Who likes ZE romance ? – Black lesbians books

Who likes ZE romance ?

Did you ever wonder where the lesbian literature is  hiding ? I did. Not for long, I have to admit, but yes, I did. I’ve never really been into any kind of soap or romance lit (it’s just a question of taste). I personally am a lot more into coming of age, XXe century, contemporary and young adult fiction. But sometimes, I think every reader likes to read something lighter, just for entertainment. So here is a list of a couple of authors who write books on lesbianism, and especially on black lesbians (just because it’s somewhat harder to find then just lesbian books). Enjoy.

The Gilda Stories: A Novel by Jewelle Gomez.

Abeng by Michelle Cliff.

Bliss by Fiona Zedde: Zedde’s first fiction effort features Bliss Sinclair, a New York publishing executive that is looking for love in all the wrong places. After dumping her boyfriend and in turn being seduced and abandoned by Regina Velasquez, a lesbian player into sex but not into long-term relationships, Sinclair travels to her birthplace, Jamaica, in hopes of restoring her emotional balance. Love enters Sinclair’s life in the sexy person of Hunter Willoughy, a Jamaican woman who is all about loving women.

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name (Crossing Press Feminist Series) by Audre Lorde.

The Gilda Stories: A Novel by Jewelle Gomez : The central character of this multiracial, feminist, lesbian vampire romance fantasy travels through time and leads multiple lives. Throughout her lives, Gilda is a woman of African descent with strong feminist traits and a sense of loyalty to her friends and family, both mortal and immortal. In her first life, she is a runaway slave in Louisiana in 1850, not yet a vampire, not yet named, who stabs a rapist/bounty hunter in self-defense. Rescued and adopted by Gilda, a vampire who runs a brothel, she soon becomes a vampire herself and adopts Gilda’s name. Subsequent lives take Gilda to California in 1890, Missouri in 1921, Massachusetts in 1955, New York in 1981 where she does a stint as a cabaret singer, and into the future in New Hampshire in 2020 and up to the year 2050. Gomez provides an unusual twist to the erotic vampire novel, introducing issues of race and sexual preference, but there is no attempt to address these issues except as fodder for an ultimately uninteresting romance novel.

Leave of Absence by S. Renée Bess.

Undercover by Laurinda D. Brown.

GMHC Campaigns

Not too long ago, GMHC lauched a campaign targeting the fathers of Black Gay men. I think that’s pretty cool, especially when those kind of posters are in public places. It’s not only good for the visibility of the LGBTA community, but also (and maybe more importantly), it’s a step in the good direction to make people understand that family is really important especially for young gay and lesbian people.

Another campaign that they did is the I love my boo campaign, that’s pretty cool too, I think. We (LGBT community) may not like thinking about STD, but it’s an issue that we have to talk about. Silence doesn’t solves anything. That’s why I like this campaign too.  “Families are critically important to young men of color and this campaign builds on the strength and resiliency of those bonds,” stated Dr. Marjorie Hill, Chief Executive Officer of GMHC. “We recognize the complexities in the lives of young men of color who have sex with men. Thus, HIV prevention efforts should speak to the realities faced by these young men on a daily basis. We cannot simply deliver a message of “use condoms” or “be tested for HIV. It is imperative to address the myriad of underlying factors which contribute to the transmission of HIV, including homophobia, racism, poverty, isolation, stigma, poor body image, and inadequate access to health care.”

 

Transgenders in Oprah’s show

Who whatched the Oprah show on
transgender families and gender identity ? 

Julia

Dear readers, meet Jake. I mean, Julia. A little girl who likes trucks, climbing on tree and pretend to be the dad of the family when she plays. Now, meet Jake. 16 years-old who once though she was lesbian but finally understood that she wanted to be a male role model, a husband and a father. Julia started her transformation to become Jake at a very young age when at 13, a friend of hers told her he was a transgender. That was exactly what she wanted to be! Now, Jake is happy, and I believe that this is what is really important. I mean, I have been really depressed as a teenager and now that I’m all good, I can easily say that depression is one of the worst thing ever. I wish that to nobody.

Jake

In that other episode, Oprah invited two adult transgenders. It was so sad. Not the fact that they are transgenders, but the fact that they lived all those years (20, 30, 40 years) being stuck in the wrong body. That should be awful. Of course, I can’t really understand everything about being a transgender or about feeling like one since I feel ok in my female body. But being trapt in yourself… wow, it’s scary. One of the transgenders (who became a women) had a little girl who said that she loved her parents, but did not want to be different. The fact that her father became a women was bothering her because of people’s looks. I thought that was sad. Sad and unfair.

