in incredibly poor taste, considering that Maddy has just gotten out of a stalker situation. It implies that Glenn only slept with her to mark her territory, which is incredibly upsetting.

I expected to enjoy the Glenn storyline much more than I did, considering I'm always excited for a sapphic romance. But the problem is that Maddy seems to have some internalized biphobia (she tells Glenn she "gets confused" when she's around) and Keegan accuses Glenn of having stalked Maddy in college... which is a pretty serious accusation, considering Maddy was literally just stalked like an episode ago by her current boyfriend...?

It just frustrates me that Glenn is brought in and then implied to be a "bad influence" on Maddy, which not only speaks to Keegan's continued possessiveness of his ex-wife, but also to the not-so-subtle homophobia at play. It's also stated that he, Glenn, and Maddy had a threesome in college, after which point, Maddy left Glenn for Keegan...

...which is all very confusing, considering that Keegan makes it sound like Glenn stole Maddy away from him, when really it was the other way around...? I would need to rewatch it to fully understand that point, but Maddy was definitely with Glenn before she dated Keegan.

Basically, I got upset watching this storyline, because it seemed like they made Maddy and Glenn's story into yet another over-sexualized bisexual stereotype. Keegan and Glenn fight over who is the worst influence on Maddy, almost as if Maddy were a child who can't make her own decisions about her relationships!

Anyway, Miranda does some great acting in this show, but she's in so few scenes I wouldn't bother watching the whole thing just for her.

I would give this series a 6/10, if only because there was some sapphic representation, even though I didn't find it particularly "good."

[monsterfucker-lisa-swallows]

Top 5/10 songs you know the most about (like background info and such)

Top 5 songs you can relate to autism (or Top 5 songs by autistic artists)

oh let’s see, uh...

“The Show Must Go On” by Queen. Recorded during the later stages of Freddie’s battle with AIDS. They almost thought his voice wouldn’t be able to handle it, but he pressed on with it. It’s last on their final album because they weren’t sure if they’d be able to make another one. An absolutely stellar version exists on the jukebox musical Moulin Rouge, which is why sometimes I think that musical was an AIDS metaphor.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen. Allegedly recorded on the same piano the Beatles used for “Hey Jude”. Reportedly took the band three weeks to record. Freddie stated that the song is about personal relationships. Brian May said it was about Freddie’s personal traumas. There is a significant theory that the song was about coming to terms with homosexuality (especially when paired with the song “Bicycle Race” which is widely interpreted to be a coded message about being bisexual). 

I’m gonna lump these two together because it’s the same story. “Vow” and “Queer” by Garbage were the first two tracks the band ever jammed on together. That jam session was famously bad. It was basically Shirley’s audition and though she’d been in bands before, she’d lied about having ever written music herself. Luckily the band allowed her to come back in and try again. 

“Supervixen” by Garbage had about a million different rewrites. Shirley said early versions were love songs or odes to Chris Cornell. It eventually turned into the song it is today.

“As Heaven is Wide” by Garbage was written by Steve Marker. It’s one of their darkest songs about sexual abuse at the hands of the Catholic Church. Shirley herself wasn’t Catholic, but was from a religious background. So she felt anxious about singing it. But she felt it was important, so worked up the courage.

“Milk” by Garbage was the first song Shirley ever wrote by herself.

“Why Do You Love Me” by Garbage was written during the Bleed Like Me album about the fact that the band wasn’t getting along at the time. They eventually worked it out after taking a 7 year hiatus. Touring in a cramped bus with the same people for 10 years can drive anyone a little batty.

“So Like a Rose” by Garbage was written for a friend of theirs who committed suicide.

"One Way or Another" by Blondie was written about Debbie Harry's stalker.

That’s all I can think off the top of my head first thing in the morning lol

And goodness my first thought about autistic artists always comes back to Courtney Love, doesn’t it? I’ll try lol

“Girl Anachronism” by the Dresden Dolls

“Please Don’t Touch” by Polly Scattergood

“Left Alone” by Fiona Apple

“Not Your Kind of People” by Garbage

This isn’t really a song, this is a feeling. Can I arm chair diagnose KatieJane Garside with something? Because for some reason I get sapphic autistic vibes from her lyrics. Generally. Especially in Liarflower. Lol

[thismeddlingkid]

Hey everyone, a friend and I (both nonbinary people) are trying to create something for and to educate people on nonbinary people and terms. If there are any terms, you think should be included, please message me. So far I have been collecting sexual and romantic orientations and have the following: trixic, toric, Azalian, Femaric,  Feminamoric, Gynephilia,  Neptunic, orbisian, Sapphic, Venusic, Androphilia, Marsic, Mascic, Quadrisian, Thistlian, Uranic, Viramoric, Strayt, Contraic, Gai, Symmaic, Dahlian, Mercuric, Androgynesexual, Delphinian, diamoric, enbian, lunaric, saturnic, ceterosexual, solaric, stellaric, terraric, Wisterian, irisian, enboric, Achillean, gay, straight, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, omnisexual, polysexual, aromantic.

