Austin Slam Poet, Lacey Roop, Gender is a Universe. This is the first poem I ever saw Lacey do. So much heart and expansive language. This poem says and does so much. You can check out more of Lacey’s work on her website. Also, look for her touring across the country and at her home venue tonight, SpiderHouse Ballroom in Austin, TX.
“Instead of carving out a tiny gay space out of the small stream of bourgeois, legislative rights, can we imagine a kind of sexual freedom that is for all people? A kind of freedom where a single mom is able to bring up her child without feeling obligations to marry? A kind of freedom that no one would be restrained in pantyhose at work anymore? A kind of freedom that as a culture we are finally not tabooed to talk about sex, but does not idealize or professionalize it either? A kind of freedom that everyone would play with gender without shame, and a culture that no youth would commit suicide because of school bullying, or because they might just have a different sexual fantasy? A kind of place that no one would be afraid to walk the streets at night, where none of our body parts– our brains or our genitals –are pathologized. A kind of freedom that is multifaceted, and does not merely carve out a different shape of box to fit in a particular sexuality, but opens up the possibility to more creative desires for everyday folks.”
I am in Austin with one of my dearest friends. We met at church when we were 11 years old. He was wearing a Malcom X shirt and telling me about white supremacy. He taught me how to do the Running Man and Roger Rabbit and suggested I not call Asian people Oriental. It’s hilarious how we can look back on our friendships and see how they shaped us. At 15, he told me to read The Communist Manifesto. At 20, he turned me on to Eric Foner’s Reconstruction. It’s beautiful to me that now at 31, we are sitting in his living room, talking about language and authenticity and how people become genuinely radicalized. He identifies as a Queer Communist Militant. He works with a group called Unity and Struggle. To this day, he is one of the most well-read, hilarious and kind hearted humans I know. He writes for many blogs and websites but this is his personal blog and I just wanted to to share it with the comrades.
I said a poem for my girlfriend on All About You which airs on KSBI “Family Television” here in Oklahoma, and they didn’t even register it as being “gay.” At the end she says, “That is just like every man.” I guess they didn’t catch the “Ellen fans” or the “tux with heels” or the “closet door” reference but that’s quite alright because I got to say a poem for my sweetie on TV. I come in at 2:33 if you feel like watching it. Sorry for the advertising.
High-res
In honor of my love, and Grand Lover’s Excuse to Buy Tacky Lingerie Day. An excerpt from the poem, Submissive.
Sonya Renee Taylor. The poem that spawned the movement: The Body Is Not An Apology. If you haven’t already joined the Facebook group, you should do that now. Bodies of all genders, sizes, scars, and glories gather to celebrate in our gorgeous. Without boundary or shame, it is a peaceful kiss for every limb. Sonya Renee is an Individual World Poetry Slam Champion, a member of Saltlines Poetry Tour and a longtime advocate for anyone who needs a voice. Here she is on Snap Judgement too.
Another great read at the blog of Oklahomans for Reproductive Justice:
When I was growing up, my dad referred to Norman as “the San Francisco of Oklahoma.” I was always so indignantly opposed to that description, insisting that if his comparison were actually true, I would have never left home. I mean, really. Groovefest is not Folsom Street Fair, and the Library is not the Lexington. There is a palpable lack of leather daddies and dyke bars in the Festival City, making his description kind of funny, but mostly kind of sad; a reminder of everything queer that existed outside of my immediate grasp.
I love this. I love it when our babies come home and they see how we’ve grown.
- Reblogged from timekiller-s
- Source: timekiller-s