Personnally, having a transgender in my family wouldn’t bother me. That girl was just a child and dealing with people’s looks could be a lot more difficult for her than for me. While watching The Oprah Show, I was just wondering how I would react to this. I mean having a transgender in my family. Like I said, the transition does not bother me. I want people to be happy. But… It still partly a sad thing because of the “death“ of the person. If ever my brother become a transgender, that would be totally okay but I have to admit that I would feel like my brother is dead. Of course, I would now have a sister, and it the same person, just in a different package, but still. My brother is now 22 and we share so much memories together. The boy and men in my souvenirs would not be there anymore. Physically. It’s a bit like a lost. A deep lost.

But in a sense, it’s also a gain. I think it’s horrible to live trapted in your own body… I mean, can you imagine it ? Trapted in your own body ! :s How scary.

Twins in Black and White + the DNA of Adam

Germany, July 11, 2008. An interracial couple become new parents with two beautiful twins boys. One is White, the other is Black. Rare, but not impossible. The little boys’s names are Ryan and Leo. The mother is from Ghana and the father is from Postdam, Germany.  ”None of us could believe it,” said the Lichtenberg maternity ward’s head doctor, Birgit Weber, adding that “both kids have definitely the same father.” Ryan, who came first, weighing 2.650 kgs, has light colored skin, blue eyes, and dark hair. His brother Leo, weighing 2.606 kgs, looks like his mother, with dark skin and dark eyes. Ryan has been described by his mother as ‘noisy,’ while Leo is a lot calmer.

The twins were delivered by Caesarean section in a Berlin hospital on July 11, but were kept from the public for six days. The probability of different colored twins being born even to a mixed-race couple is extremely rare. Doctors believe that the ‘genetic surprise’ might have occurred as one of the mother’s ancestors was white or one of the father’s ancestors was black.

Isn’t that amazing ? And so beautiful. This just proves how pueril and meaniless race really is. Not socially, but biologically. We create, as a society the racism. Racism is just so stupid. Did anyone see the Discovery Channel’s documentary on the DNA of Adam ? I’m really not into science and stuff, but the DNA is just so… infinite and amazing. I mean, one of my ancestor could have been white ! My parents are from Haiti where it’s really multi ethnic, partly because of the history of this country. The Spanish came, and the French and… anyway, I don’t believe in that pure race kind of speech that some people have. It’s just so ridiculous. There is nothing pure in DNA. DNA is links and links and links and links. I’m amazed.   I mean, this is how I like religion. I like it when it links with science. I’m not a believer. I need proofs and something reliable. This documentary is a must see !

 

Pride parade

Hi everyone !

Guess what, end of the summer = beginning of pride parades ! Since 1979, Montreal is celebrating on Sainte-Catherine Street. It’s always a huge event. So I decided to introduce you to the Montreal Gay Village (apparently the North American biggest gay village in terms of scope of the complete area with 2 kilometers). Remember the first world Outgames in 2006 ? 111 countries and lots of fun ? That was right there. Check out the 2009 Outgames in Denmark !

Creole proverb

Some days are just weird days. I’m trying to stay optimist, though. That may sounds corny, but I’m trying no to let bad thoughts overwhelming me. Negative things are such a waste of time (I believe I sound like a priest or something write this… )  But anyway. People often think I’m naive because of my always optimistic personality. It’s almost like an insult to them. Let me give you a little tip of mine when you have bad days, it’s creole proverb (with an arab origine, I think…):

Sé pa tout chyen ki japé pou ou viré dèyè gadé’l.

Wich means: It is not every dog that barks at you that you must pay attention to. Or, if you know a little bit of french (I believe it sounds better in french than in English): Le chien aboie, la caravane passe. Wich means: The dog’s barking, the caravan is passing. Let people say what they want, do what they want, it must not affect you.

* Graciousness of my mom who used to tell me that a lot as a kid and a teen going through rough periods…   Don’t we love our moms ?

Olympic games – China wants perfection

“We combined the perfect voice and the perfect performance.”

Okay, so it begins with two little girls: Lin Miakoe and Yang Peiyi. Remember the opening ceremony for the Olympic games ? There’s this rumor that says that the girl we all saw on TV wasn’t the one who was singing ! Why ? Because the singing was apparently not cute and beautiful enough. How horrible. Little girls !

