dispatch from a queer swiftie on the podium
dispatch from a queer swiftie on the podium
and something about kehlani stealing your girl
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.
To start, let’s look at some sapphics who have made the internet go wild this week. First, Sarah Paulson wore a suit for some reason (cue applause). Then, Zoe Kravitz starred in an advert for St. Laurent that had some people breathing heavily.
In movie news, Outfest LA is offering virtual screenings this year for their film festival, which takes place August 13-22. You can buy tickets for individual screenings or a festival-wide pass. In related news, The Advocate reports that “For First Time, Queer Women Outnumber Queer Men On-Screen” in the 2021 GLAAD Studio Responsibility Index report. While it is certainly not a competition, this is still encouraging news, particularly in the realm of film where queer women are particularly absent. You can read the full GLAAD report here.
Unsurprisingly, I have more Olympic news for you this week. The biggest news this week in our corner of the internet is that Erica Sullivan (at the top), a proud Swiftie and queer fangirl, has won the silver medal in the first-ever women’s swimming 1,500m freestyle race. I was first made aware of Sullivan from this Instagram post which details her iconic actions, such as DMing The Wilds’ Mia Healey the moment she got blue-check verified, reading USWNT fanfic, shipping Swiftgron, and being a former Fifth Harmony stan. During a post-match interview, she also took the opportunity to ask the USWNT’s Tobin Heath and Christen Press (a long-rumored couple) to reach out (they did), and also DMed Camila Cabello to tell her she was her gay awakening. Sullivan was also interviewed by lesbian writer, humourist, and meme queen Jill Gutowitz for Vulture, which gave us gems such as these.
In other Olympic news, American shot putter Raven Saunders – whose athletic persona is “The Hulk” – has also captured the hearts of many around the world. Viewers have been particularly enamored by her celebratory dance moves on the field. While on the podium accepting the silver medal, Saunders formed an X with her arms above her head, which she said represents “the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet,” giving a specific shout out to black people, LGBTQ people, and those that struggle with mental health. (She further refused to backtrack when some complained she was “leaving people out”). Of course, because the Olympics are actually an oppressive institution, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will be investigating the pose on the grounds that it might violate Rule 50, which prohibits protesting on the podium. (Like I said, an oppressive institution). Regardless, Saunders will continue to be iconic.
While the USWNT will not be vying for gold this year (they will play for the bronze on Thursday), they did achieve a win in their equal pay case when the U.S. men’s team explicitly stated that not only have the women been underpaid, but they should have been paid even more than the men. The appeal is still ongoing and U.S. soccer will not file a response until September, but at least men have done one good thing this year.
In music news, Kiana Ledé and my (imaginary) friend Kehlani have released a music video for their song “Ur Best Friend,” which you should definitely watch. The video follows Kiana, who has a boyfriend who happens to be Kehlani’s best friend. But, because the song is about sapphic drama, Kiana and Kehlani fall in love despite this aforementioned predicament. The man gets left behind, but we don’t really care, do we?
Lastly, I have some pieces of writing I want to recommend to you this week. This piece, from Travis Woods of Bright Wall/Dark Room, “Year of the Buffalo Girl,” is a brilliant treatise about erotic thrillers and their attendant anxieties about sex and gender. (If you haven’t seen the magnificent The Last Seduction, also go watch that). In Vulture, the always judicious Craig Jenkins has written about homophobia in hip-hop culture, specifically commenting on DaBaby’s recent comments and the new Lil Nas X video. I recently discovered this piece in Pitchfork from several years ago about the use of punk in Halt and Catch Fire (which you should also definitely watch), and, check out this article, which convincingly argues that The Ronettes’ “Be My Baby” is the first-ever punk song.
That’s all for this week, folks! Stay tuned for more next week. I will leave you with this photo of Lucy Liu at Nickelodeon's 16th Annual Kid’s Choice Awards.
