Culture
Queer Lit to Read this Pride Month
I always knew I wanted to be a writer. When I first entered university I was an English student. I quickly left the department after realizing that literary criticism was not for me, but before I did I took a queer literature class. This list is compiled both from books that I read in that class, as well as books I have come across in my hunger for Canadian small-press works. From my experience reading queer lit, I have found that these stories tell a more representative and relatable account of what it means to exist in a body, to fall in love and have intimate, vulnerable experiences. Queer lit exists as not only a more accurate telling of a story, but often as a retelling of exclusionary past stories, as shown by Anne Carson’s work and Jordy Rosenberg’s work featured below.
Liberation
Don't get me wrong, rainbow capitalism can be great. I love being able to walk into Target during pride month and pick up a super cheap rainbow flag, rainbow merch, anything so that I can shout my pride out to the world. However, I think it's important every queer person figures out what liberation means to them. For me it has been inherently seperating myself from what society considers to be "the norm." While gayness is becoming more and more normalized our roots, history, and lived experience will never be the same as straight society so why should we live by their rules. Capitalism, sexism, the confines of traditional gender, and gender roles shouldn't have a place in our community any more. My playlist is curated for those punk queers, those queers looking to be liberated from the system because it was NEVER made for us.
Pucker up for Pride!
This Pride, celebrity blog Mr. Man looks back on the top 100 Iconic Gay Kisses that have lit up big and small screens and helped make a positive statement, infusing "love is love" into the mainstream ethos. They include Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in 2005’s monumental Brokeback Mountain, Sean Sasser and Pedro Zamora in 1992’s The Real World, Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome in 2016’s Moonlight, and more.
Ben NelsonPublished 3 years ago in PrideKaty's Pride Playlist
From Bronski Beat to Lil Nas X, my playlist expresses a story which can be viewed as a narrative love story or an allegory for how our community has struggled towards freedom over the past century or so. Each song in my playlist is represented by a line in a poem, telling a story of queer love and self-acceptance. The protagonist comes from a difficult situation and through connecting with community is able to develop self-confidence, pride and love. Lines from my playlist songs go together to tell a story of adversity, courage, victory and love. The protagonist in the story goes through three main phases; Isolation, Community and Love.
Katy StuffPublished 3 years ago in PrideDancing Out of the Closet
If there's one thing that would spring first to mind if you ask my loved ones what they think of when they think of me, it's THEATRE. It's not just my job, gentles and lady-men. It's a lifestyle. So, of course, in fitting "me" fashion, when I came out, I did it in public, and I did it to music. I was simultaneously appearing in two musical, and completely queer, productions. So the music that helped me find myself, from those two shows, takes the top spots on my playlist for Pride 2021
Mx. Stevie (or Stephen) ColePublished 3 years ago in PrideThe debate
The Debate By: Chauntelle A A sticky and humid night in Charlotte added to what was becoming a very tense moment as the group of friends engaged in a heated discussion about the best song to represent their LGBTQQIAAP community dance. Patria is the feisty self-appointed leader, leaning into the table from which they were sitting around. The table wobbled, Patria says, " okay people we've been sitting here for an hour, we're not getting anywhere we need to come up with a theme song for the dance." Patri says., “I think it should be Hopeless Romantic by Tink ''.
Chauntelle APublished 3 years ago in PrideStitching it together
Stitching it together Sewing has been my constant companion. I have been sewing since Was eight years old, which now makes it fifty years! As a kid, I spent all my summers off from school visiting my paternal Grandmother in College Point, Queens, New York, which we used to refer to as “the city” because it was so much more alive and bustling than our quiet suburban neighborhood on Long Island.
Rev. Kyle ApplegatePublished 3 years ago in PrideA Pride Playlist to Celebrate Your Identity
Love is delicacy and strength flourishing side by side. Love is resilience and art - it is that feeling you get when you witness something so beautiful, your skin gasps in awe.
sleepy draftsPublished 3 years ago in Pride