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the speakeasy

Politics + Activism

Dr. Martin Luther King and the Ferocious Possibilities of Black Liberation in Our Darkest Hour

It feels impossible not to see this Martin Luther King Day as one of grief and mourning. But Dr. King’s soft words were never going to save us. Look to his playbook instead.

By Carmen Phillips| January 18, 2021 | 3 Comments
Dickens stares directly at the reader and asks, "Remember when I said "Happy New Year"? Scratch ALL That."
Geekery Visual Art

Foolish Child #87: It’s Sedition!

“Are you watching white supremacists storm the capitol while eating a bowl of popcorn??”

By Dickens| January 13, 2021 | 3 Comments
Billie Holiday (Andra Day) leans in close to kiss Tallulah Bankhead (Natasha Lyonne) in the new film "The United States vs. Billie Holiday," which will depict the singers bisexuality.
Film

“The United States vs. Billie Holiday” Trailer: Andra Day Stuns as the Black Bisexual Legend

Lee Daniels’ new film follows the icon through her addiction, jail time, queerness (Natasha Lyonne stars as her lover Tallulah Bankhead!), and her fight with the feds.

By Shelli Nicole| January 12, 2021 | 8 Comments
a collage of book covers: Freedom is Constant Struggle by Angela Davis; Women, Race & Class by Angela Davis; Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis; Just Us by Claudia Rankine; Citizen by Claudia Rankine; Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown; Carceral Capitalism by Jackie Wang; ALLIES from The Boston Review; Experiments in Joy by Gabrielle Civil; Glitch Feminism by Legacy Russell
Books Society + Culture

Reading List for the Revolution: Angela Davis & Radical Inspiration for 2021

What if we all committed to a radical reading list for 2021? What would we learn? And with this, what could we do? This collection of books will set you up with hope and pathways toward radical change in 2021.

By Sarah Yanni| December 29, 2020 | 2 Comments
A Black and White collage of the author with Audre Lorde, side by side on a diagonal.
Feminism

Year of Our (Audre) Lorde: December’s Prologue

Like so many others, I’ve been chirping about the end of 2020, as if the transition from one year to the next will somehow magically suture our open wounds.

By Jehan| December 28, 2020 | 2 Comments
Viola Davis as Ma Rainey, in a gold headdress and a feather boa on stage. This is a still from Netflix's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" the latest entry into a queer history of the Blues legend.
Film Herstory

Viola Davis Towers in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” Giving Life to a Black Queer Legend

In Viola Davis’ hands, “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” becomes a complex portrait of a queer Black woman hurricane whose footprints loom large over the last 100 years.

By Carmen Phillips| December 22, 2020 | 18 Comments
A photo of Tiffany Cabán, a queer latina with a long pony-tail, looks over her shoulder and her parka hood as she crosses the street.
Politics + Activism

Queer Latina Tiffany Cabán Is Running For NYC Council, Bringing Hope To 2021

She ran a progressive campaign for Queens DA that put New York’s establishment on notice, and now has NYC Council in sight. “It’s not about good people or bad people, it’s just about people. We need to divest from policing and incarceration and invest in the true sources of safety.”

By Christian| December 3, 2020 | 2 Comments
A collage of Audre Lorde with Pat Parker, laughing together at a joke, alongside an image of the author and her friend, both smiling wide at the camera.
Feminism

Year of Our (Audre) Lorde: November’s Sister Love

It has felt hard to state how much I’ve been missing my family lately. But Audre Lorde and Pat Parker’s relationship is a testament to the life-affirming power of queer kinship. Their enduring love attests to the power and beauty of Black queer sisterhood.

By Jehan| November 27, 2020 | 2 Comments
a bison with an arrow on his head has his mouth stuffed full of hay
First Person Society + Culture

The Angsty Buddhist: “Avatar” & Telling Our Own Stories

I don’t think it matters much whether Avatar: The Last Airbender is “respectful” of Asian culture. I think the show is racist, and also I like it. I’m interested in what we do with the sense of agency it gives us, how it allows us to critique the structures that exist and envision our own worlds.

By Lia Dun| November 23, 2020 | 11 Comments
Jenny and Gabrielle pose for a photo in Union Square in A New York Christmas Wedding
Fashion/Style Film

My Coming Out As Told Through The Outfits In “A New York Christmas Wedding”

I originally added this movie to my queue because, well, It was black. I love black people, I adore Christmas and I wanted to check out and support black films and who knows, maybe I would find a new classic. I started watching and quickly realized that not only did it feature a mostly POC cast — IT WAS QUEER!

By Shelli Nicole| November 19, 2020 | 5 Comments
A still from the Netflix movie "A New York Christmas Wedding" where Jenny and her new-wife Gabrielle dance together at their reception. Jenny is an Afro-Latina in a sparkly red dress with her hair swept into a bun and Gabrielle is white, in a white pantsuit, and her dark hair down her back.
Film

“A New York Christmas Wedding” Asks You to Believe in the Power of Love at Christmas

I love Christmas. I love having a guardian gayngel. And even when the movie is not great, I love a queer Afro-Latina in New York getting her very own Gay Christmas Love Story.

