5 of My Best Writings in Honor of Lesbian Visibility Day
The Gender Critical Black Lesbian Edition
Happy Lesbian Visibility Day, everyone 💜
As some of you know, I started this blog in April 2023, the morning after I was permanently suspended from Instagram for sharing stories of black de-transitioned lesbians.
The irony is that my cancellation happened during lesbian visibility week.
Two years later, I keep the fire burning as I continue to highlight the histories and contemporary voices of black sapphic women, including my own lived experience.
I’ve worked through major censorship and silencing to amplify the voices of women from my community. And, I have done so authentically and truthfully, standing my ground on the very same issue that brought me here to begin with.
Much of the scholarly work I’ve published here offers an accurate historical interpretation of black lesbian figures, in response to their contemporary revision as transgender or “nonbinary” people.
These her-stories draw parallels between the historical usage of HRT as a form of gay conversion therapy and how it is used in the modern trans movement.
I also share many of my own personal stories, highlight the voices of my peers, and share some fun stuff too. ;-)
If you are a gender-critical black lesbian or bi woman, I also host private community events. We had a discussion today, and it was fabulous! If you are interested in joining us, you can place a request here.
Thank you to those who have supported me along the way. I am a full-time Artist and Writer. If you value my work and would like to support, please consider becoming a paid subscriber.
Enjoy! 🌺
How The Trans Movement is Erasing Black Women from History
In the Fall of 2023, I came across a blog post that proudly referred to Pauli Murray, an iconic black female civil rights activist, and late historical figure, as a “Queer Nonbinary Ancestor”. The Author of this post consistently referred to Murray using they/them pronouns, …
Unpacking Histories of Black Lesbians Who "Passed" as Men in the 1950s
Her hair cropped short, her busts compressed tightly and her smooth, baby-like face crinkled in a mask of defiance, Jim insists,
I Wrote A Memoir About My Affair With a Detrans Woman.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas of 2023, I reached out to a black lesbian who I had connected with on Instagram, to ask if she would like to be interviewed about her healing journey as a de-transitioned woman.
The Truth Behind Gladys Bentley's Miraculous "Return" To Womanhood
In August 1952, Ebony Magazine released I Am a Woman Again: the sensational story of Gladys Bentley’s return to womanhood through the miracle of Western medicine—written in Gladys’s own heartfelt words.
13 Black Lesbian Films: An Intentionally Curated List
By popular request, I am happy to share a curated list of black lesbian films, which I originally published on my old blog, Haus of Isis, on March 14, 2023.
Like Jo on your film article piece, I feel some sense of intrusion as a white straight women being here. But I wanted to share how I enjoyed your writing and the way in which it both educates me and shifts my lens out of my straight and white frame. I found it compellingly so. I just wish you were based in the UK so I could ask you if you’d be interested in taking part in my PhD research exploring women’s experiences of algorithmic governance in online TV. It would be so valuable to have a voice like yours that understands film and lesbian and black representation in this way. Especially when you write, “The glorification of toxic and abusive relationships for entertainment purposes is rife in some of the most popular black lesbian media, and I can’t get down with that. It saddens me on a very deep level, and because these women are made in my image and the image of those whom I've loved, it’s a sadness that is harder to shake off.
While I know that myself and many others have lived through abusive relationships, there is a way that Directors and Producers can normalize these on-screen relationships, and keep people salivating to come back for more, next week.”
Thank you for a wonderful read and opening out of my understanding 🙏