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Also.Also.Also: She Took Us to the Moon. Rest in Power Katherine Johnson.

Oh wow, the sun is shining bright for me this Monday, and somehow everything feels hopeful? I’ve gotta say, it’s a peaceful start to the new week.

Even if it’s only for a second – I wish for you some of the same.

Queer as in F*ck You

17 Children’s Books With Queer Characters That Deserve Your Attention

Teddy Geiger & Greyson Chance Interview Each Other About Their New Single, Surviving in the Industry

Supreme Court To Hear Philadelphia Dispute Over Same-Sex Foster Parents

This Truck Driver Transformed Her Town’s LGBTQ Biases

Saw This, Thought of You

Do you remember a few weeks back, when we talked about the controversy surrounding the book American Dirt and I pointed out queer Chicana writer Myriam Gurba as leading the charge against that book and a general badass to support and listen to? Well, she was was fired on Friday for reporting her rapist to Long Beach Unified School district. Which is, you know, absolutely horrific on every fucking level.

Harvey Weinstein Is Now a Convicted Rapist. Good. Now let him rot.

(And if you’re looking to bear witness, All Six Harrowing Testimonies of Harvey Weinstein’s Accusers)

What We Really Mean When We Talk About Needing More Black Players in American Soccer

Fat Women Onscreen Deserve Better Than Crappy Love Interests

Music scenes were once DIY or “indie” until those were co-opted. Will the emerging idea of artistic “interdependence” fare any better?

B. Smith, Model Turned Restaurateur and Lifestyle Maven, Dies at 70 of Early Onset Alzheimer’s


“They asked Katherine Johnson for the moon, and she gave it to them.” RIP to a real living legend. Katherine Johnson Dies at 101; Mathematician Broke Barriers at NASA

Political Snacks

The Absurd Lie of ‘Pro-Choice Violence’ (Related: Dorothy Brown was an Abortion Rights Advocate Who Fought for Women of Color When No One Else Would)

Some food for thought from our friends over at Bitch Media: Amy Klobuchar Is No Feminist Hero

Sunday Funday and the USWNT Love Dolls With Little Big Heads

There’s this weird German art song called “Vergebliches Ständchen” which is about these one lover whispering (yelling) to the other because it’s cold af outside and he’s outside her window and it’s basically a song about intense thirst. But the weird thing is that one person sings the song as both people! So there are a bunch of 18-22 year old sopranos and tenors out there in their voice rep classes performing multiple personalities for the sake of classical music. It’s a trip!

I remembered this because I was about to greet you all, “Guten Abend, mein Schatz, guten Abend, mein Kind” because that’s how the song starts, but that means good evening and this is very much a morning post and it just wouldn’t have worked. I’m delirious, let’s get some good news into us.

+ Please go get these weird little big headed dolls for your favorite lesbian tchotchke collector.

+ Speaking of dolls, Billie Jean King is now not only a character in a lesbian movie about tennis, she’s a Barbie! (Can you tell I love sports?)

+ How this queer-run sauna helped this non-binary homie get back to their body and culture.

Standing out front of the miniature sweat lodge on wheels were two women, Jackie and Paula, the married couple who own and run the HotBox Mobile Sauna, currently parked in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Together they’ve traveled the globe to learn about and experience different sauna cultures. As queer women, they realized that these healing spaces were not very accessible to the queer, trans, and non-binary communities, those whose bodies are often scrutinized in straight spaces. They decided to invest in their own sauna. Their HotBox was designed in Minnesota where, according to Jackie and Paula, there’s a small but thriving mini-sauna culture. Jackie and Paula’s intention was to provide a friendly, accessible, and safe sauna community for all bodies.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B5S03qplSws/

+ Susan B. Anthony: also a lesbian! Yay history!

+ “Please allow Rosie Perez to continue playing aging lesbians” Yes.

+ A lesbian couple known by their pseudonyms Fad and Nanz from Saudi Arabia proudly declared their love for each other on the Valentine’s Day special of an Arabic TV show, “Jaafar Talk”

+ Lena Waithe will play a cyclops ogre cop who happens to be an out LGBTQ person in Pixar’s new movie Onward. The film’s ending credit song is written/produced by my fave lesbian country star, Brandi Carlile (and her twin backup singers).

+ Rev. Kori Pacyniak is the newest pastor of San Diego’s Mary Magdalene Apostle Catholic Community. They are believed to be the first nonbinary priest in the Roman Catholic Womenpriests movement.

+ In more fulfilling religion news, The Episcopal Diocese of Michigan ordained their first openly lesbian bishop, Dr. Donnie Perry.

+ Vietnamese food and tradition is drawing in the queers in the Bay area

+ The accidental feminist film noir 

+ Phoebe Waller-Bridge on Fleabag and feminism

Last night I co-hosted a cannabis infused dinner and it was cute and fun and weird and the food was too spicy but I ate it anyway. I hope you get cute, fun, weird memories, and even when you’re feeling like “maybe I’ll just dissociate a little bit during this social moment” that instead you take a breath, get a drink of water, and decide to be present for all of the cuteness and weirdness that is life. It’s all very overwhelming! Very! But being there, like actually there and not in your little safe headspace, can be nice and fulfilling and then slowly you learn to trust people more and one day you realize you’ve laughed every day for an entire week and you’re watching the sun rise and you’re like “I’m gonna be okay.”

You’re gonna be okay! We all will. Have a blast this week. Love you, mean it.

Also.Also.Also: Lesbians Love Instagram! Pass It On.

I’m leaving on a jet plane, don’t know when I’ll be back again! ✈️

That’s technically not true, I’ll be back again on Tuesday. But I am hopping on a plane this afternoon to meet up with the rest of the Autostraddle Senior Team for a three-day work retreat and leadership training. As most of you know, the Autostraddle team works remotely and it’s extremely rare we’re all together in person. I’m genuinely excited to learn more skills about how to better serve this community. A special thanks to our A+ members and to those who contributed to our fundraiser last summer. Without your support, we wouldn’t be able to grow and become a better, more sustainable and equitable publication. Hell, without your financial support we LITERALLY wouldn’t be here at all. I promise to never take it for granted.

I’m proud, today and always. to work in queer independent media and be held accountable by you.

OK! As soon as I press publish on this link roundup, I’m off to pack.

Queer as in F*ck You

On the Unexpected Cost of Passing as a Trans Woman

In Buenos Aires, Queer Tango Takes a Revolutionary Dance Back to Its Roots

Harlem Renaissance at 100: An Essential Queer Culture Guide

Dwyane Wade spoke with Robin Roberts about Zaya – with her permission – and if you think I’m ever going to get over how much this family loves and protects their trans kid, you have another thing coming! (PS: Hope Zaya did well at her mock trail on Monday! Go ‘head little one! 💜)

I’m pretty sure you will also see this one come back around in our Sunday NSFW Link Roundup, but I’m so proud of Vanessa, I just couldn’t wait: Behold, the Fine Art of the Lesbian Thirst Trap

You should pair the above link with this: How Lesbian Culture Blossomed in the Age of Instagram

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by vanessa (@vanessatakesphotos)

Catholic Students Protest After Gay Teachers Are Ousted

Ummmm…. Business Insider profiled the Cubbyhole??? If you’ve never lived in NYC, Cubbyhole is like Cheers for queers, as in it’s the quaint neighborhood bar where everybody knows your name. Anyway, I don’t know why I find this so hilarious, but I do.

