The Black Swans Are All Right And Other Stories: It’s Sunday Funday!

THE OSCARS:

They’re happening! It’s a thing! If you, like me, were largely unaware of this until the actual day of, that’s okay. Based on a cursory search of the Internet, I have determined that the real question at hand is whether Natalie Portman will take home the Oscar for Best Actress in Black Swan – basically the role of a woman pushed to the point of insanity by the pressures of being a lady and an artist who has one hallucinatory sex scene with another lady – or whether it will go to Annette Bening, for playing an actual lesbian in The Kids Are All Right. Of course, both ladies are straight in real life. And even the Actual Lesbian Character is white and upper middle class and cisgendered. But hey, all is not lost! Last year’s Precious featured Blu Rain, the character based on Push’s real-life author Sapphire, and this year is seeing Pariah do fantastically at film festivals and with critics all over. The arc of recognition for lesbian characters in mainstream major motion pictures is long, but it bends towards justice. Check out this history of lesbian characters at the Oscars for a little inspiration, or decide whether you agree that Bening’s performance as Nic really does guarantee her victory over Natalie Portman. Alternatively James Franco might win something for 127 Hours, and really wouldn’t that be the best lesbian victory of all?

WHOA LOOK HOW SIMILAR THESE TWO PICTURES ARE

BOYS CLUB:

This guide to how to be a woman in a boy’s club is one of the most supremely useful things on the internet right now. Because that’s what the entire world is. “Sometimes cool funny girls are initially cunty to other cool funny girls because they are afraid the presence of another cool funny girl will dilute or diminish their own coolness or funniness. But it won’t. It just makes you both even cooler and funnier. Forgive yourself for feeling insecure and think about the way you feel around your best friend. Generally the more intimidating you initially find another person the deeper your eventual love will end up being.”

THE WORLD IS AN OKAY PLACE:

Look these dolphins helped save an elderly dog! Like not even just a regular dog but an ELDERLY DOG. Isn’t that the cutest? Yes it is.

JAMES FRANCO, CATS:

OH MY GOD

BELMONT UNIVERSITY

In Nashville, Tennessee, a Christian University associated with the Southern Baptists until 2007, has recognized a gay student organization for the first time in its history. This is the same university which fired soccer coach Lisa Howe, possibly or possibly not because she is a lesbian. “Its policies toward gays drew national attention in December after soccer coach Lisa Howe left her job. Students have accused the university of firing Howe for coming out as a lesbian to her team. Belmont Provost Thomas Burns and Bridge Builders President Robbie Maris announced the decision to recognize the student group in a joint statement on Friday.”

SHARED CUSTODY:

A lesbian couple in Arkansas has become the state’s first case of a non-biological gay parent winning shared custody of a child. “The Supreme Court of Arkansas –– a state that currently bars adoption by cohabitating gay and lesbian couples –– has affirmed a trial court’s ruling that a lesbian mother’s former partner is entitled to visitation with a child whose conception she helped plan and for whom she was a primary parent during infancy. Relying on the doctrine of in loco parentis, the court, in a 5-2 ruling issued February 17, concluded that the record supported Perry County Circuit Court Judge Vann Smith’s finding that a visitation order would be in the best interest of the child, despite the biological mother’s objections.”

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Rachel

Originally from Boston, MA, Rachel now lives in the Midwest. Topics dear to her heart include bisexuality, The X-Files and tacos. Her favorite Ciara video is probably "Ride," but if you're only going to watch one, she recommends "Like A Boy." You can follow her on twitter and instagram.

Rachel has written 1142 articles for us.

4 Comments

  1. “This guide to how to be a woman in a boy’s club is one of the most supremely useful things on the internet right now. Because that’s what the entire world is.”

    the whole subject is tackled falsely imo, i am noticing that when women clubs occur (and they do occur), no one needs to venture down boys clubs anymore.

    let’s give advices on creating girls’ clubs then we’d be at ease with each others when switching.

  2. The boy’s club article is very very helpful for me right now. I’m in a semester-long class group with three boys who don’t care about the project and so I’m avoiding using “female language” [Which I just learned includes not apologizing too much] in order to avoid being called a bitch when I crack the whip.

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