by Mia McKenzie
I was talking a couple of nights ago with the beautiful and fabulous Cherry Galette about the femme/butch dichotomy that seems to be so prevalent in queer community, lamenting the fact that feminine-identified girls like us who want to get down with other feminine-identified…
Every word of this! As a genderqueer androgyne attracted to folks across the gender spectrum this is such a challenge! Internalized hetero/homonormativity is a beast! Can we make a tumblr of super elaborate dating profiles, that get into all of this? Can we think about relationship anarchy and polyamory as possible tools to help erode the femme/butch centrism in our lovin’? Can amorous same/near gender friendships (i.e. femme/femme, trans*/genderqueer/tom boy, etc.) be allowed to ebb and flow into awesome types of intimacies, sexual and not?
I’m thinking all the thoughts!
Mia McKenzie has done it again!
Encourage yourself
Many times, the situations and events in your life won’t offer you much encouragement. On top of that, even other people may not have much encouragement to give you.
But that doesn’t mean you have to go without any encouragement. After all, you are perfectly capable of encouraging yourself.
Remind yourself how truly fortunate you are to be able to experience life’s great wonders. Consider all the positive possibilities that are available to you, even on the most difficult days.
You are marvelously free to think what you wish, to feel the way you choose, and to act in the best interest of yourself and your world. On top of that, you’re surrounded by a magnificent abundance that you can transform into great meaningful value.
Perhaps at the moment life is not offering you much encouragement, but that’s not really a problem. Connect with the joys you’ve already experienced, the possibilities of the present, and your dreams for the future, and you’ll find plenty of encouragement within yourself.
Is your world in need of encouragement, and there’s none to be found? Be the encourager, and you’ll be powerfully encouraged.
-Ralph Marston
Openly gay Latina wins Texas state house seat
(Courtesy Mary Gonzalez)
Mary Gonzalez told them she was the best candidate to represent them and El Paso voters agreed, but along the way, the 28-year-old doctoral student at the University of Texas at Austin broke her share of barriers.
“Eventually I faced the inevitable, this was the body and the booty I was given, and I might as well start loving them.” -Tracee, from her contribution to the book “Naked: Black Women Bare All About Their Skin, Hair, Hips, Lips, and Other Parts” -Tracee Ellis Ross
never seen this pic of Tracee, wish i would hv seen it sooner, but better late than never
Taurus Sun & Libra Rising combination
(Source: whereisthecoool)
— Wu-Tang Clan (via metheuniverseandyou)
(Source: ashleighadeline, via theeducatedfieldnegro)
The greatest success
You don’t have to be famous to be important. You don’t have to be a celebrity to be successful.
You don’t have to live in opulent luxury to be rich. You don’t have to be irresponsible to be free.
You don’t have to be outrageous to be creative. You don’t have to be abusive to be impressive.
You can be quietly humble and still be amazingly effective. You can be kind and considerate and still have great influence.
Just because people don’t fall at your feet and worship you, doesn’t mean you are a failure. Quiet success is just as sweet as loud, flamboyant success, and usually much more real.
Success is what you choose for it to be, not what everyone else says it must be. Live your life in each moment in a way that truly fulfills you and brings value to your world, for that is the greatest success.
— Ralph Marston
Best possibilities
Some people think they can demand your attention just by being outrageous. Give your attention instead to those who offer real substance.
If you allow yourself to be offended, you’re allowing someone else to dictate your thoughts and feelings. Instead of being offended, you can choose to be amused or inspired, or to simply let it go.
Give your time the respect it deserves. Use it for what truly matters, not just to feed someone else’s ego, or your own.
Focus on the best possibilities, not merely on the loudest spectacles. Give your attention to life’s true beauty.
You’re surrounded by a universe that is endlessly fascinating and overflowing with valuable substance. You can live each moment of every day with meaningful, authentic richness.
There’s no need to settle for a flimsy, superficial imitation of what matters. You deserve the real thing, so live it each and every day.
— Ralph Marston
