Tag Archives: black lesbians

Where Does the ‘Criminal Black Lesbian’ Stereotype Come From?

While there is certainly no shortage of negative beliefs regarding black people, those that are particularly prevalent are the ideas that black people are violent, aggressive, and destined for a life of crime.

These stereotypes in particular seems to be regarded of black lesbians too, especially those who seem to appear more ‘masculine’.

The group of black lesbians convicted in a 2006 Greenwich Village assault case know this well as despite the women’s argument that they were acting in self-defence against a man that both catcalled and threatened them, they were arrested and charged with felony gang assault and attempted murder.

An Equity Project report also states that 40% of girls in the juvenile justice system are lesbian, bisexual or transgender and 85% are girls of colour as well.

With with many of these girls finding themselves in the system for non-criminal acts (e.g “running away from home or breaking school rules”), it’s believed that the criminal black lesbian stereotype may have been a large factor.

NPR has investigated the origin of the criminal black lesbian stereotype, with the publication noting that it stretches back to the early 20th century.

The publication cites a recent Journal of African American History article by Cookie Woolner, a historian and teaching fellow at Kalamazoo College, which points to newspaper reports about murders and other crimes committed by black women in relationships with other women.

The underlying tone of the articles seemed to be that their crimes were a direct result of their “perverted affections” and their “insanity”, and they were also referred to as a “class of perverts”.

In the decades to follow, things didn’t get much better. NPR explains that in the 1940s and 50s, women’s prisons became “synonymous with lesbianism” and although “the stereotype of the aggressive lesbian eventually grew to include working-class white women,” black women were generally believed to be the aggressors and white women were described as “temporary partners”.

More recently, 1996 film Set It Off and TV show The Wire, which both feature black lesbians being violent and performing crimes have also contributed to the stereotype’s prevalence.

TV shows such as Orange is the New Black (which features LGBT characters and looks at injustices within the criminal justice system) as well as movements such as Black Lives Matter (which has helped to give black women a platform to share their voice) have had a positive impact.

However, with the stereotype being so entrenched, it may be some time before the worst is no longer thought of black lesbian women.

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Lena Waithe Talks The Importance Of Self-Love As A Black Gay Woman

Lena Waithe – Netflix’s Master of None as Aziz Ansari’s truth-talking friend, Denise – has shared a touching letter to her younger self about self acceptance, love, sex and being proud to be black and gay.

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In the Refinery29 video LoveMe, Wathie talks about why it’s important to have self-love as a black gay woman.

A big issue within the LGBT community is embracing oneself and not being ashamed. Especially among people of color, you still get those people who aren’t very open and who don’t want everybody to know. Within the Hollywood industry, you still have a lot of [Black] people who aren’t openly gay.

If you think of it, in terms of how many people there are in Black Hollywood, the numbers just don’t add up. There are way too few people who are out. It’s like that hashtag that’s going around, #oscarssowhite; I’d say #blackhollywoodsostraight.”

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She also shares the story of meeting her now partner (that dream woman she talks about in her video), Alana Mayo, who was straight-identified before meeting Lena, and how other people discuss her sexuality:

People will ask my girlfriend, ‘Alana, are you gay? Are you straight?’ For a second, she was trying to figure out, ‘Am I a lesbian?’ I was like, ‘No, I don’t think you should call yourself that, because a lesbian means you were born gay. I’m a lesbian.’ Then, she was like, ‘Am I bisexual?’

And I’m like, ‘Maybe?’ She was like, ‘You know what? I’m not going to label it. I’m just going to be myself.’ I think it’s interesting that we can say, ‘Look, sexuality is fluid and love is where you find it.’

 

Watch the video below:

Brooklyn Lesbian Shares Harrowing Homophobic Attack By Off Duty NYPD Officer (Video)

An NYPD officer is under investigation for a possible hate crime after a Brooklyn woman accused him of assaulting her and calling her homophobic slurs.

Stephanie Dorceant, an artist and film-maker, has spoken out after suffering a vile homophobic attack from an off duty police officer, who subsequently had her arrested for assaulting him.

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Dorceant claims that the unnamed officer hurled homophobic slurs at her and her then-girlfriend before repeatedly punching her in the face and strangling her.

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She recounted what happened in a video by BRIC TV, saying

It’s two or three in the morning, and this neighbourhood is really quiet, there’s a lot of kids that live here, there’s a lot of families that live here. So when someone brushed up against me I screamed, like a shriek or something and so I said “Are you OK?”And he turned around and he basically barked at me and told me to mind my f***ing business you f***ing dyke.”

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I told him to watch his mouth and then he knocked me, I told him not to touch me, and then he started to attack me, grab me by the hair, started punching me in the face and he wouldn’t let me go. We kept yelling at him to leave me alone but he didn’t even do that. And then towards the end of it he yells out that he is a cop.”

According to a report in The Huffington Post, when other police officers arrived on the scene they immediately pushed her into the pavement and arrested her.

During the incident she received bruising to her face and neck and an eye injury. She was also charged with assault, attempted assault and resisting arrest.

All of the charges have since been dropped, after a grand jury ruled in her favour.

Now Dorceant is now suing New York City and the police department for battery, unlawful stop, malicious prosecution and false arrest.

In the video, Dorceant expressed disbelief that she was talking about herself, and not something she had read online about someone else.

She went on to draw comparisons between her and other high profile cases of alleged police brutality against African-Americans and other minority’s.

Watch the full video here;

Join UK’s LGF in Celebrating Black History Month – #BHMLGB

October is Black History Month in the UK. It’s a chance to learn about, raise awareness, and celebrate Black history, culture and heritage that is often unseen and unheard in society.

Throughout October, The LGF will be running a social media campaign to help raise awareness, and they want to know who has inspired you.

Nominations do not have to be celebrities or well known figures, they could be local heroes within your communities or even families.

To nominate some simply tweet a pics, videos and links to @lgfoundation, using #BHMLGB

Compelling Documentary – The Butch Mystique

The Butch Mystique (2003) is a documentary chronicling of butch african american lesbians living in the Oakland and San Francisco Bay Area. It is powerful as it is beautiful.

Directed by Debra A. Wilson, this award-winning short documentary discusses the issue butch black women face day-to-day. From what defines a “butch,” to childhood and family, coming out, relationships, sexuality, stereotypes, and society’s perceptions of them as individuals. In addition, because these are all African American butch lesbians, the common thread of race links these women together. As “butches,” they are often perceived as black men, which proves problematic when living in a mostly white society which fears black men.

 “…this film goes beneath the surface, beyond the stereotypes, to reveal the heart of what it means to be an African American butch-identified lesbian.”

Debra A. Wilson,

Butch Mystique is here to challenge those stereotypes by showing that butch lesbians may not fit within culturally proscribed boundaries of femininity, but they are certainly women.

Synopsis

Nine African American butch (masculine) lesbians individually talk to an unseen and unheard interviewer about various aspects of the butch lifestyle and their own personal lives. Topics include their look (clothing, hairstyles, lack of makeup, etc.), their realisations that they were “different” and their eventual coming out, their relationships with various family members, their partners, and other societal groups, the perceptions of society, and what it means to be “butch”.

You can watch this documentary on YouTube in parts. (The video quality is little jumpy in some areas but worth watching).