dispatch from the value of feminist scholarship
and something about a 'woke button'
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Welcome to this week’s dispatch from the lesbian internet, a mid-week news roundup from Paging Dr. Lesbian. If you like this type of thing, subscribe, and share it with your friends.
Before we begin, I wanted to remind you all that I will be doing an AMA (Ask Me Anything) in January to celebrate the 1-year anniversary of this newsletter, so now is the time to ask me questions! Have something you’ve been dying to ask me, or a topic you’d like to know my opinion about? Comment below, DM me on Twitter, or e-mail me at kira.deshler@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
The new reboot of Sex and the City, entitled And Just Like That…, dropped last week. I have not watched it, but here’s what I know: Sara Ramirez’ character Che hosts a podcast with Carrie called X, Y, and Me, and at random moments in the podcast, Che presses a button that blares a voice yelling “WOKE MOMENT.” If you’ve seen it, sound off below. I will continue to be following this show from the periphery, but if you want to hear Ramirez’ perspective on the series check out this interview where they discuss how they came to be a part of the show.
Relatedly, I was privy to an interesting discussion about non-binary representation on Twitter the other day. Naomi McPherson of the band MUNA, who is non-binary, made a comment about why non-binary characters on TV are so annoying, and a magazine editor had what I think is a very insightful response. Definitely something to chew on.
In other news, Judith Butler is releasing her first book with a non-academic press. It will be called Who’s Afraid of Gender (an incredible title), and is described as “a defense of the study of gender that spans philosophy, history, law, and reportage to analyze the social fantasy of “gender” as a destructive force that has incited new forms of fascism around the world.” I’m literally shaking in my boots as I type this.
In other news about famous lesbian authors, it’s been announced that the first-ever movie about legendary black lesbian poet and scholar Audre Lorde is on it’s way. It will apparently be titled The Erotic, after Lorde’s famous essay “Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power,” and is to be produced by Numa Perrier, who directed the 2019 film, Jezebel, and she will also star in the film. This is a huge undertaking, as Lorde is one of the most important voices of the 20th century. If you haven’t encountered Lorde, you can read some of her most famous essays here, taken from her formative collection Sister Outsider.
In very sad news, celebrated feminist scholar bell hooks has died at the age of 69. You can read her essay “The Oppositional Gaze” here. I am reminded of this paragraph from Audre Lorde’s essay “The Transformation of Silence Into Language and Action,” which she wrote shortly after finding out she had cancer. Lorde herself died at the age of 58.
In sports news, WNBA star Candace Parker has announced she is gay by sharing with the world that she has had a wife – former teammate Anna Petrakova – for a full two years now and that her wife is pregnant. I love this coming-out strategy, and I also love this headline from Autostraddle. In other gay sports news, some lesbians got engaged in the middle of a softball game.
In movie news, apparently St. Vincent has composed the score for the upcoming film “Am I Ok?” which stars Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno. I don’t really know the plot of the film but it’s directed by Tig Notaro and her wife Stephanie Allynne so it’s got to be gay, right?
Other things from this week:
This devastating piece by actor Colton Haynes about how Hollywood forced him back into the closet.
This birthday post Raven’s wife Miranda Pearman made on Raven’s birthday.
This list from Autostraddle that compiles 22 Christmas movies with lesbian, bi, and trans characters in them.
Zendaya has said she wants to direct a “love story about two black girls.” Someone give her money!
That’s all for this week, folks! Stay tuned for one more post from me before I take a break for the holidays. I hope you all read some feminist scholarship before then. I will leave you with this.
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