By Carmen Phillips| November 19, 2020 | 32 Comments
asian person grabbing their head out of frustration while carrying a yoga mat over one shoulder
First Person Society + Culture

The Angsty Buddhist: Chronic Pain & Trying Not To Be A White Yoga Lady

I’ve been told I should try to reclaim my ancestral healing practices, and this is something I would like to do. When I try to learn about Chinese things, it feels performed. I wonder if me learning qigong is any better than white lady yoga.

By Lia Dun| November 12, 2020 | 7 Comments
A three-fold collage with photos of LaTosha Brown of the Black Voters Matters Fund, Stacey Abrams of Fair Fight, and Nsé Ufot of New Georgia Project.
News + Politics

Black Women Organizers Deserve More Than Just Your Flowers and Thank Yous

Black women didn’t save this democracy for you and we don’t need your “Thank Yous.” We need you to follow the example that Black women have set for more than the last 200 years: Roll up your sleeves and get to work. Here’s a few concrete places where you can start.

By Carmen Phillips| November 11, 2020 | 7 Comments
A six-split diagonal collage featuring six different "modern" Black witches working to dismantle white supremacy and fight racist cops: Mama Sunfiyahh, JujuBae. Bri Luna (The Hoodwitch), Fredericka Turner (Conjuria), Tayannah Lee Mcquillar. And Soulangie Leeper (Òrìsà Child)
The Resistance

Where My Black Witches At? Using Black Ancestral Magic Against White Supremacy

From actual hexes to binding spells, witchcraft has a long tradition in the fight to dismantle white supremacy. A new generation of Black witches are taking part in the resistance using ancestral practices, ideologies, and modern technology.

By Krista White| October 31, 2020 | 1 Comment
A black-and-white two fold collage. On the left is a close up photo of Jehan, the writer. On the right is a similarly close up photo of Audre Lorde.
Feminism

Year of Our (Audre) Lorde: October’s Dead Is Behind Us

To be Black in this world is to be intimate with a kind of living death. It’s an intimacy no one craves, and yet Black people know better than most that Audre Lorde speaks truth to power when she says “we were never meant to survive.”

By Jehan| October 29, 2020 | 2 Comments
First Person Society + Culture

The Angsty Buddhist: Learning Anger And White Buddhism

When it comes to Buddhism and cultural appropriation, I still sometimes worry that I’m making a big deal out of nothing, that I’m angry for no good reason.

By Lia Dun| October 28, 2020 | 18 Comments
a graphic of the cover of mcsweeney's queer fiction issue, and a photo of the author patti yumi cottrell. the cover features tendrils, foliage and plants with a hand at the bottom.
Books

What Is Queer Fiction? An Interview with Patty Yumi Cottrell

The first time I encountered a book with queer characters must have been James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room. At the time I remember feeling afraid of its intensity. Now it’s one of my most returned-to books along with Lydia Davis’ The End of the Story.

By Kamala Puligandla| October 28, 2020 | 2 Comments
A drawing of two women laying side-by-side, their bare shoulders exposed
A+ Sex + Relationships

S L I C K: I Bet It Does

Made me want to / and I did tap / that ass / many times / made it mine.

By Claudia| October 22, 2020 | 1 Comment
Viola Davis stars as Black queer Icon Ma Rainey in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" on Netflix.
Film

Viola Davis Is Iconically Queer Again in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”!

The “Ma Rainey” Trailer Drop is THEE most important Black queer pop culture news this week, and I’ve broken down 5 reasons why… then I shall be proceeding directly to my fainting couch.

By Carmen Phillips| October 20, 2020 | 12 Comments
First Person

How Reading A Queer Latina Writer Helped Me Understand My Mother’s Story

Growing up, I felt I wasn’t enough. Not white enough. Not Latina enough. I’ve tried to look to my mother’s story as my own missing piece. I’ve made her story into a key that will unlock a feeling of place and belonging. As a writer, I look to stories to guide me.

By Vera Carothers| October 15, 2020 | 4 Comments
from the back, a line of three women in kimonos perform a Buddhist obon festival dance. the sleeves of their kimonos are decorated with flowers and their hands point to the sky. the dark blue and pink obi are tied on their backs.
First Person Society + Culture

The Angsty Buddhist: Growing Up Kinda-Sorta Buddhist

At my Catholic all-girls middle school, I liked to tell people I was Buddhist. It was my feeble attempt at preteen rebellion. I enjoyed interjecting, “Oh yeah? Well, I don’t believe Jesus was real because I’m Buddhist!”

By Lia Dun| October 15, 2020 | 5 Comments
1 2 3 4 … 22 Next Page →

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From the Archives

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