In this photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, Lin Miaoke, a nine-year-old Chinese girl who performed at the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on the day before, returns to the Xizhongjie Primary School of Dongcheng District in Beijing on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008. A 7-year-old Chinese girl’s face was “not suitable” for the Olympics opening ceremony, so Lin lip-synched “Ode to the Motherland”, the latest example of the lengths Beijing took for a perfect start to the Summer Games. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Zhou Liang) (read more)

Fake, fake and… fake.

Then: The opening ceremony’s organisers were working on the Fireworks for over a year so that the public sees FAKE ?!!! Gosh, that’s really depressing. I also heard that before the Olympics started, China “cleaned“ the country by making disappear homosexuals, beggars, Tibet defenders, human rights activists, ect. Everything that would make them “imperfect“ (China sure doesn’t look perfect at all with what’s happening with the Olympic games…) And what’s this obsession with perfection ? Perfection doesn’t exist, it never will.

At first, before the Olympics actually began, I thought: How could such a country that does even respects the human rights, be the home of the Olympic Games ? That does make any sense to me at all. VERY frustrating. Then, I thought: Well, the Olympic is an old friendly competition. Maybe that could give China more… how such I say ? I mean, rejecting an entire country isn’t nice, right ? Let’s give China a chance. Perhaps this would help them be more open-minded and be less close on itself like at the Mao Tse-Tong time. Right now, I feel like China is just so driven by perfection that inevitably, politics are going to show up everywhere around the Olympics. Hello ?! The Olympics are supposed to be fun. Politics is not fun. But we just can’t tear them apart in this case because China is just so obsess with perfection. Gosh, that’s annoying.

I’m no journalist are politician, and I can’t tell for sure that the rumors around the opening ceremony are true, but if they are, unfortunately, it wouldn’t even surprise me. China is China. And it’s such a shame because the Chinese government takes all the space and the normal Chinese people who just work, take the bus and sleep are not represented. This gives China such a bad image and reputation.

Now. Let me tell you something even more incredible. But it’s true, no jokes. I can’t tell my sources, but it’s something huge. And absolutely reliable, of course.  Here: There’s no Olympic Games. It’s all fake. They are using us !!! -_-’

Black Hair – My hair journey

For too many little black girls, it was a childhood ritual, like pouring make-believe tea. I would take a pajama top, drape it over my head, and with its sleeves trailing down my back, pretend that the cotton nightshirt was, instead, a flowing mane of hair, like the Breckgirl’s, or maybe Jaclyn Smith’s on “Charlie’s Angels” — neither of whom looked a thing like me. Now mind you, I was no self-hater. I grew up with (read more)

What’s the big deal with black woman’s hair ? Everything. I put on the pyjama top as a child, pretending to look like Britney spears, Christina Aguilera, Michelle from Destiny’s child or Jennifer Lopez. Like many others. I permed my hair from 11 to 15 years-old. My mama had asked me if I wanted to, I thought: “Thank God, finally !“ To me, long and straight hair was synonym of beauty. The Stars had them and the stars decided everything fashion and beauty. Destiny’s child, Halle Berry, Spice Girls, Britney, Jennifer Lopez, Alicia Keys… I believe that to my mother, permed hair meant a transition between girlhood and womanhood. I was 11 years-old, I wanted to please and attract people and to me, permed hair was the only solution. Long and straight hair was like a permission to flirt because only woman had long and straight hair. At 11 years-old, I felt like a woman already. Now that I think about it, I think that’s really funny and silly. It’s innocent… And destructive.

www.essencehaircorp.com/TEXTURES.html.

Perm hair is the demon. No jokes. At least, it was for me. I grew up, went in High school. At an age where teenagers discover themselves, I was wondering why wasn’t it okay to have kinky and curly hair ?…. Why wasn’t okay to just be myself ? Naturally. When I asked my mom about the hair and when I told her that maybe I could perhaps, possibly go back to natural hair, she laughed and said: “Curly hair is for little girls.“ Months have gone by, and basically, my hair could not handle the permed. I wasn’t taking care of them anyway. I didn’t want to. I learned to hate them. They were not me. They were not mine and they did not represent who I was. I felt like society and even the Black community around me was sending me this negative message: “Be someone else. Being yourself is not good enough.“ As you all know, I was dealing with self-esteem problems and my hair did not help me. And plus, I always felt that permed hair was just so ridiculous on me. I am Black, why should I play White ? I did NOT agree. Black hair is as good as white hair.