Saw This, Thought of You

Kickstarter Employees Win Historic Union Election

Stop Believing in Free Shipping

6 Myths About the History of Black People in America

Coming out as Dalit: How One Indian Author Finally Embraced Her Identity. Raised to hide her low caste, Yashica Dutt’s new book traces her realisation that her history is one of oppression, not shame.

A bad name for an illness can be dangerous. That’s why it took so long to settle on Covid-19: The Life-And-Death Consequences of Naming the Coronavirus

She Didn’t Want a Pelvic Exam. She Received One Anyway. Medical schools and students are grappling with an unsettling practice: Performing pelvic exams on unconscious, non-consenting patients.

Migrant Kids Separated for 6 Years From Family by US Government. Family separation isn’t new. And here’s your daily reminder that it must be stopped.

Political Snacks

Elizabeth Warren Showcases Her Strategy For Beating Trump By Eviscerating Mike Bloomberg by the one and only Natalie for Autostraddle.

Also.Also.Also: Young M.A Is Making a Strap-On Starter Kit. This Is Not a Drill (Or Is It)

Feature image via Young M.A on Instagram

This Monday is almost over and you MADE IT, BABY!! I’m spending my evening doing laundry and then maybe having an ice cream sundae with a beer to treat myself because I’m an adult. There’s nothing in the week ahead that you can’t handle.

Queer as in F*ck You

Racism within the LGBT community leaves black people suffering poor mental health, according to a study conducted by the UK-based Stonewall Equality Limited.

Young M.A has partnered with Doc Johnson to create a strap-on starter kit, and when the news broke this weekend a very specific set of Autostraddle writers went bezerk. (OK – I was one of them, but I did not stand alone in my truth.)

Inside Cora Harrington’s Lingerie Revolution. Queer lingerie expert and writer Cora Harrington is one of my favorite people on the planet. I’ve been lucky enough to meet her in real life, and she’s just sunshine personified. Her blog also taught me a lot about buying good underwear for large boobs that can go the distance without looking like someone’s grandma, a public service for which I will always be indebted.

Belfast’s Robyn Peoples and Sharni Edwards are Northern Ireland’s First Same-Sex Couple To Wed Under Marriage Equality Law

Meet The Trans Woman Poised To Become Argentina’s First To Play Professional Soccer

Saw This, Thought of You

This weekend was the 35th anniversary of The Breakfast Club’s release in theaters. The Hollywood Reporter celebrated my favorite teen angst drama by re-releasing their original review of the film.

To All the Boys I Loved Before may be a love story, but it also is a much-needed representation of transracial Asian adoptees: Lana Condor and the Adoptee’s Place in Asian American Storytelling. (I see you, #ToAllTheBoys Hive. It may be a straight rom-com about some teenagers, but it’s still great and we still out here eatin.’)

Fan Fiction Was Just as Sexual in the 1700s as It Is Today

How to Find a Therapist for the First Time

I Reunited My Undocumented Mom With Her Parents After 30 Years

Filter out Male Privilege, and the Web Can Be a Ghost Town. The design studio Normally created a web filter for news sites to remove all the stories with male bylines and they were shocked by how utterly blank it left the news – so they decided not to release the plug in to the public. 🙄

The Woman Who Made Princess Dresses Punk. The Cut interviewed costumer and designer Molly Goddard, otherwise known as the woman who dresses all your favorite femme badasses both real (Rihanna) and fictional (Villanelle).

A 14-year-old black girl in Atlanta created one of the biggest dances on the internet. But nobody knows her. This is some real-life, Gen Z version of Bring It On shit if I’ve ever heard it. Jalaiah Harmon has been rightfully getting her flowers all week; you can watch her perform her signature dance at the NBA All-Star game last night.

Early Novel Written By Free Black Woman Called Out Racism Among Abolitionists. In 1859, Harriet E. Wilson published a book about life as an indentured servant in New Hampshire. It remains an obscure classic because it challenges white ideals about racism in the North.

Why People Get the ‘Sunday Scaries.’ Relatable Content.

Political Snacks

Searching for the Other Midwestern Swing Voter. Spoiler: She’s Black and lives in Detroit. (I am a black woman who lives in Detroit, but I swear this isn’t about me)

Sunday Funday Is Studying Queer TV History With Rachel Maddow

Happy Sunday! I ran out of milk last night, so yes I am having ice cream for breakfast! I’m an adult! I ironed my napkins. I deserve this.

+ The little known feminist-y history of the Supreme Court.

+ This nonbinary teen talks about coming of age and getting their parents to use their new name.

+ Bex Taylor Klaus is here to save lives on Deputy. Hopefully. (Natalie wrote about Bex’s incredibly episode of Deputy in this week’s “Boobs On Your Tube” and you can check it out.)

+ Visible: Out on Television is a new 5-part Apple TV+ documentary that Kayla Kumari Upadhyaya wants you to watch.(Heather’s also writing full review for us shortly!)

+ Queer artists have been in country music forever! Forever!!

+ Queer tango in Buenos Aires is taking back its revolutionary roots.

+ Vi Khi Nao on poetry and sapphic tendencies

+ Have you seen the newest film about lesbian yearning?? Portrait of a Lady on Fire is finally out in wide-release and everyone’s talking about it. Here is Drew’s review of the movie (she called it “staggering work of a lesbian gaze”) and her interview with director Céline Sciamma.

Okay, go out in love and do good to the people around you! I love you, your hair looks great, you’re doing amazing! Keep it up! I’ll see you next week and we’ll celebrate again.

Also.Also.Also: Straight People Apparently Wanna Make Their Marriages Gayer? How Sad for Them.

Pssst Psssst – on Saturday chocolate will be half priced basically everywhere! Be sure to stock up!

Queer as in F*ck You

“This body of work is a collaborative response between me and my community to redefine what it means to be an immigrant, African and queer.” Candid Portraits Explore the Lives of LGBTQ African Migrants

Vietnam Accused of Teaching Young People That Being Gay Is a ‘Disease’

Favorite Things that Roxane Gay Read and Wrote in 2019. (Before you ask, yes there’s a Debbie shout out)

Laneia has been all over Twitter this week rounding up some of her Greatest Hits on Autostraddle, and you should check it out! Of particular relevance to this holigay weekend: Valentine’s Day Cards You Can Print Your Damn Self

Wow wow wow. Straight people are straight up wildin’ in The New York Times today:

The Cost of Having Kids When You’re Queer: Mounting Bills, Dashed Hopes and Legal Barriers

🚨 🚨 NEW Carmen Maria Machado Short Story Alert: The Lost Performance of the High Priestess of the Temple of Horror.  To quote the best Carmen, herself: “Come for the Grand Guignol in midcentury Paris, stay for the lesbian BDSM.”

Saw This, Thought of You

What Happened to Playboy’s First Black Cover Girl? I’M OBSESSED.

How Judy Blume Became a Free Speech Warrior for YA Authors

I Was Scared to Try My Menstrual Cup, but It Changed Everything.

What Color Is Your Name? A New Synesthesia Tool Will Show You. This is really interesting and I learned a lot about how people’s brains work who aren’t my brain, you know? Anyway, this is my name in colors:

Judge Restores Immigrant-Detention Hotline That Was Featured in ‘OITNB.’ Thank F*cking God!

From Vanessa: This kickstarter ends in 3 days and is near & dear to my heart. Country Queers: The Podcast!

