It seems contradictory to say I learned how to view my body as my own by sharing it with strangers and friends, but it is a truth that I revel in. What I love and learn about these encounters are the parameters of my body, its strengths, and boundaries, what pleases it.
What’s the point in arguing with a world that will always devalue Black skin?
I’m still angry. Breonna Taylor’s murderers still walk free. Let’s be real, they’re probably running around without masks. Audre Lorde’s sense of restlessness and barely concealed fury are evident. But so, too, is her unwavering belief in our magic.
There is a different level of intimacy and affirmation that I have found when having sex with other fat people. Thin people approach the fat body like a series of insecurities. They see the swell of a stomach or rolls of fat on the back and assume that you hate those parts of your body. When another fat person touches me, it is to be made whole.
CuTie.BIPoC Fest gives me hope that it’s possible for spaces to exist that don’t sit under a roof of white supremacy, patriarchy or capitalism.
Trying to erase the past doesn’t HELP Black folks.
Black Pride in DC is a chance to celebrate our community’s resilience, honor our history and organize for a better future! This year, I attended afro-futurist art shows, alien burlesque performances, and intergalactic dance parties, all on Zoom from the safety of my couch.
We are in the middle of a revolution. My Black woman’s anger is here to signal a necessary sea change. Understand that all of our freedoms are bound up in one another.
We see violence not only in the crimson of blood spilled far too many times but also in the varying shades of brown on the skins of people of color. To be a person of color in the United States, and in the global narrative, is to be the shadow of violence.
Alternative forms of protest are necessary to make activism accessible. Sometimes, they’re even more effective at creating change than a permitted march.
For the Gworls is a prime example of how Black trans organizers have found ways to keep one another safe, housed, and healthy despite violence at every turn.
As a queer Asian woman, I’m asking questions and finding my place in activism beyond self-love.
On a day commemorating Black freedom, we, particularly non-Black people, must recommit to freedom for Black trans people.
To me, magic means resilience and connecting to ancestors who survived the tragedy of the Middle Passage. Magic runs through my veins and feels like my birthright. It’s stronger than white supremacy will ever be.
Just as the Emancipation Proclamation meant nothing to the people who its message hadn’t yet spread to, Juneteenth reminds us that it takes work and time for the joy of liberation to reach everyone.
This isn’t just exhausting. This is intergenerational trauma, oppression, and maybe even genocide. This violence is specifically targeted against black and brown women, gender non-conforming folks, and especially trans women of color.
“Karen” is a whole conversation about: white fragility, white privilege, white women weaponizing their tears against Black people when we don’t comply.
My white queer friends don’t know why it’s such a big deal for them to not do any of the stupid and obviously illegal things they tend to do if I’m the one behind the wheel.
“And I thought how interesting is it that America can be this dark star, death star, and also at the same time this incredible shining light.”
For Black queer and trans people, insisting on cultivating joy might be the most radical move of all.
