Thurs., May 19: Speak Your Myne feat. Yvonne Fly Onakeme Etaghene

May 15, 2011 | ELIXHER

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Week in Review - Click, Watch, Read

May 13, 2011 | ELIXHER

Uganda: Parliament Committee Backs Anti-Homosexuality Bill

The Ugandan parliament’s Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee has regrettably recommended passage of the proposed Anti-Homosexuality Bill, including retaining the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” Human Rights Watch said today. The committee’s report, as seen … Read More

Chick Flicks - 10 Films with Black Lesbian Characters

May 11, 2011 | ELIXHER 2

ELIXHER takes a look at films with Black lesbian characters over years—the good, bad and everything in between.

Venus Boyz (2004)

A provocative film that explores gender identity and gender expression.

The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love (1995)

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Pause for a Cause: Sign This Petition Now…Seriously.

May 10, 2011 | ELIXHER

In the next 24 hours, conservative lawmakers could move a bill that would make being LGBT in Uganda a crime punishable by death.Read More

InspiHERed By: Arianne Benford

May 9, 2011 | ELIXHER

InspiHERed By spotlights phenomenal women in the Black queer community—everyone from artists to activists. Each week ELIXHER features someone whose personal journey and individual craft inspire us to dream bigger, laugh harder, and love deeper. This week we connect with Arianne Benford, a 30-year-old Brooklyn-based poet/producer/visual artist.

ELIXHER: When did you begin writing poetry and performing spoken word?
ARIANNE: I’ve been performing since I was four. My grandmother use to have me memorize poems and perform them at family functions and at church. Yes, I was that little girl, “Come on baby, do that poem for us.” My mom says I started writing poems around the same time, although I suspect it was a stream of rhyming words, i.e., the cat with a bat ate a rat.

ELIXHER: What drew you to the craft?
ARIANNE: It was just what I have always done. We had a lot of books laying around the house. Bibles, inspirational texts, classics from the time of the Black Arts Movement, and lots of encyclopedias and manuals. Between the beauty of some of the books from the Bible, like Proverbs and Psalms and the passionate skill of Lorde, Smith, Dove, Clifton, Rumi, Morrison and Walker, I learned that words have power early.

ELIXHER: Who or what inspires you?
ARIANNE: My mother graduated from college in her late 40’s, got her certification to teach Hatha Yoga at 60. My grandmother worked full time until she was 82. At 23, my girlfriend runs a branch of one of the most progressive queer organizations in the country, and consistently reminds me of the complexity of our complacency. At 30, my best friend is coming out to his very southern family. I am involved with Rivers of Honey, a 13-year-old cabaret for queer and trans folk of color, and together we put on 11 grassroots shows a year. I am surrounded by bad-asses; there is inspiration everywhere.

ELIXHER: If you had to choose three words to describe yourself, what would they be?
ARIANNE: Pensive. Irreverent. Emotive.

ELIXHER: What’s the biggest misconception people have of you?
ARIANNE: I tend to walk around with a frown. It’s something I am working on. The biggest misconception that people have of me is that I am angry or upset about something, when really I am just thinking real hard.

ELIXHER: What’s the biggest challenge you’ve had to face and how did you overcome it?
ARIANNE: Studies suggest that 1 out of every 10 woman has endometriosis. I’ve been dealing with a severe form of this chronic illness since I was a little girl. As a teenager I knew the school nurse better than some of my teachers. I’ve had to learn pain and mood management, and how the interplay between holistic practices and western medicine affects me.

Self doubt is a disease of the spirit. I am learning to push myself and get out there even when I really don’t want to.

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Week in Review - Click, Watch, Read

May 6, 2011 | ELIXHER

South Africa killing of lesbian Nogwaza ‘a hate crime’

The brutal killing of a South African lesbian activist has been condemned as a hate crime by Human Rights Watch.

The US-based group has urged the police to do more to … Read More

"Femmes Must Wear Heels." Not.

May 4, 2011 | ELIXHER 2

“The woman who takes a woman lover lives dangerously within patriarchy.” - Cheryl Clarke

Loving another woman, while immensely personal, is inherently political. It challenges some of the very societal structures that perpetuate male privilege and access to power, like the family … Read More

Best of Brooklyn: Coffee Shops

May 3, 2011 | ELIXHER 1

Spring’s here! So grab your laptop, a good book or a friend and check out some of the borough’s most Black queer-friendly cafes.*

ELIXHER recommends… Pillow Café Lounge

What you’ll find… Cozy vibe and friendly staff. Plus, free WiFi. Don’t … Read More

InspiHERed By: Adrienne Maree Brown

May 2, 2011 | ELIXHER 1

This week we catch up with Adrienne Maree Brown, a 32-year-old Detroit resident and self-professed “American revolutionary.”Read More

Week in Review - Click, Watch, Read

April 29, 2011 | ELIXHER

No Death Penalty Provision in Uganda Anti-Gay Bill

Frank Mugisha, the director of Sexual Minorities Uganda, a gay rights group, said anti-gay sentiment in Uganda has increased since the bill’s introduction. More gays are being harassed, he said, because of … Read More