the gang's all queer

Z is the queer half-Nigerian, half-Malaysian owner of Poofy,...

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:36:04 -0400

Z is the queer half-Nigerian, half-Malaysian owner of Poofy, living to change the world one self-esteem point at a time. She’s addicted to Nutri-C and salt, and dances when she’s got the time, or when the rhythm moves her ;) Z is quite possibly the laziest person when it comes to her hair, and she cannot cornrow to save her life. Maybe to save her life, but it would be horrible cornrows. Anyway, she likes coloring her hair and isn’t fussy about the length as long as it can be tied back. Based in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, she spends her time perusing blogs, playing the weave identification game, and trying to resist the urge to experiment with her hair. Again.

Z is also a CUTIE!!! Check out her haircare blog (run with Ms. Fizzy) “Leave in the Kinks”

At Soweto Gay Pride in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Pride...

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:21:50 -0400

At Soweto Gay Pride in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Pride March, in it’s 3rd year is organized by Forum for the Empowerment of Women FEW. For years FEW has worked on advancing and defending the rights of black lesbian women and highlighting the violations faced by women in the townships because of their sexual orientation. When Soweto Pride was initiated in 2004, the idea was to bring about visibility of lesbian women in the townships and to reclaim our voices. The theme was celebrating our identities, our sexualities and our heritage, and was held on the location were two lesbians were brutally murdered three years ago.

Love this photo’s energy!

(via Flickr, Info from Gray37)

Pillow Talk series by photographer couple James Frank...

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:12:53 -0400

Pillow Talk series by photographer couple James Frank Tribble+Tracey Mancenido-Tribble

Pillow Talk is a series of photographs which surveys veiled privacy while bringing it to the public sphere. Provoking a sense of familiarity and desire for human connection, this visual dialogue examines the private realms of intimacy and shared spaces. This series was featured in The New York Times.

“Paps matter for trans men” (or anyone with the parts, for that...

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 21:30:04 -0400

“Paps matter for trans men” (or anyone with the parts, for that matter)

Poster from Check It Out Guys, a campaign for trans men’s health.

(via genderqueer)

1,000 FOLLOWERS!!!

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:13:31 -0400

thanks for all theGAQ love + support. love ya’lllllll. -KB

Wanda & Alex Sykes at the Emmys…POW!! (source)

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:08:41 -0400

Wanda & Alex Sykes at the Emmys…POW!!

(source)

Snoop from the Wire. How my hair look? lmao (via...

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:03:09 -0400

Snoop from the Wire.

How my hair look? lmao

(via fuckyeahstudonstud)

This artwork is part of an artist spotlight interview with 2009...

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:01:10 -0400

This artwork is part of an artist spotlight interview with 2009 Deadly Art Award winner Bindi Cole for her series Sistagirls, a collection of stylized portraits of a community of Aboriginal transgender women from the Tiwi Islands.

From an article about the project:

A half hour flight north of Darwin, the two islands that make up Tiwi (Melville and Bathurst) are better known for producing AFL footballers. The islands are home to a strong Indigenous community of around 2000 people. It’s also very Catholic. This is why it comes as some surprise that the community includes about 50 Indigenous transgender women. They call themselves the Sistagirls and like many women, dream of romance and finding a good man.

Bindi Cole, a Wathaurung artist based in Melbourne, first brought the Sistagirls to our attention last year when she won the Deadly Art Award, part of the Victorian Indigenous Art Awards, with her photo of Ajay, one of the Sistagirls. Cole says that she felt a real affinity with the people and the place. Tiwi are stunning tropical islands where alcohol and pornography are banned but the traditional language and culture is alive and well. Cole was so inspired by the Sistagirls that she began an ambitious photographic series in an outdoor tableau-style that would celebrate the strength of these unique women.

Many of the Sistagirls welcomed the opportunity to dress up for the cameras, but Cole admits there were also some cultural problems to get past first. ‘It’s still not acceptable to be gay in Tiwi and while these women identify as being Sistagirls, there can still be a stigma attached,’ she explains. ‘I feel very sensitive about producing these works, they are celebratory but you need to be very careful with people’s sexuality and Indigenous culture, especially with remote communities where there can still be that fear of outside influences,’ Cole explains.