Political Snacks

Stacey Abrams’ Bold Ambition Encourages Other BIWOC to Run for Office

Hahahahahahahaaa! Capitalism and racism are twin-besties, and don’t ever forget it! Even the Most Progressive Candidates Won’t Reform Welfare

Also.Also.Also: Janelle Monáe Reclaimed Flower Crowns as Queer Culture at the Oscars Last Night

You made it to the start of a new week! I’m so proud of you!

Queer as in F*ck You

Janelle Monáe opened the Oscars yesterday and first she was dressed as Mister Rogers and then she sang with Billy Porter and after she was done with all that, she said: “I’m so proud to stand here as a black queer artist telling stories. Happy Black History Month.” ❤️🖤💚

Black Queer Joy is real, and you should go ahead and get you some.

https://youtu.be/VYyGHq_DgAs

Also Excuuuuse Me:

https://twitter.com/carmencitaloves/status/1226654531452362753

And speaking of black queer joy at the Oscars, Essence Magazine honored the cast of Pose and Janet Mock at their annual Black Women in Hollywood lunch, and that’s a huge fucking deal. Far too many black entertainment spaces have been – to put it frankly – transphobic in their slow warmth to the undeniable work these women have put in. Which is HIGHLY IRONIC AT BEST, given that these same spaces were originally created to celebrate blackness in the face of white ignorance and apathy. Ok. Here’s what Janet Mock had to say in her acceptance speech:

To be given the stage today tells our sisters watching that no matter their path to womanhood, they are deserving of being seen, affirmed, and heard. Too often black trans women and black queer and gender non-confirming folk put their bodies on the line every day to merely be themselves… our struggle for black people must include black trans and queer people. Period.

—

On Pose we tell the story of hope and love and community, one that can serve as an offering to those who make away out of no way – building houses after being left on the streets, creating family after being disowned, carving out a safe sacred space in a world that offers them none. I hope our show provides black girls everywhere a mirror to better see themselves; letting her know that no matter how different, how misunderstood, how marginalized she may feel, she is worthy. She’s worthy of taking up space on screen and in the streets. And today we accept this on her behalf, on behalf of all those courageous enough to show themselves in a world intent on erasing and shaming us. Your mere presence is revolutionary. And in the world that we see, all the girls are protected and nurtured, liberated and centered. And we are centered because we matter. We are centered because our own liberation as black people, regardless of our gender and sexuality, lies in the well-being and survival of all of our sisters – especially those most vulnerable and most overlooked.

Essence won’t let me be great and has yet to release the full video online, but no worries because Laverne Cox has a full (admittedly, low-res) six minute recording linked on her Instagram and it will most certainly make you weep.

LGBTQ Adults Use Dating Apps Nearly Twice as Much as Straight Adults. I don’t actually know any straight people in my personal life, but still this feels like it checks out.

‘Virginia Is for All Lovers’: House and Senate Pass Legislation to Ban LGBTQ Discrimination

Study Suggests Lesbian-Sounding Women Face Greater ‘Gaydar Discrimination’ in Hiring Than Men

Saw This, Thought of You

Riese found this; it’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot since #JusticeforJohnnyDepp first started trending online: Misinformation Campaign #JusticeForJohnnyDepp Proves We Still Don’t Believe Survivors.

The Lily Sent Disposable Cameras to 25 Women Across the U.S. Here’s What They Captured. Including: Tegan and Sara, Aisha Dee from The Bold Type, Kristen Bell, Princess Nokia, and 21 other very normal everyday humans like you and me.

These Moms Were Homeless. Now They Are Starting a Housing Revolution.

You’ve probably heard by now that the Korean film Parasite won best picture at the Oscars, making history as the first non-English speaking film to win in the Academy’s 92 year history (and here is last night’s complete winners list in case you missed out). Back in October at Vulture, E. Alex Jung —  one of my all-time FAVORITE interviewers, who happens to also be Korean — interviewed director Bong Joon-ho and honestly it’s so damn good that you should read it today: Bong Joon-ho’s Dystopia Is Already Here

If you’re looking for even more Oscars coverage, may I recommend Riese and Drew? Oscars 2020: Two Lesbians Discuss the Very White, Very Straight, Very Male 92nd Academy Awards

Valentine’s Day Represents a Radical Act

And finally, Add These Natural, Organic Lubes To Your Bedside Table

Political Snacks

Natalie recommends: How the Iowa Caucuses Became an Epic Fiasco for Democrats, and Natalie is very smart, so you should definitely read it. (That said, for my money the best explanation of the Iowa Caucus Clusterf*ck is still her own.)

And if you missed Natalie’s recap of Friday night’s debate, you should get on that now.

Sunday Funday Is Watching Feminist Films With Jurnee Smollett-Bell

Happy Awards Day! Yet another made up holiday to celebrate who knows what! But it’s good, it brings us together, it makes people smile, so you know, get into it! Host (or attend) the party of your dreams, or don’t – you do you!

Here’s some good news to go with the day of celebration!

+ If you need an awards show to get behind, might I suggest The Brittani’s, the award show dreamed up, curated, created, and hosted by Brittani Nichols?

https://twitter.com/BisHilarious/status/1226228490388692992

+ Looking for a movie to watch? Might I suggest Birds of Prey?

+ Plus, if you see it, you get to see Jurnee Smollett-Bell, whom Autostraddle senior editor Carmen Phillips loved.

https://twitter.com/carmencitaloves/status/1225628172135411712

+ Here are even more feminist films you can watch! 

+ Do Alison Roman cooking videos count as feminist films?? Maybe so!

+ Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland are developing an LGBTQ+ History elective for high schoolers, the first of its kind in the district. Go teens!

+ Virginia lawmakers pass legislation banning LGBTQ disricimination.

+ More spaces are opening up for sober queer folks.

+ The New York Philharmonic’s ‘Project 19’ began recently. It’s a project to highlight 19 female composers to mark a century of suffrage.

+ Speaking of suffrage, these 19 black women fought for voting rights.

Happy Black History Month! I hope your week is filled with great things and that you work at your desk and not on your bed, and that your tax refund comes in earlier that you expected it to, and that you have time for a bath every single day, if you want one. Okay, I want those things for me, but also, like if you wanted, we could share a week and you could also take a bath every day and work at a desk and manifest some money, you know? Do what you want! You’re your own person and I believe in you. See you next week, bye!

Also.Also.Also: Jameela Jamil Came Out Yesterday, and Yeah it’s Really Complicated

Hello and happy almost-weekend!

I have tickets to see Birds of Prey tonight and that’s the best news I have today. (Also the snow outside my window looks pretty – as long as I’m inside to see it.)

Queer as in F*ck You

“…That’s the one piece of this that I feel like we’re learning more and more: that civil rights aren’t a given. They’re asserted and protected – or assailed.” Rachel Maddow on Her Critics: ‘Your Hatred Makes Me Stronger. Come On! Give Me More!’

Here’s What 10 Queer and Trans Creatives Predict for the Next Decade of LGBTQ Representation, with some of my faves Angelica Ross and Wilson Cruz.

Deborah Batts, the Nation’s First Openly Gay Federal Judge, Has Died at 72

Poets and Lovers: The Two Women Who Were Michael Field. Katherine Bradley and Edith Cooper were aunt and niece as well as lovers who published under a male pseudonym. Lots happening there!

