dispatch from a celesbian breakup
and something about a woman named "cuppie"
Welcome to this week’s dispatch from the lesbian internet, a mid-week news roundup from Paging Dr. Lesbian. If you like this type of thing, subscribe, and share it with your friends!
First things first, let me get this out of the way: I was on a podcast called Longform Companion recently where I talked about my favorite topic – lesbian period pieces. Speaking out loud is not my favorite type of communication, but if you feel so inclined to listen to it, you may do so here.
Now, on to things that have nothing to do with me. I’ve been hearing rumors of this for weeks now, but I didn’t want to report it on here until I got an official confirmation, which I have now received. I can now say with heartbroken certainty that JoJo Siwa and her girlfriend Kylie Prew have broken up after nine months together. The news was confirmed by JoJo herself on an episode of Paris Hilton’s podcast, during which she noted that Kylie “is literally still my best friend,” and that there are no hard feelings between them. I had heard it speculated that they broke up because JoJo was becoming too close with her DWTS partner, but this rumor remains unsubstantiated, and as JoJo puts it, it was just a case of “right person, wrong time.” Sad news, but love will prevail!
In other (un)substantiated sapphic relationship gossip, a video on Tik Tok showing Winona Ryder and Brittany Murphy acting, shall we say, very close in the early 2000s has caused quite the stir on the sapphic internet. They seem to be literally kissing on the lips in the video, though some are still claiming they are “just gal pals.” Obviously this is also kind of tragic given Murphy’s untimely death, but sometimes we have to take the wins where we can get them.
Amazon Prime’s already infamous lesbian reality series Tampa Baes has finally premiered on the streaming service. Personally, I haven’t been able to bring myself to watch it just yet, but if you want to read some thoughtfully argued and humorous takes, check out Maddy Court’s recap of the series. Maddy rates Tampa Baes “above Gen Q and below The Real L Word” in terms of “watchability and attempt at diversity.”
[Supergirl spoilers ahead] I feel compelled to report here that the CW series Supergirl – a show that is both beloved and hated by sapphics everywhere – aired its final (two-part) episode on Tuesday night. It featured a lesbian wedding between Alex and Kelly (yay!) but no SuperCorp canonization in sight (boo!). Though Kara blessedly did not end up with her previous male love interest, Mon-El (known as Mon-Smell by many sapphic fans), this ending certainly comes as a blow to SuperCorp fans who have felt consistently dismissed by the show’s writers for years now. The eternal Katie McGrath, of course, still has our hearts. Long may she reign (though not on the CW, hopefully).
In other news, former USWNT star Abby Wambach ran the NYC Marathon this weekend, and was cheered on (obviously) by her wife Glennon Doyle, and, (not so obviously) Jodie Foster and her wife Alexandra Hedison, a former L Word alumn. Wow! Also, Kristen Stewart has said she would only do a traditional wedding if Guy Fieri – who once officiated 101 gay weddings in Miami – was involved. Fieri, for his part, has said he is “all in”. Hot & depressed queer band MUNA, along with Phoebe Bridgers, performed their absolute sapphic banger “Silk Chiffon” on James Corden Monday, which you can watch below.
Lastly, if you need some intellectual stimulation this week (as if Tampa Baes wasn’t enough), check out this interview with the founders of the Combahee River Collective in The Nation. You may not have heard of them before, but you’ve certainly heard of their work, as they actually coined the term “identity politics” way back in the 1970s, before it got co-opted and mutated by conservatives and liberals alike. It’s certainly not surprising that a black, queer feminist group continues to influence our politics today, but if you are surprised by this, definitely check out the article.
That’s all for this week, folks! Stay tuned for more. I will leave you with this picture of k.d. lang looking like the most dapper cowboy you’ve ever seen (via lesbian_herstory).
Just gals… being pals.
thank you for recognizing my scholarship on Tampa Baes. I'm on episode 4 now and my soul aches