Streaming with 🏳️‍🌈PRIDE LGBTQ+artists to stream all year long

🎶 Big Freedia: Known as the “Queen of Bounce,” Big Freedia is a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. With a unique blend of hip-hop, bounce, and New Orleans flavor, Big Freedia’s energetic performances and infectious beats have gained her a dedicated following. From hits like “Formation” with Beyoncé to her own chart-topping singles, Big Freedia’s music embodies the spirit of…

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I appreciate and understand why Barnes and Noble puts queer romance fiction in the romance section. You know, show solidarity, all romance is important, etc.

But I also kinda wish I could like...tell what books are geared towards me or highlights queer stories. Like I could read the back but sometimes one or both characters are trans, enby, or gender non-conforming and its like not acknowledged in the synopsis. Or sometimes the queer love is buried because the synopsis (rightly) focuses on the actual plot.

Like all thats great!

BUT ALSO

I dont wanna be tricked into reading a heterosexual, Hallmark movie-esque book where neither character has a personality. Like I love that for you but considering lawmakers are trying to ban stories that star people like me and it took years for queer visibility to be on shelves I would like to be able to easily spot queer voices.

Know your history.

I have explored a lot of different kinds of journals. When LiveJournal was hot I did that, and its still up there. I am repurposing that content into new journal entries and social media content. I have explored video blogs, not for public use just for my own mental well-being, and I have also explored audio blogs. I am in the midst of trying to get the pw to this account again, I may explore this again.

I like audio as a medium, not just because I am a podcast junkie its one of the easiest ways to just speak off the cuff and let the listener hear your voice unadulterated.

[Photo by Brown Estate]

✨Pinned Post✨

📚Alrighty then... let’s go

My name’s Ruthie. I’m an author and a screenwriter, and purveyor of fandom trash. Always have been, always will be. I’ve been publishing books since I was 19 (not all of them great), and got my degree at CSUN’s Screenwriting Program and am steadily working my way into the industry. Let’s go down my currently active projects.

If you don’t feel like scrolling thorough a huge post, may I offer you my personal website? I update it regularly and there’s a lot more in depth info on who I am and what I do,

First thing’s first - Ladies of Fortune has a website! For those uninitiated, I developed a pirate show in 2017 centered around the life and times of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, my favorite historical pirate figures of the Golden Age. I approached Mr. Damien Gerard years ago to play the lead villain, Ben Hornigold, and got a resounding “yes!” Little did I know that in the Year Of Our Lord 2022, Damien would be in another little pirate show as a the fearsome father of Edward “Blackbeard” Teach in Our Flag Means Death. 

Since then, LoF has gotten some major traction among the OFMD fan community, and even helped fund us through Kickstarter! We filmed a proof of concept--basically a shiny piece of pitch material for studios--and plan on pitching the show to execs sometime in the early spring.

(that’s me in the red wig as Anne Bonny~!)

Next up, let’s chat books📚 

I write a lot of those. And hey, they’re all romance (for now)

The Kiss of 89 (currently for preorder only through my publisher) This Steddie inspired romance follows Wes Peters as he goes from Prom King to Pariah in his small town of Duffer Springs, CO, and his wild summer love with the town’s metal-head weirdo, Nicky Hoffman. M/M  🌶️ 🌶️

Blood in the Golden Palace Take 50 Shades of Grey, and make it readable. This is a spicy, BDSM mobster romance between the underboss of an Italian crime family, Angelo DiRossi and the (not so) innocent object of his affection, Penny Sweet. M/F  🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

The Railwalkers When does justice become revenge? Follow Violet Donovan as she escapes a wrongful murder conviction, only to fall into the clutches of The Railwalker Gang; a notorious group of vigilantes who seek out only the most corrupt and vile men the west has to offer. F/F 🌶️

Unscripted Act 1 and Act 2 A low stakes, bubbly duology between Mega Superstar and Neurotic Mess Ethan Teller and his hyped up, loving, overly affectionate secret boyfriend, Finn Phelps. M/M  🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️

Beyond my books, I also write screenplays and spec scripts, including a spec for Our Flag Means Death and What We Do In The Shadows, respectively. 