Like the transgender communities in the South Pacific, the Fa’afafine of Somoa, many indigenous communities are often more willing to accept transgender people than gay people. Cole explains that there are few openly gay men on the Tiwi Islands but the Sistagirls are a vibrant part of the community and over time have become accepted. Cole excitedly tells the story of Crystal, the loud and proud Aunty of the Sistagirls. Crystal has devoted herself to educating the community, while encouraging her friends to be strong. They need to be. Crystal has lost Sistagirls to suicide in the past, giving her even more determination to work in gaining broader acceptance.

In preparation for her latest exhibition, Cole invited Jirra Lulla Harvey, a young indigenous writer to go with her to meet the Sistagirls and write a piece for the catalogue. Harvey reveals her surprise at meeting these ‘inspirational women’ but points out that ‘sitting, yarning with the Sistagirls was like gossiping with any of my girlfriends, because there is one topic that cuts across all borders: a good man is hard to find.’

Cole was careful about her choreography for the photo sessions. Each of the Sistagirls was professionally made-up and styled by Jason de Santis and each photo shoot took place in a different part of the island, making the natural beauty of the islands a subject in its own right. A selection of local Tiwi paintings, sculptures and artifacts was also loaned from the local museum and used within each image in a way that would create stories around the women—visually connecting them to the place through the stories inherent in the works, and thereby creating a contemporary story that could reach outsiders.

‘I want to make sure that these works respect the local traditions but also allow the Sistagirls to celebrate themselves,’ Cole explains. ‘There are also those connotations around the tableau photograph—those artificial studio postcards from the Victorian era that were so popular at the time but were really degrading to Indigenous people. I feel responsible for all those things in my work and so I feel very protective of my Sistagirls.’

One look at the series though shows that these photographs are firmly placed in the now and any reference to the past is, well, passed. The vivid colours, the romantic lighting and the elegant poses of the Sistagirls combine to give us a very contemporary window into this group of women who are clearly enjoying themselves on their island paradise of the north.

Thanks to findingfamousaces for submitting this!

(via transpride)

"A lot of changes. A lot of personal changes. I got married, I came out publicly. But I had to, you..."

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 23:38:37 -0400

“A lot of changes. A lot of personal changes. I got married, I came out publicly. But I had to, you know? I mean it was like gays can get married, yay! Prop 8, I’m a second-class citizen, what the fuck?! As a black woman, I’m really low on the chain, but as a GAY black woman, I’m even lower! There are so many things I’ve had to do as a gay person that I don’t have to do as a black person. I didn’t have to come out black to my parents. Can you imagine that? ‘Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you about something. I just want to tell you, I’m black.’ ‘What?!’ ‘I’m black, that’s just the way it is.’ ‘Oh Lord, oh, anything but black! Give her cancer Lord! Anything but black! You know what, you’ve been hanging around black people too much. And they got you thinking you black.’ ‘No Ma, it’s just the way I am, I was born this way.’ ‘Oh, don’t give me that! The bible says Adam and Eve, not Adam and Mary J. Blige!’ ‘I’m sorry, It’s just how I am.’ ‘What did I do? What did I do? I let you watch Soul Train! Was it Soul Train?’ ‘No Ma, it wasn’t Soul Train…’”

- Wanda Sykes [paraphrased] (Submitted by clickofaheel) (via lgbtlaughs) (via nappylikeyopappy) (via fuckyeahblackdykes)

EEEOOOOWWW!!! (fuckyeahstudonstud:sexcyanip13)

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 19:11:08 -0400

EEEOOOOWWW!!!

(fuckyeahstudonstud:sexcyanip13)

Comment: UK Black Pride and prejudice

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:31:29 -0400

Comment: UK Black Pride and prejudice

adorable. fuckyeahblackdykes: cutelesbiancouples: Me (creeper...

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:32:18 -0400

adorable.

fuckyeahblackdykes:

cutelesbiancouples:

Me (creeper in the background) and Tati.

She is my one love and Best Friend. We met at college, in NYC where I’m from. She’s from Texas. I’m moving to DC in a few days, and its the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do. I don’t want to leave her, but its only temporary.