Also if you'd like contributor credit for any new information added, leave what name or account you would like to be under contributor credits. Thank you.

[walterfilmmemorabilia-blog]

10 LGBTQ Performers in the 1970's

The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by members of the gay (LGBT) community against a police raid that began in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. They are widely considered to constitute the most important event leading to the gay liberation movement and the modern fight for LGBT rights in the United States. Wikipedia

What followed in the 1970’s was a rising tide of LGBTQ performers that “came out” to express their unique take on music, theater and sexual (transgender) identity. Here are 10 of those performers and a brief look at what they contributed to the movement and to our culture. Click on the image to learn more about the performer.

JAYNE COUNTY

As rock’s first openly transgender singer, Jayne Rogers (born June 13, 1947), better known by her stage name Jayne County, is an American singer, songwriter, actress and record producer whose career spans five decades. While dressed in female attire from the beginning of her career, County transitioned to female in 1979, becoming Jayne (as the above poster illustrates).

She made her first performing appearances as Wayne County in Wayne County and The Electric Chairs. In 1969 she appeared in Jackie Curtis’ play Femme Fatale. County considered Curtis a major influence on her career and persona and County is widely considered an influence on David Bowie –– County’s Queenage Baby number was the prototype for Bowie’s Rebel Rebel. Even more notable was her play, World – Birth of A Nation, which was set in a hospital and dealt with male castration –– evoking both transgender surgery and her mixed feelings about men, both gay and straight.

After seeing the play, Andy Warhol cast her in his play Pork. She went on to appear in the film The Blank Generation (1976).  Back and forth between New York and London, she settled in Atlanta Georgia. In 2018, County debuted a retrospective show of visual art in the New York City gallery, Participant, Inc.

County’s life and art is considered an inspirational influence on John Cameron Mitchell’s transgender rock musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

JACKIE CURTIS

“Jackie Curtis is not a drag queen. Jackie is an artist. A pioneer without a frontier,” so said Andy Warhol. Andy was right. Jackie Cutis (1947-1987) was a true original. Long before he became one of the Pop master’s superstars. Curtis distinguished himself by appearing (alternately) as a James Dean-like male and a Jean Harlow-like female in Off-off Broadway plays of his own devise in which he and his friends appeared:

Glamour, Glory And Gold, co-starred Candy Darling, and Robert DeNiroin his first New York stage appearance;

Vain Victory, also starred Darling with Warhol and Jack Smith star Mario Montez;

Amerika Cleopatra featured a thin barely-known Harvey Fierstein;

Femme Fatale, starred Patti Smith, Jayne County and Penny Arcade; and

Heaven Grand In Amber Orbit toplined Holly Woodlawn. These were all makeshift, wildly tossed together affairs having little to do with plot and character but tons to do with exhibitionistic self-expression.

Outside of such Warhol films as Flesh (1968) and Women in Revolt (1972), Jackie’s most notable screen appearance was in Yugoslavia agant-gardist Dusan Makvejev’s W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism – a film about sex researcher Willhelm Reich, creator of the so-called Orgone Box. Makvejev felt Jackie presence in the film added a lot to his view of Reich’s sexual theories.

DIVINE

Born Harris Glenn Milsted in 1945, this life-affirming, overweight transvestite was re-named Divine (after the hero/heroine of Jean Genet’s Our Lady of the Flowers ) by the writer-director John Waters, who discovered her right down the block from where he lived. Through his films Waters turned a lonely overweight kid from Baltimore into one of the biggest (in every sense of the word) of all underground movie stars.

In Waters’ comedies, Pink Flamingoes, Female Trouble, Polyester and Hairspray, Divine redefined what it means to be a movie star. Waters called him The Most Beautiful Woman in The World and if you’ve seen Divine on stage of screen you’ll know why; for like his idol, Elizabeth Taylor, Divine was overwhelmingly sui generis.

While beloved for his films, Divine was a prolific LGBTQ performer on stage and in nightclubs. This above poster memorializes one of them . In this particular show — Vice— Divine appeared with many of the members of the legendary San Francisco drag troupe, The Cockettes.