You can take a look at what I’ve got on offer here, though most of my scripts tend to swing between horror and comedy.

I’ll be updating this pinned post fairly regularly. This is also a fraction of everything I got going on. For the time being, I’m still going to be tweeting until the Titanic meets the iceburg. Which will probably be soon...

anyway, if any of my followers wanna beta-read my original queer fantasy novel, lemme know LOL 

…Pulled me down, pulled me down to the river

I tried to wash away my sins

Picked me up, asked me if I felt different

No, I'm still in love with him…

Call 2 Action

It’s no secret that the white man dominates all of the West, if not the world. It’s also no secret that this isn’t anything new-- supremacy of white complexion, religion, and culture has existed in both practise & ideology long before 17th century colonialism.  What is new? Technological media. From social media like Instagram and Twitter to cinematic media like the MCU and Elden Ring, humans are constantly expanding in the realm of entertainment. This provides a platform not only to people you never want to see like James Corden, but also people that come from cultures that have been historically swept under the rug, so to speak. So; What do we want? 

What do we want? 

In a society with so much emphasis on entertainment, seeing oneself on the big screen is an insurmountable feeling. Not only does casual representation feel good, but it also changes the way we see other people around us. Disney-Pixar’s Turning Red gave many non-Chinese viewers a fun, cute, and informational look into the complexities of Chinese culture and the stress of generational trauma in immigrant families. Alice Oseman’s comic-turned-Netflix-original Heartstopper presents gay love in an innocent and pure way, which combats the expectations surrounding MLM (men loving men) relationships of being impure or inherently sexual.  What we want is representation. Studies show that representation in popular media changes the perception of not only outsiders or non-minorities, but people who belong to these groups as well. Seeing anyone other than a white man in a position of power inspires young ones and gives them a foundation for their hopes and dreams, and it is the children who are always the most important to the future of a society-- with better, diverse representation (such as GBH’s Molly of Denali), we are directly inspiring a new generation of doctors, teachers, artists, and others that offer fresh perspective and great determination to their field. 

How do we get it done?

It’s pretty clear that there aren’t any SONY or Disney big-shots waltzing around Tumblr-dot-com for some good user-based criticism. The only celebrity that we know of who hasn’t been scared away from this hellsite is resident Beloved Neil Gaiman (author of American Gods, Good Omens, Coraline, and many others).  However, it’s also clear that these industry titans don’t exactly care about the voices of minorities as they’re too busy exploiting people for profit. So, what can we do about this?  There are a myriad of acceptable answers, the first and foremost being: Make the representation you want to see. It’s an oversimplification for sure, but it doesn’t mean that it’s ineffective. Independent, self-published books are a good source of perspective and understanding. So are comics, whether you post them digitally on Tapas or Webtoon, or prefer to keep them on your Tumblr art blog. It’s absolutely not the same thing as representation in media that is consumed in droves and twittered about constantly on social platforms, but that doesn’t mean that people won’t see it. Even if only a single person comes away with a fresh perspective and hope in their heart, it has been a successful endeavour.  If you aren’t a creator and can afford to support creators bringing representation into the media, donating financially to independent artists helps to provide the equipment needed in order to create. Patreons, Kickstarters, and Kofi are all great places to start. If, for any reason, you can’t support queer and POC artists financially, there are always alternative ways to show your appreciation. Boosting artists on social media and drawing attention to disparities in media representation help spread reach across larger audiences. Additionally, if there are shows/games/movies that you think do a good job of representing groups of people, Tweeting your appreciation goes a long way. Often, execs look at social media like Twitter to gauge engagement on their show. Shows with low engagement are more likely to be cancelled prematurely. 