The Long Road to a Trans Flag Emoji, and Why It Matters

University of Louisville Student Targets LGBTQ Class With Anti-Gay Pamphlets

The Good Place star Jameela Jamil came out as queer yesterday, after facing some serious backlash for her role as a judge in HBO Max’s upcoming Legendary, a nine-episode voguing competition show.

https://twitter.com/jameelajamil/status/1225165342965669888

Here’s a further explainer if you want to dig into it.

I’m going to be completely honest with you – I tried writing about this last night, but it made my head and my heart hurt. I have a lot of empathy for Jameela having to come out in a way that wasn’t her choosing; publicly coming out is a deeply personal decision and no one should feel they have to do so before they’re ready. I also feel greatly for South Asian queer women in particular who may feel represented by Jameela’s coming out, because there are painfully few public or celebrity South Asian queer women in the first place. That’s all true! And also(also.also.) Jameela chose to use her coming out as a justification for why she’s taking up space as both executive producer and judge in a series that members of the community represented have made ABUNDANTLY clear they would rather she not.

From one queer woman of color to another, it’s never OK to use your cis and class privilege to push yourself into a space where you weren’t wanted and then use your queerness as a cloak when others call you in and hold you accountable. That’s not what queer community looks like; in fact, it’s the opposite and very harmful. To that end, I’m also going to share words from Trace Lysette, who in addition to being a well-known television and film actress, is a mother in the House of Mizrahi:

https://twitter.com/tracelysette/status/1225201883087691776

https://twitter.com/tracelysette/status/1225223443349569539

IDK y’all. I’m sending a lot of love to Jameela, to the fans who get to see themselves in her, and to all the trans and queer folks who are being brutally erased in ballroom’s continued gentrification by mainstream media. None of it is OK.

Saw This, Thought of You

Erykah Badu Is Making Incense That Smells Like Her Vagina and I’m definitely going to buy it.

Introducing 78 New Emotions. Including, but not limited to: Sex Poisoned, Creditphoria, Angstalgia, Moral Masturbation and more! (This list is best served when paired with Some Scientists Believe We Have Infinite Emotions, so Long as We Can Name Them.)

Already Gave up on Your New Year’s Resolution? Here’s How to Recommit to Your 2020 Goals

Instagram Just Made It Easier To Delete All Those Accounts You Forgot That You Follow

What If Hillary Hadn’t Married Bill? a New Novel Will Explore That Possibility. I would like to see this.

Influencers Allege That a Famous Curly Hair Brand Is Damaging Their Hair

On TikTok, Black Girls Find Visibility—And Racist Hate

Searching for Healing in a Sensory Deprivation Tank

Potentially relevant to your Valentine’s Day plans, hey I don’t know your life: How To Be A Good Kisser: The Complete Guide

This week we celebrated the birthday of the great Rosa Parks. It’s ALWAYS worthwhile to remember that despite what the history books of our youth told us, she was never a meek and mild old woman who just “sat down on the bus.” She was a lifelong radical and political activist. This piece is two years old, but an always timely read: Why Facile Histories of Civil Rights Are so Dangerous

When I grow up, I wanna be a gangsta

Political Snacks

Trump May Have Broken the GOP, But He Hasn’t Broken America. Some food for thought as we finally close out the impeachment trial.

And yeah, f*ck that other speech this week, Here’s the Real State of Our Union, as Women of Color See It by – GASP! – MELISSA HARRIS PERRY FOR ZORA MAGAZINE

Also.Also.Also: 49ers Lose Super Bowl, but Lesbian Coach Katie Sowers Is Still a Winner, Baby!

Feature Image via Katie Sowers’ Instagram

Welcome to Monday! I hope your tea this morning was strong, your email backlog is brief, and may your evening tonight be peaceful with a side of chocolate.

Queer as in F*ck You

Introducing: The Tenderqueer, the Softboi of the Queer Community (The subheading on this piece reads “Sure, you’ve heard of the straight softboi. But queer, non-binary and trans folk will recognise a similar aesthetic ‘type’ too.” and our entire team called bullshit. Who’s ever heard of a STRAIGHT softboi?)

Al(aina) included this in yesterday’s Sunday Funday, but I loved it so much, I absolutely had to re-up it. Happy Black History Month ❤️🖤💚 everyone:

His name was William Dorsey Swann, but to his friends he was known as “the Queen.” Both of those names had been forgotten for nearly a century… Born in Maryland around 1858, Swann endured slavery, the Civil War, racism, police surveillance, torture behind bars, and many other injustices. But beginning in the 1880s, he not only became the first American activist to lead a queer resistance group; he also became, in the same decade, the first known person to dub himself a “queen of drag” — or, more familiarly, a drag queen.

The First Drag Queen Was a Former Slave, who fought for queer freedom a century before Stonewall.

Speaking of Black History Month, over at Black Women Radicals they are celebrating with the 2020 theme, #MakingBlackQueerHistory: Black LGBTQ+ Women and Non-Binary Student-Activism at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Including, but not limited to:

What a Queer Lunar New Year Celebration Looks Like

Congratulations again to Katie Sowers, offensive assistant coach to the San Francisco 49ers. We’ve previously talked about how she’s the first woman and the first openly gay coach in a Super Bowl, but perhaps more impressively, she also had my favorite commercial last night:

https://youtu.be/_xPn4DXIj5w

And if you’re crushing as hard as I am right now, here’s five other interesting things to know about her.

As a part of her new cover interview for InStyle, Demi Lovato discussed what it was like to come out to her parents in 2017. (Demi also sang the National Anthem during last night’s game. She nailed it, of course.)

Saw This, Thought of You

The Millennial Jews Taking on ICE. I’ve been following this group for a while now (at least last summer, maybe earlier? What is time in a political hellscape?) and I have SUCH respect for them.

Making Facial Recognition Easier Might Make Stalking Easier, Too by our Rachel Charlene Lewis for Bitch Media

10 Latina Authors on the Books That Changed Their Lives

As Puerto Rico Struggles With Rising Femicides, an Art Series of Portraits Remembers Those Lost in 2019

Every Super Bowl Halftime Show Since 1993, Ranked

Plus, Jennifer Lopez and Shakira!! Excuse me for a moment:

How a KitchenAid mixer and Le Creuset stew pot became The New Trophies of Domesticity. Relatable content; it’s a long term dream of mine to one day own a KitchenAid for my Sunday baking projects. THAT SAID none of us should define our worth based on the material things we own. Just a loving reminder, from me to you!

Out Of Sexting Ideas? Try These

Political Snacks

The Iowa Caucus is happening today, and here’s a sweet lil thing in honor of that. A profile of tween girls that’s full of nostalgic, intimately familiar middle school angst: Iowa 8th-Graders Held Their Own Caucus. Their Results Look Nothing Like the Polls.

And in case you were wondering, here’s How the Iowa Caucuses Actually Work, including live action animation from The New York Times.

Sunday Funday Loves The Big Game with Ellen and Portia

Happy Sports Day, sports lesbians! It’s Sunday, the Big Game is on tonight, and I know literally nothing about it except that Shakira and Jennifer Lopez are doing the halftime show, right? And Jay Z owns the NFL now? Right?? I love sports! Can’t you tell??

+ You may have heard that VA ratified the Equal Rights Amendment. Here’s an outline for how they made it happen.

+ The feminism of Latin America is making its way to the US.

+ 8 serious queer reads that won’t make you seriously sad.

+ LGBTQ+ history comes alive at a midtown Manhattan museum.

