“Building ofrendas unite the living and the dead; they give space for our stories to be held. I light candles and kneel before them to say prayers because doing so reminds me, even when I’m my most lost – I’m never alone in this world.”
When you’re little, the backyard of your grandma’s house is an entire universe. Growing up is finding the kid in you and being brave enough to take them outside again – without warning them about coming home before the streetlights come on.
“If Nola Darling is one of the most famous, even if uncomfortable, black queer women in pop culture – what does it mean for us that nearly everything about her is so closely tied to the man who created her?”
Tanya Saracho demands more from her characters, from her audience. She requires our discomfort, our willingness to bring all of our messy selves in front of the television.
Black LGBTQ+ people may not be well-represented in mainstream environmental organizations, but we’re creating our own interventions that center the most marginalized among us. If you’re wondering what true environmental justice looks like, meet these five Black LGBTQ+ people who put in MAJOR work to protect Earth.
It’s like Girls Trip’s less raunchy kid sister who went to NYU and made some white friends.
Not only has Boomerang proven itself to be one of the most cutting edge black voices on television, it’s also invested in showcasing a full spectrum of young blackness, including sexuality.
Jokes that make violence appear innocuous is how we get dead.
In times like these, when people don’t understand us and decide that this means we shouldn’t live at all, we need to connect with the people that do understand, even if just a little bit, even if peripherally.
I’m ready to kiss the last hours of the longest 28 days on record away with a f*cking party and a playlist full of bangers!
This piece was co-written by Natalie, Reneice, Alexis, and Carmen. We’re four of the black members of The Speakeasy, Autostraddle’s collective for its writers of color.
People don’t realize how damaging it is to only acknowledge a part of someone instead of their entire being. I’m black and queer and fat and a woman. Yes, I love cosplay but please — don’t forget my “and.”
Tia’s a complete scene stealer. She’s defies so many boxes or tropes of what we’ve been programmed to expect from a black lesbian on TV.
What if “Coming To America” starred Lena Waithe instead of Eddie Murphy? What if Sanaa Lathan and Gabrielle Union made out with each other at the end of “Love & Basketball”? What if black lesbians finally got to get the girl on the big screen? I’m buying the popcorn. You coming with?
In 1974 it felt like every American was watching President Nixon’s impeachment hearings. With a single speech, a black lesbian changed the opinion of a nation. She was only getting started.
Honey, these glorious embodiments of black femme magic are about to sweep you off your feet.
Maybe Josephine Baker and Frida Kahlo were actually lovers? Maybe they weren’t. What always mattered most was the idea that they even could.
Given that it’s Black History Month and we’re doing a lot of talk about celebration here since Autostraddle is turning ten, I thought it was only fitting to share a recipe for this pie that’s such a tradition in Black American celebrations.
“I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.” – Audre Lorde
An attack on a black gay celebrity like Jussie Smollet is also a message sent to his black and gay fans. So today, for all our queer fam out there, but especially for my black queer family, feel the love and strength of our community. Our kinship is a gift. Please, fortify yourself in that gift today.
