Black. Lesbian. Writer.

Be sure to check out the first part of this story, Beans & Rice.

August 12, 2000 marked one month to the day I moved out of my parents’ home. It also marked on month to the last time I had spoken to Daddy. By now, every one on both sides of my family knew that I had moved out, but no one knew exactly why. When asked, I told people that it was just time. In that month, Jerry and I settled very quickly into our customized domestication. We added my name to the lease, I changed my … *Read the rest

Y’all know I like a good story. I especially like it when the stories can benefit someone else, so here’s introducing the first part of Aris’ story…

On July 12, 2000, after a major and dramatic disagreement with Daddy over my sexuality, I was led to leave my parents’ home. He had confronted me with a stack of emails to and from me and Jerry four days prior and we agreed that none of such conduct would take place in his house. However, he approached me a few days later reasoning that as long as I was in the house, … *Read the rest

J at Up 4 Discussion asked: I’ve always wondered how some people could tell someones sexual orientation just by looking at them. I understand that some people make it obvious, but others don’t. I’m curious, do you have any signs that you look for or notice that tell you certain things about a persons sexual orientation? If so, what are some of those things?

Everyone isn’t going to walk around with their sexuality visible to the world. When you can’t simply observe the dude in really tight jeans, or the girl sagging hers, you have to look a little closer. … *Read the rest

The first time I saw her she came out of the train station and walked by me down the street. I noticed the Chucks she wore with pin-striped trousers, a button down blue shirt with a white collar, and a messenger bag. Her long straight, blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail hanging down her back.

I took one look at her and categorized her as gay. She didn’t have an extra switch in her hip. In fact, she sauntered more than sashay. There was something masculine about how she handled herself, even though she didn’t look like a stud/butch. … *Read the rest

I was having this conversation with a co-worker about her life. She described what her life was like growing up in India and having her marriage arranged. She joked that her biggest sticking point with her parents was that her future husband needed to be someone that would not stay in India. She was adamant that she would never return there to live. When I asked why, she said she didn’t fit in. She described an Indian woman as being submissive and this woman is anything, but submissive. She’s a firecracker! I find it quite funny that she refers to … *Read the rest

There is this little man that lives a few houses down from me. I’ve seen him a few times standing outside his house. He always makes an effort to flirt and I always politely decline without really explaining to him that I’ve got a girlfriend.

Last night, we got off the bus together. I hadn’t seen him even on the bus, but as soon as we stepped off, I cursed this coincidence. I slowed down in hopes that he would continue on his way, but it seemed as though he was slowing down too. He’s the kind of guy that … *Read the rest

I remember hearing a tale from a “boi” about how a certain female repeatedly did things that had always previously been her role. A simple example was opening doors…

If there had been any type of sexual attention there, it would have fizzled at the so called acts of emasculation the girl continued to execute.

Emasculation:
1. to castrate.
2. to deprive of strength or vigor; weaken.
3. deprived of or lacking strength or vigor; effeminate.

So we’ll ignore the first definition, but the other two… It’s possible, right?

I remember very early on in my dealings with my first, … *Read the rest