“Dating broken white women became a way to reprise a powerlessness that years of sexual abuse and generations of blackphobia had tricked me into believing in. I drowned this feeling of powerlessness in weed and seeking out relationships in which I could engage in yet remain completely hidden from view.”

Why is it that time and time again, people act like they can’t make me uncomfortable? That as a butch — as well as a queer person, a top, someone who likes to flirt and be sexual just like most human beings — it’s impossible to sexually harass me?

Gabrielle Rivera wanted an all-queer cast for her first short film. When she ended up with straight girls in her three butch/AG leads she found herself giving them a crash-course in abandoning gender norms, taking up space and playing gay. And then everything changed, forever.

What does a lesbian look like? Until a few years ago, mainstream culture was pretty sure they knew the answer to that question, even though they didn’t. The Autostraddle Roundtable tackles passing, why people can’t understand that lesbians can have long hair, and the relationship between gender, style, and sexuality.

Outfest leans lesbian … you going? Daria! Jeffery & Cole! Top 100 Butches! My Mom! Reno 911! The Gay Agenda is converting our children! Drugs and gay are not the same! Massachusetts has balls and we like it!