I’ve already told her that I’m marrying her :D

“If I were able to transition when I was in my teens, like youth...

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:27:13 -0400

“If I were able to transition when I was in my teens, like youth can today, I would have been socialized as other young girls are. But would I have been forced to buy into stereotypical behavior, attributes, and social norms that most young women are raised with?

It’s much harder to transition later in life, and I have had to rid myself of male baggage and socialization. But when that process was done I had a semi-blank slate to create my own idea of what a woman can be, instead of what society thinks she should be. By constructing the woman I am today, I was able to become my own creation, with healthier ideas and qualities I wanted to embody, such as intelligence, humor, individuality, strength, grace, and class.

I’m proud to be trans; it’s who I am. The outcome of my struggles is what makes me special, not whether I’ve had surgery to create a vagina. Millions of women have a vagina and it doesn’t make them special. What makes a person special is who they are inside, what they do with their lives, and how they make a difference in the world. That’s the kind of woman I am—always aiming to make a difference. —Tiffany, 42”

Transfigurations: the award-winning photodocumentary by Jana Marcus

(via transpride)

True Blood is soooooo gay this season. and I love it.

Sun, 22 Aug 2010 00:01:20 -0400

True Blood is soooooo gay this season. and I love it.

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 18:11:48 -0400

(via meisporsia:sapphrikah:fuckyeahprnc: paisleypark)

Whatchu know about the stink face? Me (left) and the booski in...

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 17:02:43 -0400

Whatchu know about the stink face?

Me (left) and the booski in the park…<3

American Lives: James Baldwin, 'Lifting The Veil'

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:15:56 -0400

American Lives: James Baldwin, 'Lifting The Veil':

(via onceuponapoet:greydotmatters)

Bye, Bye, Boobies — article by the Village Voice Pictured above...

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 16:04:56 -0400

Bye, Bye, Boobies — article by the Village Voice

Pictured above is Kerry Downey, who identifies as a woman and chose to undergo a double mastectomy. The article is about people of different identities who go through surgery to flatten their chests.

(via:doubleque:genderqueer)

DROPS THE PHONE AND FAINTS Bitch, you better...

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:52:49 -0400

*DROPS THE PHONE AND FAINTS*

Bitch, you better work.

(omenwoman:knowingher: thatssoxander)

I am caught in quite the dilemma over this “My gay Best...

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 19:40:41 -0400

I am caught in quite the dilemma over this “My gay Best Friend” video by Heven. I desperately want to like it because:

this song has been stuck in my head for a minute!
homegirl’s a cutie. like fa real.
Brown gays FTW!

But I can’t because:

being someone’s seasonal gay-ccessory is wack.
the gay BF parties in the video are segregated and it’s 2010.
heaven has an “a” in it.

no shade, I just can’t. what do you guys think?

the gang's all queer

Z is the queer half-Nigerian, half-Malaysian owner of Poofy,...

At Soweto Gay Pride in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Pride...

Pillow Talk series by photographer couple James Frank...

“Paps matter for trans men” (or anyone with the parts, for that...

1,000 FOLLOWERS!!!

Wanda & Alex Sykes at the Emmys…POW!! (source)

Snoop from the Wire. How my hair look? lmao (via...

This artwork is part of an artist spotlight interview with 2009...

"A lot of changes. A lot of personal changes. I got married, I came out publicly. But I had to, you..."

EEEOOOOWWW!!! (fuckyeahstudonstud:sexcyanip13)

Comment: UK Black Pride and prejudice

adorable. fuckyeahblackdykes: cutelesbiancouples: Me (creeper...

“If I were able to transition when I was in my teens, like youth...

True Blood is soooooo gay this season. and I love it.

Well, Damn. SaaaaSplash! ©Martin (via...

Whatchu know about the stink face? Me (left) and the booski in...

American Lives: James Baldwin, 'Lifting The Veil'

Bye, Bye, Boobies — article by the Village Voice Pictured above...

*DROPS THE PHONE AND FAINTS* Bitch, you better...

I am caught in quite the dilemma over this “My gay Best...

DROPS THE PHONE AND FAINTS Bitch, you better...