Sadly, Divine (now a gay, transgender icon) died in 1988 of respiratory problems, days after the opening of his greatest acting success, Hairspray. Those lucky enough to see his club appearances also recall Divine for numbers like this —

CASSELBERRY & DUPREE

Mixing Reggae, Country and Gospel, Casselberry and Dupree are a dynamic lesbian duo who have performed with Harry Belafonte and Whoppi Goldberg, They appeared in the Oscar-nominated Art Is and the Oscar-winning The Times of Harvey Milk. The early 70s was a great time for Sapphic folk music, featured as it was at such venues as Lilith Fair. Jaqué Dupree and J. Casselberry offer a stellar example of it in: CASSELBERRYY AND DUPREE “TWO OF US”

CHARLES PIERCE

Charles Piece 1926-1999 was what might be called a female impersonator (he called himself a Male Actress) who found favor with audiences both straight and gay with his knowing impressions of Bette Davis, Mae West, Tallulah Bankhead and Carol Channing, Such impersonations were quite  traditional for a comic performer of this sort. But as can be seen and heard in this clip of his rendition of Katherine Hepburn, Pierce kept pace with the blossoming LGBTQ movement with many of his zingers evidencing a keen awareness of the difference the out and proud LGBTQ movement had made in  a straight-dominated world.

Headlining a production of Applause was a real tour de force for Piece as this musical version of All About Eve gave him leave to do Bette Davis (star of the original film) and Lauren Bacall (star of the musical remake) at the same time.

JUDITH ANDERSON

Stage and screen star Judith Anderson (1897-1992.) best remembered by the general public for playing the sinister lesbian “Mrs. Danvers” in Hithcock’s Rebecca (1940) and “Ann Treadwell” the socialite who’s keeping Vincent Price’s “Shelby Carpenter” in Laura  The latter was quite low-key in that the character was straight, whereas “Mrs. Danvers” was a full-force lesbian.

Despite the obvious she was married twice. Her first husband was an English professor, Benjamin Harrison Lehmann. They were married in 1937 and divorced  in 1939. Then, in 1946, she married theatrical  producer Luther Greene. They divorced in 1951. Of these marriages Anderson said. “Neither experience was a jolly holiday.”

While Sarah Bernhardt had famously performed  Hamlet in the late 19th century, few actresses have ever tried it. Taking it on at an advanced age, as Anderson did, was quite novel. Doing it when she did, put Anderson in league with the avant-garde gender-benders of the early 70s like Jackie Curtis and Holly Woodlawn.

CRAIG RUSSELL

Craig Russell, born Russell Crag Easie in 1948 in Toronto Canada, this female impersonator carved out a considerable career for himself doing such stars as Bette Davis, Tallulah Bankhead and Mae West — having come to know the last-mentioned personally as he briefly worked as her secretary in Los Angeles. Many LGBTQ performers of this genre did impressions of these stars. But there was an edginess to Russell’s work clearly influenced by the rise of the gay rights movement.

He toured widely, appearing in Las Vegas, Hollywood, San Francisco, Berlin, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg and Sydney, to the delight of a variety of audiences. But he won a special place in the hearts of the gay ones, as shown in the 1977 comedy-drama Outrageous in which he plays a character largely based on himself.

Interestingly, Russell — who always identified himself as gay — was bisexual. He fathered a daughter, Susan Allison, in 1973, and in 1982 married his closest female friend Lori Jenkins. The marriage lasted right through to the end of Russell’s life in 1990 when he died from AIDS complications.

SYLVESTER

Sylvester James Jr. (1947-1988) was born in Los Angeles, but first came to public attention when he moved to San Francisco and joined the legendary gay hippie performance troupe The Cockettes. A genuinely original singing talent  Sylvester showcased a high, shimmering falsetto and a variety of styles encompassing gospel, disco and cabaret. His look was utterly androgynous. While he sometimes appeared in “drag” he most often sported ensembles suitable to both genders.

Wildly popular in San Francisco he performed solo shows at the city’s opera house. When he died from AIDS complications the entire city mourned, along with everyone else who came to know the man and his music.

STEVEN GROSSMAN

Steve Grossman (1951-1991) a gay singer-songwriter of the early 1970s whose album Caravan Tonight (1974) is distinguished as being the first album dealing with openly gay subject matter released by a major record label, Mercury Records.

He died from AIDS leaving his Joni Mitchell-inflected songs, recorded much in the style of singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, opposed to the then-current glam Bowiesque fashion of openly gay artists. Among them, “Out” is a deeply moving coming-out song directed to his Father mother and brother.

OUR GUEST AUTHOR

DAVID EHRENSTEIN

Born in 1947, David Ehrenstein has been a film critic and political commentator since 1965, writing for such publications as Film Culture, Film Quarterly, Cahiers du Cinema, and the Los Angeles Times. His books include Open Secret: Gay Hollywood 1928-2000,  The Scorsese Picture: The Art and Life of Martin Scorsese and Cahiers du Cinema — Masters of Cinema: Roman Polanski .

Blog is originally published at: https://www.walterfilm.com/10-lgbtq-performers-in-the-1970s/

It is republished with permission from the author.