+ Auckland’s diverse queer life is being highlighted in a new photography exhibit.

+ Contribute to documenting LGBTQ history in Victoria!

The Australian Lesbian and Gay Archives (ALGA), in partnership with Heritage Victoria, is undertaking a study of LGBTIQ heritage – places, objects and collections – across the state. We’re looking for suggestions which reflect the experiences of all sections of the LGBTIQ community and historical themes. The study will include places of gathering, punishment, ‘treatment’, political activism, social life and recreation, health, from different eras and regions of Victoria. We will also include significant objects, documents, photos and collections.

+ The Super Bowl ads are big on gays and girls this year!

+ Franklin, TN will host their first Pride festival in 2020.

+ Detroit’s Ruth Ellis Center is providing 43 housing units for LGBT young adults.

+ The first drag queen was a formerly enslaved person who said “Fuck the police!” and I love that.

+ A Brooklyn park will be renamed for Marsha P. Johnson

+ You’ve probably heard by now, but seriously the new emojis are…gay.

Even though I do not celebrate the sports holiday, I will be making crispy chickpeas to snack on and I highly encourage you to do something you love as well. Maybe make a fancy drink, maybe tell a human you think they’re great, maybe dress your pet up in a cute hat (if you do, please provide photographic evidence)?? You deserve to feel good! You deserve good things and good food and good love! Go out there and get all those things you deserve, babes. I love you!

Also.Also.Also: We’re Getting a Fisting Emoji in 2020, Goddess Bless Us Everyone

Happy Thursday! I think I want to buy a black motorcycle-style jacket for this short work trip I’m going on next month. I can’t stop talking about it, and I’m pretty sure I’ve exhausted the patience of all the lovely people here on Autostraddle’s staff. Maybe you will indulge me! Would I look good in a Moto jacket? Y or N?

While you ponder that, here’s some (mostly) light reading for the end of your week.

Queer as in F*ck You

The New 2020 Emojis Are More Gender-Inclusive Than Ever PS: nearly every lesbian, bisexual, and queer person instantly dubbed this the fisting emoji… and we’re not wrong.

https://twitter.com/nicolettemason/status/1222654332782415872

Would you like an excerpt from the new Samantha Irby book? Thought you might. 

Queer People Want Therapists to Call Them on Their Bullshit — Know what this reminds me of? What Queer and Trans Patients Wish Their Therapists Understood, published by your friendly neighbor Autostraddle earlier this month. Read both pieces and start your 2020 therapy off on clear horizons.

What an Advocate For LGBTQ Teens Wears To Work. Spoiler Alert: The answer is a suit and Doc Martens! An unexpected and charming fashion interview with The Trevor Project’s Alexis Chavez for The Cut.

Lesbian Beachside Wedding Alert!

TikTok Has Become the Soul of the LGBTQ Internet (Here’s more Autostraddle related content, we’re on a roll today: I’m Just Here To Hype Up The Tiny TikTok Lezzies by Shelli Nicole) (Also: TikTok Has Neglected Security and been known to censure videos of disabled and trans folks 😔)

Birmingham, Alabama Denies 1st LGBTQ Charter School Application while on the flip side,  Major Bank to Pull Contributions for Florida School Vouchers Because of Anti-LGBTQ Discrimination

Folsom Street Events Names New Executive Director. A leatherwoman with a background in nonprofit management.

Trans Athlete Chris Mosier on Qualifying for the Olympic Trials

49ers’ Katie Sowers Calls Becoming First Woman to Coach at Super Bowl ‘Surreal’. The game is Sunday! SPORTS!

Saw This, Thought of You

Why Understanding the Events of 1979 Is Crucial for Those Trying to Figure out a Better Future for Today’s Middle East.

This Is the Highest-Resolution Photo of the Sun Ever Taken

The Unexpected Life of a Millennial Nun

Meet the Latina Fighting Chicago’s Period Poverty

Dreaming About Death Isn’t Fun — But It’s Not Bad. VERY chill Thursday content.

Kali Fajardo-Anstine is the author of Sabrina & Corina, a book that it feels like everyone I know is reading this month. She wrote this piece, “On Roots and Research,” for Roxane Gay’s Medium Magazine:

“What are you?” is a question I’ve been asked by strangers since I was a child. As a little girl, I didn’t know how to answer this question with a simple one-word, one-identity response. And I still don’t. I knew then, just as I know now, that we were many things.

How to Delete What Facebook Knows About Your Life Outside of Facebook

Political Snacks

Re-upping this because it’s important, ICYMI: South Dakota’s HR 1057 Is a Dangerous Test Case for Blocking Trans Youth from Transition-Related Care

Inside the Messy, Awkward, Occasionally Successful Dating Scene on the Campaign Trail. So Heather Hogan made you this:

Last thing, 1 Simple Step Could Help Election Security. Why Aren’t Governments Doing It?

Also.Also.Also: Demi Lovato Sang Her Damn Heart Out at the Grammys, Left Mine in Pieces

Hello world! How’s the start to your new week thus far?

OK, this is going to sound completely out-of-nowhere, but may I suggest that you reconsider ginger ale? We don’t have to dig into the details, but I had the stomach flu over the weekend. Anyway it’s over now (thankfully!) – but I have this left over ginger ale in the house. I’m not usually someone who drinks soda. I’m very steadily a water and La Croix type of woman. But I just had a glass of ginger ale while I sat down to write this link round up and I must say: It’s better than I remembered. Crisp, not overly sweet like Coke. It paired well with this mid-afternoon fruit and crackers scenario.

That’s my hot tip of the week! Ginger Ale. Get into it.

And here’s some other stuff that’s happening in the world:

Queer as in F*ck You

EXCUSE ME BUT NOTHING THIS WEEK WILL BE COOLER OR MORE QUEER THAN AUTOSTRADDLE’S VERY OWN ARCHIE BONGIOVANNI BEING PUBLISHED IN THE NEW YORKER!!! It went up yesterday morning and I’m still not over it. Please, please click over and read Times When I Realized That I Was the Only Homosexual in the Room. This has you in the mood to read more Grease Bats, doesn’t it? Give yourself that treat today.

How The Black Trans Travel Fund Is Taking A Creative Approach To Addressing A National Epidemic. This great piece of reporting also reminded me of this piece, published by Abeni Jones for us earlier in the year: Trans Radiance: Sharing Food as an Act of Love.

The Little-Known History of Amelio Robles, a Trans Zapatista Who Fought in Mexico’s Revolution

The Triumphant Queer Legacy of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’

Angelica Ross is the face of Louis Vuitton’s Pre-Fall 2020 Collection, and we couldn’t be more excited for her!

Courtesy of Louis Vuitton

(Fun fact: She asked to wear her natural afro for the photo shoot, and the team enthusiastically said yes!)

This epic woodsy wedding is black queer love, personified!

Saw This, Thought of You

“Gigi’s social media presence was sparse (she was only 13 after all), but she was a frequent subject on her famous father’s Instagram. There’s Gigi standing proudly in a jean jacket next to her friend, with perhaps her first cell phone jutting out of her pocket. And there’s Gigi in high heels standing under a basketball hoop looking up at it. The ball is dropping through the net toward her outstretched right hand as her raven hair flies in the wind behind her. And there’s Gigi in a blue-and-gold uniform dribbling the ball down the court before sinking an impossible fadeaway baseline jumper over the outstretched hands of three opponents…. Gigi woke up Sunday morning to go play basketball, like any other day. She had her whole life ahead of her, and she does not deserve to be remembered for the way she died.”