And so, at 13-14: Total rebellion. Well, almost, lol. I began to wear braids because I had took off the perm and my hair was just so damaged. It was somewhat of a middle ground. My hair was artificially long, but it looked more natural then permed hair. I did not want to play a role anymore. I mean, why should natural hair be inappropriate at a certain age if it’s, well, let me think… NATURAL ! So for two- two and a half years, I went through this dread-transition period. At 15-16, I began to wear my beautiful natural hair. Proudly.

At first, I just attached them in a pony tail. No, going back to natural hair was not easy. People’s gazes and looks (especially from the Black community) kind of bothered me at first. It was as if they were telling me: “WTF ?!?“ I don”t know. They may as well as thought: “Oh, natural sister !“ or just “Nice“, you know ? Still. It was probably just not common to see natural hair especially at my age (as a teen). Gradually, I began to wear twists (like in the picture… No, it’s not me.). Many, many different twists. Gosh, I really had some really bad hair days ! But it was… necessary, I guess. I had to find the way my hair looked better on me. It’s like a long and difficult communication between me and my hair. I looooove my natural hair.

I mean, twists are twists are twists. You know ? But twists are just so unique depending on who wears them and who did them and your hair type and length and strength… Next, I would like to try even more different hair styles. Twists-out and fros are cool. I may try to use a texturizer as well before doing my twists.

Before I start boring you about my hair (that you had never seen anyway ), let me just say that I really honestly wish that beauty would stop be this really plastic skinny girl with long blond hair and all. It’s 2008. Beauty is everywhere, in every face, in every hair, in every skin. L’oréal didn’t get that, obviously. They denied having lighten Beyoncé’s skin. Good joke. L’Oréal is like the most plastic-like and superficial compagny ever. Now, little girls put their pyjama tops on their head trying to look like Beyoncé because they think “Wow, I can lighten and become as beautiful as she is !“ The reality is different, though. Of course, Beyoncé is gorgeous. But she’s fake, like every single other star. She’s hidden under makeup, I’m telling you. Don’t put a pyjama top on your head. It’s silly.

I’m not saying that Permed hair or extension or whatever unatural isn’t beautiful. It is beautiful. What I’m unhappy about is that it just seems that straigh hair is seen as the only beauty. I’m not angry at every black woman with unatural hair. I don’t care what you do about your hair, it’s your choice. Just saying: It’s NOT an OBLIGATION !

http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/y/1/N/clerkspremiere06.jpg

You know that girl on Cold Case, Tracie Thoms ? Love love love love her hair! Absolutely beautiful.

Black lesbian in NYC get 11 years for self-defense

On June 14, four African-American women—Venice Brown (19), Terrain Dandridge (20), Patreese Johnson (20) and Renata Hill (24)—received sentences ranging from three-and-a-half to 11 years in prison. None of them had previous criminal records. Two of them are parents of small children. Their crime? Defending themselves from a physical attack by a man who held them down and choked them, ripped hair from their scalps, spat on them, and threatened to sexually assault them—all because they are lesbians. The mere fact that any victim of a bigoted attack would be arrested, jailed and then convicted for self-defense is an outrage. But the length of prison time given further demonstrates the highly political nature of this case and just how racist, misogynistic, anti-gay, anti-youth and anti-worker the so-called U.S. justice system truly is. The description of the events, reported below, is based on (read more).

And now, let’s ask ourselves : Why? -_-’

The Black Stereotypes

I know everybody can be the target of stereotypes. Each group have stereotypes related to them. But have you ever notice how the Black stereotypes makes us so strong and perfect ? And at the same time, imperfect ? We are athletic, criminal and poor. We have rhythm, we are loud, us girls know how to shake our butts, we are all obsess with our hair… You know what I mean by perfect and imperfect ? It seems like we never have serious mental and physical disabilities, we are never homosexual, we never hardly have any problems we’re never blind or deaf or mute… I mean, who really sees a black man or woman when they hear about the LGBT community ? I understand that society’s goal is to (indirectly) push heterosexuality, however, homosexuality is only understood as good because homosexuality is constructed as bad.

Stereotypes always hurt. Even the “positives“ one. I don’t know how to dance. I hate it when people tell me: “You’re Black, of course you have rhythm ! “ Now, not only the stereotype hurts. If you don’t fit within these limited categories and stereotypes, you are not Black enough to count. And at the same time, you are Black enough to be discriminated against.