[ask-cyborg-seamstress]

Kanaya Maryam is. Kanaya Nitram is not. She's bisexual. In case you weren't aware, this is an au and clearly you haven't been around very long because I've reiterated this, many, many times. Anyways, thanks for your input @jewishtavros but I blatantly do not care for your shit. Also in case you're going to say something along the lines of "lesbian erasure" or whatever, please note I'm a sapphic nb gal myself. Have a stellar day!

[readingallthethings9490]

✨ Sapphic-A-Thon Wrapup ✨

So, about halfway through SapphicAThon I lost momentum of reading wlw stories because I kept being so disappointed by what I found 😖 I have a bunch of books I didn’t get to that I still plan to read~ Now to summarize all the things I read, and links to reviews 😎

One of the books I started was GIRLS MADE OF SNOW AND GLASS by Melissa Bashardoust. I’m still in the process of reading/listening to it (I fell into the trap of The Bright Sessions podcast, so haven’t been listening to audible 😅), but I’m about 19% through and plan to finish it next.

The first book I read was EITAN’S CHORD by Shira Glassman, which fulfilled the Jewish Char bingo square. I’ve read other books by Shira Glassman and KNIT ONE, GIRL TWO is basically a happy place read for me, but this one was less than stellar to me. I wanted to like it because polyamory/triad and Hanukkah fairies! But it just fell a little flat for me. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2213933363

Next on Kindle I tried reading VILLAINS DON’T DATE HEROES by Mia Archer, which could have fulfilled Hate to Love bingo square. Unfortunately this was a huge DNF for me, at only 36%, which is a huge disappointment because I love villains and hate to love is such a good trope. This book was a mess, though; definitely needed a good editing and it was just so long-winded at times. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2162748323

Next up, we have THE PRICE OF MEAT by KJ Charles, which fulfilled Non-Coming Out bingo square. I adore KJ Charles and her writing is always so good. This was a quick, creepy read with some really interesting history. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2215862781

Next, GIRL MANS UP by M-E Girrard, which probably could’ve fulfilled Interractial bingo square, but I NOPEd outta there real quick (28 pages quick). The friendship between MC and her “best friend” was gross and toxic, the way she helped him get and then toss girls was gross, and how the best friend told MC she needed to leave his exes alone and not listen to them really bothered me. Everything about those 28 pages made me so uncomfortable. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2217413312

I read GRRRLS ON THE SIDE by Carrie Pack, which fulfilled Bisexual MC bingo square. The premise of the book was interesting and I liked the punk scene in the 90s with the zines as part of story telling style, but in the end this book didn’t completely wow me. It had a lot of issues, including: fatmisia, transmisia, racism, not listening to WOC voices, and erasing/invalidating MC’s bisexuality. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2216300341

I tried (and failed) to read EELGRASS by Tori Curtis; I only made it about 14% through before I couldn’t take it anymore. I was going to use this book to fulfill SF/F bingo square, but the attitude towards Bettan’s lost sealskin and subsequent kidnapping (she’ll be happier for it, she’ll have babies and find her place, it’ll settle her, etc) just made me TOO uncomfortable and I couldn’t finish it. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2217554958

I was reading ASH by Malinda Lo for about half of SapphicAThon, but ending DNFing it because while I enjoyed the writing style, I was bored of the story. No review.

RIPPED PAGES by M. Hollis was my next reading adventure, and it fulfilled Retelling bingo square. It was a unique, cute Rapunzel retelling, but sometimes the pacing got to me. It was a bit of a Princess Saves Herself (major positive) but also really nice example of princesses saving each other. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2140722418

I also read M. Hollis’ NIGHT AT THE MALL, which fulfills Less Than 500 Goodreads Ratings bingo square. This was another cute fluff read, but it felt more like the Meet-Cute (which I love) without the subsequent relationship and feelings that I wanted. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2220418677

MY HEART IS READY by Chace Verity was my next read, which fulfilled Established Relationship bingo square. I have also read TEAM PHISON by Chace and omg their writing is so much feelings for me. I can’t wait more of this series to come out 😍 but I adored Corsine and Tristis, and their flawed but loving relationship. Just, such fun characters and a cute story! Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2197767772

Finally I read IT’S NOT LIKE IT’S A SECRET by Misa Sugiura, which fulfilled Both WOC bingo square. I have some mixed feelings for this book, especially because cheating is such a prevalent theme (MC cheats on her gf with a boy bc she thinks gf is cheating, and friends are all “it’s not cheating if she cheated first.”). Definitely has strong themes of racism and prejudice, and examining how those views affect us and our perceptions of people. Full review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1929858655

In total I finished 7 books, DNF’d 4, and am still reading 1. I fulfilled the following bingo squares: Both WOC, Established Relationship, Less Than 500 GR Ratings, Retelling, Bisexual MC, Non-Coming Out Story, and Jewish MC. I did not manage to get any BINGO though 😅