Remembering Gigi Bryant (2006-2020)

Laneia and Riese read this piece about Kobe Bryant and recommend it for your consideration: Two Things Can Be True, but One Is Always Mentioned First. Kobe Bryant was an incredible basketball player; he also admitted to sexual assault.

https://twitter.com/DanaVivianWhite/status/1221534103784296449

Whew. OK!! Here’s more to think about:

Strands: What Are Genetics, Exactly, When We Are Adopted?

These Latinas Are Creating Community Through Free Surf Lessons

Elizabeth Wurtzel Understood that Mental Health Is a Crucial Part of Women’s Rights

Autostraddle writers are really making the rounds this week: I Lost Myself Within My Married Household, I Found Myself by Creating My Own by your favorite Carolyn Yates! I bet you didn’t think a piece about home decoration would be so beautiful it could leave you in tears, but here we are.

Marija Frlan,  Concentration Camp Survivor, Turns 100 on International Holocaust Remembrance Day

This next piece is actually a year old, but I just discovered it over the weekend so it is New to ME and I think it’s a really awesome: Unpublished Black History, revealing moments in black history using the unpublished photos from The New York Times’s archives.

The Grammys were last night and this was my favorite performance. Tanya Tucker and Brandi Carlile doing “Bring My Flowers Now” is not as flashy as what else has gotten headlines and it probably won’t surprise you I don’t always love country music. But last summer Laneia started to sway me, and this kind of tough broads who sing through their pain thing really gets me in the gut:

Demi Lovato also performed a heart-wrenching ballad in her first public return since her near-overdose in 2018, it shouldn’t be missed.

Political Snacks

Thanks, I Hate It So Much! The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Trump administration to begin implementing new rules making it easier to deny immigrants residency or admission to the United States because they have or might use public-assistance programs. (Also, since we’re here in hell anyway: Trump Moves to Gut Obama Housing Discrimination Rules. The new rules will make it easier to deny loans to people of color.)

Meet The 19th News, a nonprofit, nonpartisan newsroom reporting at the intersection of gender, politics and policy. They’re aiming to become the nation’s first newsroom committed to making the news — and our democracy — more representative for America’s women. I sincerely wish them the best of luck!

Sunday Funday and Sara Quin Love the Grammys

Hello, hi, how are ya? Do you want to know what I’ve been getting into? Absolutely nothing but going to therapy, pretending school didn’t start last week and I don’t still have shit from last semester looming, and watching restoration videos on YouTube. Instant serotonin hit baby. Nothing like an off week when you really, absolutely, 100% need to be on to remind you that we are nothing more than fallible humans who will never be perfect no matter how hard we try.

Very chill way to start your week, eh? While you’re thinking about failure and how we are all destined to fail at some point, here’s some cool/good news from the week!

+ Fatima Jamal is making history on the runways

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7OFkE_F0uk/?utm_source=ig_embed

+ Copenhagen-based brand Stine Goya launched a new line inspired by ballroom culture.

+ Sara Quinn is excited about the Grammys and so we should be too! (Also, the Grammys are tonight!)

+ The NC-based Guilford Green Foundation has opened an LGBTQ center in downtown Greensboro.

+  If you’re looking for a lesbian photography exhibit, have I got news for you.

Curated by Radclyffe Hall, a “concomitant group of artists and writers dedicated to exploring culture, aesthetics and learning through the lens of contemporary feminism”, Hot Moment exhibits the works of Tessa Boffin, Ingrid Pollard and Jill Posener, “three photographers for whom lesbian identity was never a coherent category to be straightforwardly translated to image by the camera.”

But perhaps more crucially, the show constitutes a densely layered snapshot of an era in which the marginality of queer identity and experience encouraged the development of radical forms of expression, both away from and within full sight of the mainstream. Hot Moment, as Radclyffe continues, is “an exhibition of dyke photography made on the threshold of intimacy and public life during the 1980s and 90s in London.”

+ Listen, I know Louisa May Alcott is very dead, but I still say she should listen to this argument for making Jo canonically queer.

+ Gulfport, FL kicks off its celebration of lesbian literature, ReadOut, next week.

+ Vagabon’s Spring 2020 tour tickets are available now.

https://twitter.com/vagabonvagabon/status/1220751912665931776

+ From the Village Voice archives, “Pop Goes Homosexual”

+ 12 nonbinary actors to devote yourself to this year.

+ The first openly bisexual Miss USA contestant is from Utah!

Okay y’all, I hope you have a bomb ass week and get to make different mistakes than you made last week. I also hope, if you haven’t, you watch the latest episode of Gourmet Makes on Bon Appetit‘s YouTube channel if you want to experience the triumph of overcoming past mistakes. Be kind, be loving, be vulnerable. We got this babyyyyyy!!! Love you so much.

Also.Also.Also: The Guy Who Pulled Those Hallmark Lesbians Got Fired, We Won’t Miss Him

Have a great week! Drink water!

Queer as in F*ck You

Hallmark TV Chief Leaves After Dispute Over Same-Sex Wedding Ad and no one will miss him. Bye!✌🏾

12 LGBTQ Books You Won’t Want to Miss in 2020

After Culinary and Literary Acclaim, She’s Moving to the Woods. According to the NYT Chef Iliana Regan has Michelin star and “last summer published ‘Burn the Place,’ perhaps the definitive Midwest drunken-lesbian food memoir.” I didn’t know that “definitive Midwest drunken-lesbian food memoir” was even a thing, but damn I want to go to there.

Abby McEnany, The Creator of Work in Progress, Just Wants to Pee in Peace. Oh hey, this is a legitimately cute interview!

South Dakota Doctors Could Face Criminal Charges Over Prescribing Puberty Blockers for Trans Teens (and while we are on the subject Puberty Blockers Can Be ‘Life-Saving’ Drugs for Trans Teens, Study Shows)

White House Streams Homophobic Sermon Attended by Mike Pence. Just 285 days until the 2020 election, kids!

Saw This, Thought of You

Yeah, I recommend skipping this one.

This one is for my book nerds. If you’ve been on twitter this week, you probably saw that people were upset over the new Oprah Book Club selection American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. It’s about a migrant family making their way to the border, but many Latinx writers have called the work out as trauma porn and called Cummins out specifically as a white writer taking advantage of a story that isn’t hers to tell. OK! Those basics out of the way, here’s a really good explainer on what’s going on. Here’s an EXCELLENT editorial from queer Chicana author Myriam Gurba on the subject: Pendeja, You Ain’t Steinbeck: My Bronca with Fake-Ass Social Justice Literature .

(Also Myriam wrote a strikingly beautiful piece for us last year about anti-Chicanx and anti-Latinx violence, which you should also definitely read if you have time.)

(Last thing on this subject! But if you missed Latinx Twitter completely roasting American Dirt by writing parody tweets about “My Latinx Novel”, The Los Angeles Times has a hilarious round up for you)

In other news…

Afghan Women Journalists Fight for Their Place In the Newsroom

Louisiana’s New State Law Spells Trouble for POC Who Want Abortions

15 Years After Katrina, a Fight Against ‘the Jim Crow of Climate Change’ Rages On in the Gulf Coast

What if Competition Isn’t As “Natural” As We Think?

People said that women had no place in the Grand Canyon and would likely die trying to run the Colorado River. In 1938, two female scientists set out to prove them wrong: The Wild Ones.