Steps for actionable change

Change isn’t something that can be secured through logic alone. Sudbrink, author and trainer with over 20 years of experience in management, simplifies change in people to five steps. Translated into applicable terms, these steps are: 

Step 1: Awareness  Knowing that there is injustice.  Step 2: Desire  Wanting to fight injustice. Step 3: Knowledge  Understanding the injustice; what it is, who or what is causing it, the context behind it, and how to help.  Step 4: Action  Taking action to fight injustice.  Step 5: Perseverance  Continuing to fight injustice.  Fighting oppression, tyranny, and injustice is much easier said than done. It is not something that can be done alone. Do your part in mending the disparity between cishets in media and queer + BIPOC voices in media in any way you possibly can, even if it’s simply supporting queer and BIPOC projects or spreading awareness. Remember: Awareness is the first step! 

since it’s pride month, throwback to this beautiful cover and this wholesome interaction between two icons

On-screen queerness

On May 27, I'll be joining Sammie James and Refractionary Period for this month's edition of Queer Sounds, a monthly celebration of LGBTQIA performances. Hope to see your face on the screen!

Photo: Brent Kosadnar

#cecilsweep and Welcome to Night Vale trending #1 in 2023

It's been said before, it will be said again, but it's still worth saying: the fact that art centering on straight romance is allowed to just be bad, but art with queer romance in it always has to be indicative of A Serious Problem With the Way We Tell Queer Stories makes being a queer person making queer art deeply stressful

73. Nazi-Punks Fuck Off!

Suky is a booker and promotor for Queer As Punk, a queer music night in Edinburgh. Their political compass in booking gigs leads the way through a messy musical landscape. When bands and artists do the same, their paths might cross with a fun, safe concert for all parties involved. You can fuck off if you’re a racist, bigot, transphobe or just being a dick at shows.

What’s more this episode: cringey, unnecessary t.v. shows, a throwback to the very first QS episode and support from an unexpected corner of the UK.

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Flashback Track: The Clash – Should I Stay or Should I Go

Queer Artist Spotlight: Against Me! – True Trans Soul Rebel

Best Live Experience: Miaoumix – Putain

Most Recent Discovery: Sniff – Queer

Shownotes

Queer as Punk

Pistol trailer

Related Episodes

Open the Gate!

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Get in touch through QueerSounds.com/Contact

Also Available through Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Now that Ghibli's new movie is coming out soon, I've been thinking about anime films and wanna talk about my favorite animated movie ever, Tokyo Godfathers.

TG is a 2003 tragicomedy by Satoshi Kon, following three unhoused people––an alcoholic, a runaway girl, an a trans woman––who find a baby in a dumpster and set off across Tokyo to reunite her with her parents.

If you like the sound of that, go watch it because the rest of this post is spoilers and I have FEELINGS about this movie.

URGHH, the fact that only two moments of true kindness, generosity, and care given to the three protagonists without any expectation of reciprocity are given by a Latin-American immigrant couple and a drag show club full of trans women. The fact that, despite her loud and dramatic personality, Hana is the glue that holds the team together and the heart of the whole movie. The fact that this movie pulls no punches at showing the violence and inhumanity committed by "civilized Japanese society" against the unhoused. The fact that Miyuki craves to be loved by her parents and ends up seeing Hana as her true mother. The fact that Miyuki starts off accidentally using transphobic language against Hana, but slowly begins calling her "Miss Hana" out of respect. The fact that, according to Kon, Hana's role in the story is as a mythological trickster god and "disturb the morality and order of society, but also play a role in revitalizing culture." The fact that Hana so desperately wants to be part of a true family, yet is willing to sacrifice her found family so they can be with their own, and is rewarded for her good deeds in the end by becoming a godmother. The fact that, throughout the movie, wind and light have been used to signify the presence of god's hand/influence (this movie's about nondenominational faith––faith in yourself, faith in others, faith in a higher power. Lots of religious are referenced, such as Buddhism/Hinduism, Christianity, and Shintoism), and in the climax of the film, as Hana jumps off a building to save a baby that isn't hers, a gust of wind and a shower of light save her from death. The fact that god saves a trans woman's life because she proved herself a mother, and that shit makes me CRY.