An Angry Lesbian's Wishlist
Aug. 11th, 2009 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aliarasA while ago I was browsing the more christian corners of the internet (Slacktivist is pretty cool) just on a whim, because I got linked there and was bored at work. This lead to this post, and my sisters and I talking tonight lead to it actually getting posted.
I'm a queer. A homosexual. I realized the other day that too often my membership in this group seems to override everything else that defines me. It happens in my conversations, in my interactions with the world, with the culture. I can't turn off my queerness, it's a part of me, not just something I chose to do every once in a while on Friday night. I get up, get dressed, go to work, write this post and listen to music queerly. Someone somewhere on the internet said something about queerly buying yogurt at the grocery store. It's true.
I grew up in the area around San Francisco, and I go to school in Portland. It's not like I live in an area where being queer is Not Okay, but there are still things wrong, even there.
I want to see myself and be seen by the surrounding culture. I can count on one hand the number of songs I have about loving other women. There are few shows or movies that really deal with it, and fewer still that do it well. Just once, I want to see a lesbian character - side character, main character, who gives as long as she's recurring. She doesn't need to do anything or conform to some list of traits. I'd appreciate if she wasn't a Tragic Lesbian, and in no way shape or form is the Healing Cock allowed to "fix" her. But really? She just needs to act like a human being, because that's all us big scary queers are. Human beings.
We're surrounded by heterosexuality, bathed in it. It doesn't bother me; I just want a space too.
I want to be able to talk to other women about women in those conversations in which we huddle close and talk about our love lives. I don't want to have to worry whether or not this will cause problems.
I want to do away with those awkward silences in which everyone is reminded that Ali Is A Queer.
I want to be able to walk into a house of God and relax instead of tightening up in defense.
I want to flirt with you, the editorial you, the attractive woman I just met, and have you know that I mean it and not run away when you figure that out.
I want to be able to marry if I ever find that kind of love.
I want to never, ever hear about how your uncle's best friend's sister is gay too, omg. No, you do not get a fucking tolerance cookie.
I want to be able to consider the armed forces, even if I personally don't know about them. I want to be able to serve without giving up an essential aspect of my self.
And while all of these wants are from my lesbian perspective, I don't want it to end there. I don't just want to see me, I want to see everyone in all the wonderful varieties we come in, see women and bisexuals and transgenders and people of color and everyone I'm not thinking of, all shown as actual human beings acting out their lives. Because if just showing people means laying down, "looking past" race and gender and sexuality, what are you left with? The default. White het cis-males. And people are so much more than that.
I'm a queer. A homosexual. I realized the other day that too often my membership in this group seems to override everything else that defines me. It happens in my conversations, in my interactions with the world, with the culture. I can't turn off my queerness, it's a part of me, not just something I chose to do every once in a while on Friday night. I get up, get dressed, go to work, write this post and listen to music queerly. Someone somewhere on the internet said something about queerly buying yogurt at the grocery store. It's true.
I grew up in the area around San Francisco, and I go to school in Portland. It's not like I live in an area where being queer is Not Okay, but there are still things wrong, even there.
I want to see myself and be seen by the surrounding culture. I can count on one hand the number of songs I have about loving other women. There are few shows or movies that really deal with it, and fewer still that do it well. Just once, I want to see a lesbian character - side character, main character, who gives as long as she's recurring. She doesn't need to do anything or conform to some list of traits. I'd appreciate if she wasn't a Tragic Lesbian, and in no way shape or form is the Healing Cock allowed to "fix" her. But really? She just needs to act like a human being, because that's all us big scary queers are. Human beings.
We're surrounded by heterosexuality, bathed in it. It doesn't bother me; I just want a space too.
I want to be able to talk to other women about women in those conversations in which we huddle close and talk about our love lives. I don't want to have to worry whether or not this will cause problems.
I want to do away with those awkward silences in which everyone is reminded that Ali Is A Queer.
I want to be able to walk into a house of God and relax instead of tightening up in defense.
I want to flirt with you, the editorial you, the attractive woman I just met, and have you know that I mean it and not run away when you figure that out.
I want to be able to marry if I ever find that kind of love.
I want to never, ever hear about how your uncle's best friend's sister is gay too, omg. No, you do not get a fucking tolerance cookie.
I want to be able to consider the armed forces, even if I personally don't know about them. I want to be able to serve without giving up an essential aspect of my self.
And while all of these wants are from my lesbian perspective, I don't want it to end there. I don't just want to see me, I want to see everyone in all the wonderful varieties we come in, see women and bisexuals and transgenders and people of color and everyone I'm not thinking of, all shown as actual human beings acting out their lives. Because if just showing people means laying down, "looking past" race and gender and sexuality, what are you left with? The default. White het cis-males. And people are so much more than that.