A hot tip for our white readers, “You’re so articulate!” is not a compliment. And 5 Other Phrases Your Black Friend Wishes You’d Stop Saying

And finally, This Is the Best Way to Avoid Someone at a Party. You can thank me later.

Political Snacks

McConnell’s Impeachment Plan Is to Make Us All Give Up. He wants us to get frustrated, overwhelmed, and give up hope. We don’t have to let him.

Pete Buttigieg’s Husband Canceled Fundraiser at Gay Bar ‘Because It Has a Stripper Pole.’ I realize there’s a lot of pressure involved in being the first openly gay major candidate for President, but if you ask me, this kind of distancing yourself from your people isn’t a good look.

Also.Also.Also: I Can’t Believe Roxane Gay Invented Leather Jackets for This Rihanna Interview

Whew! It’s a late Tuesday that still feels like a Monday morning! Which tells you everything you need to know about my day! 48 hours worth of Monday morning. I hope you’re fairing better than I am, wherever you are!

Queer as in F*ck You

Warning: This will probably make you scream expletives – Trump Judge Lashes out at a Transgender Litigant in a Surprisingly Cruel Opinion

San Francisco Pride Members Pass Resolution to Ban Google, Youtube (And Alameda Sheriff Department) From Future Parades

“I Am The OPPOSITE Of A Perfectionist”: A Conversation With Archie Bongiovanni You definitely definitely want to read this interview between two Autostraddle comic G.O.A.T.S., Archie Bongiovanni and Annie Mok. I just love it when queer people who are the top of the fields are allowed to dig deep together, you know?

If you can look at this photo of Roxane Gay and not go immediately weak at the knees, you are a stronger person than I am.

https://twitter.com/rgay/status/1219306061439496201

Here’s the full interview, did I mention it’s with Rihanna? Talk about a real Top-off.  Roxane Gay: “I’ve Never Failed the Same Way Twice”

Wondering if Roxane’s fiancée and one half of my favorite love story, Debbie Millman, had something cute to say about how hot she looked? You’re in luck. She did and I have it for you.

https://twitter.com/rgay/status/1219307547024224261

What Pop Singer Hayley Kiyoko Can’t Live Without. The gayest shopping list I’ve ever seen.

Saw This, Thought of You

How Feminist Artists of the 1970s Used Art to Condemn Sexual Violence

Missouri Could Jail Librarians for Lending ‘Age-Inappropriate’ Books. Your daily reminder that librarians are heroes.

Meet the Young Activists Tackling Northern Ireland’s Mental Health Crisis

 Your Online Activity Is Now Effectively a Social ‘Credit Score’. Airbnb is “shadow banning” sex workers and activists. It matters. Pay attention.

The photography in this NYT piece is absolutely stunning. How 17 Outsize Portraits Rattled a Small Southern Town 

Last Thursday was the 25th anniversary of the UConn – Tennessee Women’s Basketball Rivalry, and Heather picked this out for you: How One Game Grew Into a Phenomenon along with the following message, “love you forever, Pat.🧡”

Speaking of phenomenal women coaches in sports, Katie Sowers will become the first woman and the first LGBT person to coach in a Super Bowl. That’s already exciting, but check out this legends supporting legends content:

Political Snacks

“That is what America wants King to remain: Frozen in perpetual optimism, urging more than demanding, appealing to America’s better angels rather than ruthlessly calling out its persistent demons. But that must not be done.”

The Agitated M.L.K. I Came to Love (and speaking of Martin Luther King, did you miss our stellar – if I may say so myself – MLK coverage yesterday? I have you covered: Black Queer People Can Learn From the Lost Queer Joy of the Civil Rights Movement and our roundtable that’s not to be missed What’s In Your Black Justice Toolkit?)

Excuse my enraged nerd hat, but this is NOT how archives work! National Archives Exhibit Blurs Images Critical of President Trump.

In case you missed it: The New York Times editorial board endorsed two women running for President. And I guess Hillary Clinton had some things to say today about Bernie Sanders? Y’all please don’t yell in the comments. I just work here. Thanks and have a good rest of your day!

Sunday Funday Is Waking Up to Hayley Kiyoko

Good morning! My son is standing over me breathing with his little mouth open so I can see his cutie pie teeth and is begging me to feed him. He’s fine. There’s still food in the bowl! The same food I will put in there once I finish writing this, in fact! He is a baby, and I love him, but my word the boy loves to scream. He’s lucky he’s so cute and cuddle-able and kissable. Cats, baby!

+ San Francisco opened a housing program for trans and GNC adults dealing with homelessness.

This week San Francisco will launch the first transitional housing program for transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) adults experiencing homelessness and housing instability. The new initiative includes a new building and rental subsidy program that will provide housing to 75 low income trans community members. St. James Infirmary led by Toni Newman and Larkin Street Youth Services led by Sherilyn Adams are the leaders on this initiative.

+ Thorgy Thor says classical music and drag culture belong together!

+ Here are a few of Hayley Kiyoko‘s favorite things.

+ She also had to cancel her upcoming tour. Sending her love!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B7ecOuwgTLF/?igshid=gaj04cvg7u7w

+ Young queer activists are tackling Northern Ireland’s mental health crisis.

+ Some lovely words about a women’s sports rivalry.

+ Cynthia Nixon got some other powerful rich lesbians to produce Last Summer at Bluefish Cove, a classic lesbian play, which she will direct.

+ Lesbian romances for the 2020!!!

+ NO corporations and NO cops at San Francisco Pride anymore!!!

+ Here’s how to be a lesbian in LA:

Shane’s bar might be fictionally set in Silver Lake, but the Semi-Tropic is in the adjacent neighborhood of Echo Park, where the park itself is a popular spot for sunny-day sitting with friends and dates, offering A-plus people-watching. Sasha Lane hangs out here, but be careful: Your ex-girlfriend probably does, too.

+ How Broad City helped Ilana Glazer embrace her queerness.

+ Hey watch this!

https://twitter.com/sapphicticated/status/1218110350261796864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1218110350261796864&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pride.com%2Flesbian%2F2020%2F1%2F18%2Fcoffee-commercial-about-queer-teens-best-way-start-day

+ In Asia, choruses say, “Gay Rights!!!!”

+ Sailor Moon’s resplendent queerness!

Okay, we have reached peak, “I will eat your not yet corpse unless you feed me right meow” levels of strife in the house, so I bid you adieu here. I hope you have a sweet week, get into some community justice work for our good brother Martin, love on a cute human and/or animal, and love on yourself. You deserve it, and I currently have a claw in my arm! Goodbye! I love you!

Also.Also.Also: The WNBA Is Finally Gonna Get PAID, Will Your Dream Basketball Wife Fantasy Come True?

Feature photo via Courtney Williams’ Instagram

Hello.Hello.Hello and welcome back to Also.Also.Also, Autostraddle’s twice a week link roundup, already in progress! I’m Carmen, your trusty tour guide through the news of the week, and I’ll be taking over for Laneia and Natalie for the time being. Get comfortable and cozy! I think we’re really going to enjoy each other’s company.

I’m drinking my morning tea because I hate the taste of coffee.Yes that mug is Beyoncé-themed, since we’re all getting to know each other.

Queer as in F*ck You

Whitney Houston Will Be Inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Black femmes win and we love to see it.

