Am I offended by a queer feminist pornzine? Absolutely not. I like porn. I like porn a lot – and I don’t care how many Andrea Dworkin-like feminists roll their eyes at that comment. It makes me proud that there are feminists out there who weren’t persuaded – by Dworkin and her cronies – that porn is evil.

Even though the idea of a queer feminist pornzine isn’t offensive to me, I’m pretty sure I’ll be annoyed by the predictable racism that will run rampant through its pages. Anytime I see the words “feminist” and “queer” used together, it usually implies “white feminist same-gender loving folks.” Don’t believe me? Check out On Our Backs Magazine: page after page after page of white women.

Jump on over to Bitch Magazine – a feminist publication overflowing with white feminists, sprinkled with a little color when annoying Black bitches like me start to complain.

A common complaint about Ms. Magazine was that it used to be exclusively for white feminists, but I noticed they’re making an attempt to be a bit more inclusive. Too little too late if ya ask me.

Feministing.com – very white.  They used to at least try to appear as if they cared about women of color.  I guess that one colored girl doesn’t work there anymore.

Feministe.us: their staff lacks serious diversity. Pulling most of their columnists’ pictures off the site won’t help them hide that fact.

Racism has been running rampant in white feminist circles forever. See exhibit A, B, C and D.

So, while I’m not bothered at all by the existence of yet another queer feminist pornzine, I can tell you I don’t plan to support the project because I doubt I’ll see women who look like me on any of their pages.   If I’m wrong, they need to educate a sista.

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Once upon a time, you were sitting at the top of the social class ladder – a spot that gave you the best possible view of (and access to) the world and all it has to offer. You had the best seat because you were a white male who the world assumed was a heterosexual.

And then . . . you came out. You told the world you were a homosexual. From there, your position changed drastically, pushing you from position #1 to a spot closer to where racial minorities and women are placed. That must’ve hurt like a bitch – and you couldn’t have seen it coming. There’s no way you saw it coming.

As a young boy, you might have grown accustomed to certain privileges, like: the assumption that you would head off to college, get a great job and marry a great girl. If you were a Black male, the assumption would’ve been you would father several illegitimate children and end up in prison. If you were a Black female, the assumption would’ve been that you would give birth to several illegitimate children and end up on welfare.

You probably never had to deal with store clerks automatically assuming you had sticky fingers just because of your race. You probably never had to deal with the police pulling you over to question you about how you acquired the nice vehicle you were driving – because white men always drive nice cars, right? You probably never had to deal with teachers automatically assuming you would be a troublemaker in class – because white kids are always perfect students, right? You probably never had to deal with a grocery store clerk automatically assuming you were using a food stamp card when you reached into your wallet at the checkout – because white people don’t need food stamps, right?

Now that you identify as a homosexual, you can no longer enjoy the privileges afforded to you when you were an assumed straight white man. If I were you, I’d be fuckin’ pissed, too! Rich people who lose it all suffer far more emotional pain than those of us who never had more than enough to live on – because they remember what it was like to have it all. I’m guessing white gay men who lose their place at the top of the social ladder are suffering from the stab of injustice far more than the rest of the gay community because the pain is so very unfamiliar. It aches and aches and you haven’t developed a coping mechanism for that kinda grief just yet.

Relax. I have great news. You get used to the pain and, over the years, it’ll become somewhat manageable. You’ll learn how to function in the world and keep the pain at a minimum. If you need some tips on how to survive through the rougher spots, ask a Black woman. She’s a pro at it.

In the meantime, I suggest learning how to work within a system of oppression to remove the oppression. If you need help with that one, ask a feminist – or a Black man, or a Black woman, or a Hispanic individual. They all have great pointers. And pay attention as they speak; you might actually learn something.

Regards,
Genia Stevens

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My first observation: The family is white and their daughter is a pretty little blonde. I’m guessing that’s the case since Black families are not Dr. James Dobson’s target market – unless his organization is recruiting Black families to help them fuck over homosexuals and transgender people.

Second observation: Dad’s a jackass. He stands up with a sign that proclaims “My daughter runs faster than yours.” Yep. Train your daughter how to be a swell-headed, self-centered person whose goal is to always be better than everyone else.

Third observation: Their daughter has a little Black friend present at her tea party. Brownie points for the brown face. There’s also a Black man handing their daughter a diploma. I’m guessing that’s a calculated attempt to shut up people like me who would be looking for any sign of color. It didn’t work.

Fourth observation: Their daughter appears to get married right out of high school. At first I gave them the benefit of the doubt and thought she was graduating from college. But, since the man who hands her the diploma is not dressed in traditional attire worn at a college graduation, I’m guessing it’s a high school diploma – not college.

Without reading the book, the trailer suggests that parents who see their daughter graduate high school and find a good man have done their job. Nevermind the whole “learning to be self-sufficient before you settle down” thing. That would make her too much of a modernized woman and bring her dangerously close to being a feminist.

I will be reading this book – just so I can rip on each chapter on SistersTalk Radio. I’ll let you know when the rip-fest begins.

