Issues! The Magazine for Lesbians of Color, vol. 1 #2
We were not taking back the night; we were claiming it, claiming the dark in resistance to the bourgeois sexist world of repression, order, boredom and fixed social roles. In the dark, we were finding new ways to see ourselves as women.
“
| — | bell hooks, “Talking Sex” (via wretchedoftheearth) |
Fantasy No. 1, 2004. Jen Davis
Jen Davis looks to self-portraiture as a way to deal with her insecurities about her body image. See the stunning work accompanied with an essay by Hannah Frieser here on Flak Photo.
“The fact that these images are self-portraits alters the way they should be understood. Davis is not being watched and judged by these images, and instead is shaping each scenario both as the author and the subject. While she has little control on how society sees her in daily life, she has unlimited control of how she decides to photograph and present herself. It is her active choice to use a frank and self-inquisitive style in photography to examine concepts of beauty, desire, and body image. “Photography is the medium that I use to tell my story through life,” Davis writes in her artist statement. It is “an outlet for revealing my thoughts and opinions about the society in which we live. A society that dictates beauty based on one’s physical appearance.”
“Magical period” mani: all Sinful Colors ‘Black On Black’ base, Spoiled ‘Ants In My Pants’ glitter, Sinful ‘Ruby Ruby’ “tampon retrieval tips”.
This was cool until it got related to someone’s period. :////// I would never want to have any period blood on my hands, fingers anywhere ever. Nothing about this is awesome. Change it to murder victim’s blood or something and we’re good, but period blood? Gosh, so smelly and yuck. D:
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA LOOK AT THIS INCREDIBLE COMMENT ON A REBLOG OF MY OLD MAGICAL PERIOD NAILS HAHAHAHAHA
MURDER BLOOD? OKAY. MENSES? GET THE FUCK OUT OF HERE
FUCK YOU LEARN TO LOVE PERIOD BLOOD BECAUSE PERIODS RULE, OK?
MENSTRUAL MENACE OR PERISH
transqueery: What They Call “Womyn-Only” Space is Really Cisgender-Only Space
One of the things that has irked me about the renewed “debates” about women-only space is that the defenders of “womyn-born-womyn” (WBW) policies keep utilizing specious counter-examples to try to defend their position. For example, those of us who are criticizing a non-inclusive women’s space are asked: “would you critique a transgender-only space? No??? You’re a hypocrite!” Apparently those who espouse this position need a reminder of Social Justice 101.
Women-only space is necessary. Women are oppressed under the patriarchy, and need space to heal from the wounds of make-supremacy, misogyny and sexism. Trans women are women, and thus deserve to be included in this women-only space. Transgender people are also a targeted social group, and thus need space to discuss cis-supremacy, cissexism, transphobia and trans-misogyny as an oppressed social group. The same goes for People of Color, People with Disabilities, Old People, and other targeted/oppressed/subordinated social groups within a given society.
Agent/Dominant/Oppressor social groups do not need separatist spaces to heal from oppression. They are in the privileged, dominant categories, and thus the society is set up to cater to their identities, needs, experiences and viewpoints. From the standpoint of social justice, diversity and anti-oppression work, the only reason for separate spaces for privileged/dominant/agent groups would be to work on their status as oppressors, interrogate their privilege, and talk about how to be better allies to oppressed peoples.
More at the source.
One of the things that has irked me about the renewed “debates” about women-only space is that the defenders of “womyn-born-womyn” (WBW) policies keep utilizing specious counter-examples to try to defend their position. For example, those of us who are criticizing a non-inclusive women’s space are asked: “would you critique a transgender-only space? No??? You’re a hypocrite!” Apparently those who espouse this position need a reminder of Social Justice 101.
Women-only space is necessary. Women are oppressed under the patriarchy, and need space to heal from the wounds of make-supremacy, misogyny and sexism. Trans women are women, and thus deserve to be included in this women-only space. Transgender people are also a targeted social group, and thus need space to discuss cis-supremacy, cissexism, transphobia and trans-misogyny as an oppressed social group. The same goes for People of Color, People with Disabilities, Old People, and other targeted/oppressed/subordinated social groups within a given society.
Agent/Dominant/Oppressor social groups do not need separatist spaces to heal from oppression. They are in the privileged, dominant categories, and thus the society is set up to cater to their identities, needs, experiences and viewpoints. From the standpoint of social justice, diversity and anti-oppression work, the only reason for separate spaces for privileged/dominant/agent groups would be to work on their status as oppressors, interrogate their privilege, and talk about how to be better allies to oppressed peoples.
More at the source.
“
| — |
Unexpectedly had to have this conversation last night, and now remember that with the upcoming dyke march in nyc this conversation might be happening a lot more often. Also, if anyone wants to talk about dyke march with me, please do. My thing is, there should be no gender policing (because I don’t even want to think about what that means and I want to figure a way to call them out about this during the march — pretty sure they have organizers who are assigned to do this? Am I wrong?). But, you know, men of all kinds should police themselves. As in, do not step into that march. Stand to the side. This is important work, and I am wondering if that is going to be my choice as well, since I do identify as a dyke, but one that is not a woman (so wondering if that is even a word that can be used for myself). (via believeinthefight) |
