Dear Queer Black Activists: An Honest Letter About Desirability Politics Among Our Men September 2, 2018 by Araya Baker, Guest Writer Leave a Comment By: Araya Baker, Guest Writer, Co-edited by Darryl Antonio JohnsonDear Queer Black Activists, As of late, the desirability politics among a lot of same-gender-loving (SGL) and queer Black men in my social network, many of whom happen to contribute some of society’s most groundbreaking racial justice work, has felt inescapable, and as a result, my mental health has suffered. I … [Read more...]
“Stupid” Is an Ableist Slur: Breaking Down Our Defenses and Liberating Our Words From Ableist Language August 28, 2018 by Mihran Nersesyan 2 Comments During the course of 2016 I saw more ableist slurs tossed around than ever before. From casual conversation to mass media broadcasts, people are referring to one another in the most dehumanizing ways possible - and throwing disabled people under the bus in the process. I feel exhausted because it seems like no one is above it. Some of the most consistent advocates I know … [Read more...]
No, I’m Not “Wheelchair-Bound” August 22, 2018 by Gabe Moses 1 Comment I know a guy who says that when people ask him how long he’s been in a wheelchair, he’s starts responding, “Since I got up this morning.” Sometimes, when I feel especially bold or especially frustrated, I borrow it. Despite the fact that my wheelchair and I have a special bond, to the point where I often actually do consider it a part of my body – or at least an extension of it … [Read more...]
Dear Younger Self: Reflections on Being 25, Disabled, and Learning To Love Yourself August 20, 2018 by Karin Hitselberger, Guest Writer Leave a Comment This article originally appeared in the blog Claiming Crip and is reprinted by permission. Dear 15-year-old Karin, I can’t believe I’m 25! I’m not going to lie, when I was your age I never thought I would make it here, and I definitely never thought I might actually like myself (gasp!). Don’t get me wrong, I still have bad days. There are still some things I wish I could … [Read more...]
The Good, the Bad, and the Weird of Being Queer and Muslim August 12, 2018 by Samaa Abdurraqib Leave a Comment Both of my parents converted to Islam in the early 1970s, so I was born and raised as an African-American Muslim in the US. When I was younger, my connection to Islam, spirituality, and Allah was tenuous at times. I wouldn’t understand faith and spirituality in a deep way until I left home for college. This is the way for many people who were raised in religious … [Read more...]
Try a Little Tenderness: 3 Ways Being Tender Is a Political Act July 28, 2018 by Michal MJ Jones Leave a Comment Whenever I come into a new space, there’s always a sense of nervousness and anticipation. From the time I was small and up until now, I was painfully shy in new settings. I took time to come out of my shell and struggled to relate to other folks my age. Finding community that looked like me was even more challenging, which made finally finding it that much more meaningful. I … [Read more...]
Building My Radical Self-Love as the Trans Girl at Naked Drawing Night July 26, 2018 by Joli St. Patrick 2 Comments A circle of friends I'm part of holds a rather charming private event: every fortnight or so, they gather in a basement for Figure Drawing Night. Anyone who wishes can take turns modeling nude while the others sketch them. When a friend first invited me, I was delighted. For a long time, nudity has been very important to me, particularly the kind of casual, communal nudity … [Read more...]
Fat Black Queer Femmes Are the Fetishized Backbones of Our Communities — But Who Takes Care of Us? July 25, 2018 by Alexandra "Aly" Thomas Leave a Comment This article was originally published on Rest for Resistance as "Labor, Chaotic Desire & Belonging: On Blackness, Femininity, and Queerness" and is republished with permission. This is for the queer fat Black femmes. As children, we learn that we never occupy just one, but all, of our identities. Not a fat girl or a Black girl, but a fat Black girl. In elementary school, … [Read more...]
Afro-Latina: 6 Women Open Up About Being Black and Latina July 17, 2018 by Marjua Estevez, Guest Writer Leave a Comment Editor's Note: This article was originally published by Vibe.com and is republished with permission. “We got a little bit of Black in us!” This is what the Puerto Ricans I grew up around in the South Bronx used to joke. The idea that Blackness was something beyond skin color never made much sense back then. But the older I got, the more I realized how prevalent those African … [Read more...]
8 Ways Allies Can Continue To Show Up for the Queer Community After the Pulse Nightclub Massacre June 18, 2018 by Milo Todd Leave a Comment This article was originally published on EverydayFeminism.com and is republished with permission. I’m seeing a lot of allies doing the “my prayers are with you” thing in light of the tragedy that took place at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida. 49 queer folks,primarily Latinx, were shot dead and 53 more were injured that night – and all you have to offer to our community … [Read more...]
Across a Sea of Whiteness: 3 Ways I Connect with Black Women in White Spaces May 15, 2018 by Samaa Abdurraqib Leave a Comment I’ve been living in a mostly white New England state for over seven years now. Prior to moving here, I spent eight years living in a less-white, but still white-as-hell Midwestern state. I moved to these places for school, and then for a job. For the past four years, I’ve made a conscious choice to stay in this white New England state – even took on a career change to … [Read more...]
Some of Us Cannot Wait & See: 5 Thoughts on Undoing Ableism & Isolation In Your Community Spaces April 23, 2018 by Kay Ulanday Barrett , Guest Writer Leave a Comment In the east coast, I’ve noticed the urgent need for a long-awaited shift in radical and queer spaces. People who are SDQTPOC (Sick & Disabled Queer Trans People of Color) and SDC (Sick, Disabled, & with Chronic pain) have been continuously fighting to disrupt able-bodied political space for quite some time. Simultaneously, SDQTPOC face various degrees of ableism that … [Read more...]
Creating Community as a Queer, Black Muslim: An Interview with Kaamila Mohamed, Co-founder of Queer Muslims of Boston April 2, 2018 by Samaa Abdurraqib Leave a Comment A few years after I moved to New England, I decided that I was ready to start searching for queer Muslim community. This wasn’t something that I’d ever done before, but I was at a place in my life where I was feeling a desperate need for a spiritual and religious community where I could (potentially) be my whole self. I wanted to bring all parts of myself into a faith … [Read more...]
Navigating the Whiteness of Countercultures in a Brown and Fat Body March 29, 2018 by Erika_Ruiz Leave a Comment I am an active enthusiast of counterculture fashion. I first discovered the emo counterculture as a young tween and I became obsessed with heavy eyeliner, vampires, and My Chemical Romance. I have continued to be an active participant in countercultures ever since, ranging from casual goth to space grunge and everything in between those two extremes. This means going through an … [Read more...]
7 Things I’m Tired of Hearing as a Disabled Person & What to Say Instead November 21, 2017 by Taylor Carmen Leave a Comment 1.What is wrong with you? /What happened to you? Yes, I know what you mean. Folks wanting to know about my disability has never bothered me. However, phrasing it like this implies that something must have gone wrong. The suggestion that able-bodies are normal and healthy while bodies like mine must be the result of an accident or a mistake. What to say instead: This can be … [Read more...]
10 Lessons I Learned While Getting Free From Relationship Addiction October 2, 2017 by Anonymous Leave a Comment Relationships are a basic human need, like water. What’s also true, though, is the cliché: “You can’t love another until you love yourself.” (I think I first heard this in a spaghetti sauce commercial in the nineties. Doesn’t make it any less real.) As for me, I was often in a clingy fog that prevented my connection with myself, my purpose in life, a god of my understanding, … [Read more...]