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A recent interview published on Essence.com reads:

Dr. Charles Ogletree clearly knew, after I left a general message at his Harvard Law School office, that I wanted to talk about the criticism gaining traction against President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Solicitor General Elena Kagan. In Kagan’s six years as dean at Harvard Law School, for example, with the exception of one Asian-American woman, all of the tenure-track professors hired there were White. There’s also sparse evidence of her views on important legal issues–and much grumbling that the President failed to further diversify the Court and nominate a Black woman.

Ogletree was gamely prepared to take on these concerns. The renowned Harvard law professor, who has known Kagan for 25 years (and has also been a longtime mentor to President Obama), rapidly, and at length, listed diversity-related facts about Kagan. And, although he agreed that the time is ripe for a Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court, Ogletree also explained why he approves of the nominee.

[INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS:]

ESSENCE.com: President Obama has been criticized, too, for failing to nominate a Black woman — particularly when there are many qualified candidates, and the Supreme Court has never had an African-American woman justice. What are your thoughts on this disappointment?

OGLETREE: I share that concern, and I have said publicly and privately that there [are] a large number of talented African-American women who should be considered. I applaud the remarkable accomplishments of people like Judge Ann Claire Williams on the Seventh Circuit and Leah Ward Sears, who was extraordinary as Chief Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court. I also think it is disgraceful that in the year 2010, when over half of the members of the legal profession are women, that we have only two women on the Supreme Court, and we’ve never had more than that.

ESSENCE.com: There’s also concern from the left wing over the lack of information on Elena Kagan’s views, and that she may not be liberal enough. Many hoped the President would have picked someone decisively liberal to ensure that viewpoint is represented. Do you think that’s the right approach to take?

OGLETREE: Let me be frank in my assessment — there are no liberals on the Supreme Court. I say that with all due respect to the current justices serving, but we don’t have a Thurgood Marshall or a William Brennan on the Court today. I don’t know that we’ll be able to have one in the foreseeable future, in light of the fact that so much has been made about politics. We have conservatives — we have ultra-conservatives — but we don’t have liberals. I think that Elena Kagan’s views are hard to predict.

Any day now, I expect to see hundreds of Black women chained to the White House fence to protest what appears to be . . . umm, anti Black female sentiment? You think that fence is large enough to hold everybody?

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In this segment:

*More DADT drama
*Another gay escort details night with Christian ex-gay activist
*Another mobile application that allows gay men to find other gay men
*Are lesbians morally superior to gay men?
*Is there anything wrong with meaningless sex?
*Can you love more than one person at a time?

Featured indie musician: Nhojj (Song played: Dream)

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In this segment:

*Exploiting children for entertainment purposes
*Focus on the Family softens anti-gay rhetoric
*Grandmother/grandson couple having a child together
*DADT repeal – will it ever happen?
*Immigration rallies protesting AZ immigration bill
*Straight girls have more unprotected sex than gay men
*Do you prefer sex with the lights on or off?

Featured indie musician: London Bridgez (Song played: She)

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Julie R. Enszer joined us on SistersTalk Radio to discuss her first book of poetry, Handmade Love.

In her first collection, Julie offers poems that are as unabashedly erotic as they are feminist.

Whether responding to queer cultural icons, fantasizing about sex, or mourning illness and loss, these poems are sweet, sultry, fierce and tender.

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The 2010 Lilith Tour has announced additions to the summer touring festival.

Heart
Norah Jones
Cat Power
Sia
Gossip
La Roux
Ceci Bastida
Erin McCarley
Frazey Ford
Julia Othmer
Kate Nash
Lights
Missy Higgins
Lissie
Marina & The Diamonds
Pricilla Renea
Rosie Thomas
Toby Lightman
Melissa McClelland
Beth Orton
Elizaveta

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http://sisterstalk.net/project1.mp3

From Jamila’s web site:

In 1992, women accounted for an estimated 14% of adults and adolescents living with AIDS in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. By the end of 2005, this proportion had grown to 23%. Currently women account for 26% of the new HIV diagnoses (Center for Disease Control and Prevention June 2007). Woman focused HIV prevention strategies and policies must be created. Women and girls must be empowered to take control of their bodies and make choices that are in line with a healthy way of life.

In the fight against HIV, women and girls have been overlooked. Prevention is not only about safe sex. It includes the factors that influence relationships and sexual behavior from low self-worth to sexual assault to domestic violence to poverty. Project 1 gives the issue a voice and face with whom other women and girls can identify, provides concrete ways to become active in our own rescue and creates a community of people working for prevention reaching beyond cultural and age boundaries with the understanding that HIV/AIDS affects women from all strata of society.

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America’s Biggest Sleepover is an event created to bring together teen girls from across the country. The event is hosted by American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. The nationwide online event will be hosted on November 7 on beinggirl.com – a Tampax and Always affiliated site.

America’s Biggest Sleepover will feature an exclusive performance from Jordin Sparks, a Q&A with Jordin from beinggirl.com members and sleepover party tips including recipes, fun games and hairstyles.

For every girl who signs up to participate on beinggirl.com, Always will donate $1 (up to $25,000 total) to the Protecting Futures program, which helps girls in developing regions stay in school.

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