Harlequin’s Carina Press to Launch LGBTQ+ Romance Line

Girl Expelled from Christian School for Wearing a Rainbow Sweater

How Queer Influencers Transformed Coming Out for Gen Z by Autostraddle’s own Rachel Charlene Lewis for i-D

The Title ‘Ms.’ Ignited Controversy in the ’70s, but It Caught On. The Pronoun ‘They’ Will, Too.

The International Olympic Committee has announced a ban on athletes kneeling, hand gestures or ‘any political messaging’ at Tokyo Olympics. Megan Rapinoe Responds: “We Will Not Be Silenced!”

(Much respect to Rapnioe, her history of protest is very important – particularly her history as one of the first white athletes to take a knee and protest police brutality during the national anthem. However, let’s also not forget that these new bans are almost exclusively targeting the historic role of protest made by black athletes and other athletes of color.)

Saw This, Thought of You

WNBA Player’s New Groundbreaking Collective Bargaining Agreement Includes Higher Salaries, Quality of Life Improvements. The new (and first of their kind!) 6-figure median salary wages are just the tip of the iceberg. Players will now receive maternity leave with full salary, childcare stipends, workplace accommodations for nursing mothers, fertility treatment and adoption reimbursement, resources for domestic violence counseling, and more. Autostraddle’s #1 women’s basketball fan – and ace political and television writer – Natalie couldn’t have said it better herself:

https://twitter.com/natthedem/status/1217148786520264705

And while we’re here: Black Women in the WNBA Fought for More Money and Better Quality of Life — And Won by Tamryn Spruill for Zora

Which Tech Company Is Really the Most Evil?: The 30 Most Dangerous Corporations in the Industry, Ranked by the People Who Know

Uh oh. You Might Want to Throw Away Your Thinx Underwear. In full honesty, I’m probably going to keep wearing my Thinx? But I still think you should know.

This Latina Entrepreneur Used to Sell Weed. Now She Sells CBD Products at Saks Fifth Avenue.

Books by Latinx & Latin American Authors to Add to Your 2020 Reading List

Impressive Questions to Ask in a Job Interview

20 Headlines Comparing Meghan Markle To Kate Middleton that will remind you that racism is in fact, very real! Yes, even for princesses.

Political Snacks

In case you didn’t see the post-debate missed handshake that everyone can’t stop talking about:

Talking About the Warren and Sanders Handshake Keeps Us From Having to Talk About Sexism

Oh but since we’re Autostraddle, we are DEFINITELY going to talk about the sexism: Elizabeth Warren Brushed off Bernie Sanders and Taught a Master Class in Handling Sexism and The Third Rail of Calling ‘Sexism:’ Warren Tried Not to Talk About It by my favorite non-Autostraddle political writer, Rebecca Traister for The Cut.

Who is my overall favorite political writer, you may ask? None other than Natalie, of aforementioned WNBA tweet fame. If you missed her recap of this week’s democratic debate, you’re missing some insanely smart and queer political coverage.

Also.Also.Also: Wear Your Explicit Bisexuality Directly on Your Feet and Other Stories for Your Week

Queer as in F*ck You

Vans Is Selling Bisexual Sneakers For Valentine’s Day

Could Trans Women Get Uterus Transplants in the Near Future?

Brazilian judge orders Netflix to remove ‘gay Jesus’ comedy

On Hating Men (And Becoming One Anyway)

Defence minister apologises for Catholic priests who outed gay and lesbian soldiers

The trans woman who defied her mafia upbringing

India’s first trans queen: ‘Show yourself loud and proud’

Saw This, Thought of You

Will I ever get tired of this story? Probably not. #SorryNotSorry: Meghan Markle Defeated the British Monarchy

Black Britons Know Why Meghan Markle Wants Out

Iran’s only female Olympic medalist reportedly defects

They Made a Movie Out of It

How fast food “became black”

Tote bags, water bottles, mailing labels: Why non-profits give away so much crap

Airbnb Admits Ownership of AI Technology That Targets Sex Workers, Others

Best. Entrance. Ever.:

https://twitter.com/Claressashields/status/1216064671830159360

🌎🌏 Saw This, Thought of You: Climate Change is Real 🌏🌎

Ten years after an earthquake devastated their country, many Haitians have little hope

Haiti Faces Difficult Questions Ten Years After a Devastating Earthquake

Quake-stunned Puerto Rico hit by another 5.9-magnitude shock

Australia’s indigenous people have a solution for the country’s bushfires. And it’s been around for 50,000 years

Explainer: what are the underlying causes of Australia’s shocking bushfire season?

In Australia, the air poses a threat; people are rushing to hospitals in cities choked by smoke

Hazardous Eruption Imminent’ of Philippines Volcano as Thousands Flee

Political Snacks

This is great news: Kansas has reached a deal to expand Medicaid, covering 150,000 people

The Democratic debate stage is now all white. It doesn’t have to be this way

Grading the Top Candidates’ Immigration Plans

Cardi for Congress

Sunday Funday Is Celebrating Being Non-Binary With Janelle Monáe

Hello and good morning, happy Sunday! I hope you’re well, I just finished a week of hosting A+ friend and Femme Brûlée recipe developer Reniece Charles, and then immediately after she left my period started! I slept most of Saturday and it was the perfect ending to a perfect week.

And now here’s some perfect news from that week.

+ A short history of feminist zines, including one created because of a lesbian-ish road trip.

+ If you wanna be an extra in a gay holiday movie, now’s your chance!

+ In case you missed it: The reboot for Saved by the Bell will star trans star Josie Totah as a feared and beloved cheerleader. 

+ Feel confident watching your stories because feminism is apparently alive and well on Days of Our Lives.

+ Jonathan Van Ness wrote a children’s book about a unique (nonbinary) guinea pig.

+ Janelle Monáe maybe came out on Twitter as nonbinary?! Either way, she’s definitely supporting the ladies and theydies.

+ Queer Nigerians are rewriting the body.

14 further advances nearly two decades of Nigerian literary coming out by introducing a collective approach. In an emotionally expansive collage of poems, stories, essays, memoirs, and illustrations, individual voices witness and dialogue with each other. A hair salon provides a comfortable, tactile space for two women to signal their mutual attraction in the short story “Tangled Ends.” In the poem “Nella,” two women teachers supervising teenagers outdoors connect tacitly, like tentative teenagers themselves. In the memoir snapshot “Ajar,” a young man becomes suicidal after his conservative Christian mother discovers romantic phone texts, forces him to call the supposed girlfriend and then a deep voice answers. These stories are interspersed with dramatic illustrations, such as “The Struggle of a Rainbow,” a grayscale face weeping because it cannot perceive its own beauty. Artistic creation in these pages feels at times like a survival act and a medicine against depression.

+ More queer artists to get into!

+ Lesbian comics are embracing their butch sides! 

+ Janet Mock is receiving is being honored by GLAAD and will be given their top award this spring in Los Angeles.

+ MORE ART (this time, traveling)! Get out there and see something beautiful created by a queer artist this year, you deserve it!

+ The new Girl Scout Cookie flavor, Lemon-Ups, is made using sustainable oils. Girls Scouts said, “SAVE THE WORLD!”

Okie doke artichoke, have a great Sunday, an even better Monday, and a thrilling week. Get into yourself and your friends and remember all the things that used to make you happy and make time to do them if you can. But also, try not to feel guilty if something doesn’t work out the way you hope, everything’s an experiment you know? All data is good data. Okay, love ya, you rock, enjoy being your amazing cool queer selves this week.

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