In which Black History and Black Geekdom collide.
So this past summer when I saw Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, I geeked out when Harriet Tubman made a cameo.
I stated then that Ms. Tubman needed her own spinoff. Upon further research, I soon learned that portraying Tubman as a demon huntress wouldn’t require that much suspension of disbelief.
Because it did not exist.
Yes. There was no such thing as heterosexuality back then. Nor homosexuality or bisexuality, for that matter. There was only sexuality and, as far as I know, we had (and still have) a gender binary system so sexual attraction was seen as something akin to flavours. Sometimes you want snails, sometimes you want oysters. You may like one better than the other or you may only like one of them or you may like neither, but you would not make an identity out of it.
This is also pretty much the Japanese view before the Meiji Restoration. Many of what I will be discussing can be applied to the Japanese as well, but I want to focus on my own experiences towards my own culture and history.
With all that business about the Best Sailor Venus Cosplay Ever, Triple J mentioning the Sailor Starlights in the most recent episode of Brain Food, and my own posting on the issue of whitewashing and dubs, how can I ever hope to stop having Sailor Moon on my mind.
Just kidding. I always have Sailor Moon on my mind.
I love the anime for a variety of reasons, and one of them is –you guessed it– the romances. Using only my memory, I can identify four significant romantic relationships throughout the five seasons of the anime. While all of them are flawed, it is pretty notable that the queer relationships make up the majority of all the romances.
While I will be focusing on the anime, I would also be making a few references to the manga to perhaps give things more of a perspective.
Firstly, let’s start with the headlining romance. Spoilers are sure to follow.
In celebrating being a Black Geek for Black History month, I take a moment to remember and thank the extraordinary souls who have helped me on my journey. There have been more than a few.
One soul in particular who played a role in me becoming the man I am today is none other than my good friend, the late Perry Moore, executive producer of the Chronicle of Narnia films and the author of the critically acclaimed YA novel Hero.
It’s still February, so y’all ain’t off the hook with this Black shit just yet.
Just kidding. This is Ars Marginal. Every month is Black History Month here. Or, to be more accurate, Everybody But Straight White Men’s History Month.
Anyway, this is something of a follow-up post to this one I made a while back about the Strong Black Woman stereotype and my identifying with the Head Bad-Ass Mother Fucking Bitch In Charge (HBAMFBIC) Regina Mills (aka the Evil Queen) from ABC’s Once Upon A Time.
I read this Tumblr post (and you should too) when a line caught me by surprise and hit me right in the Blackness.
That is not a stepmother. That is a house slave.
When you look at Regina’s situation, that’s exactly what the fuck she is.
In a showdown for Most Clueless White Girl On TV, who would win? Once Upon A Time‘s Snow White or True Blood‘s Sookie Stackhouse?
Discuss.
Feel free to talk about:
And the celebration of being a Black Geek for Black History Month continues as I discuss one of my all-time favorite series and one of my favorite genres of music.
Random Fact # 28: The first concert I ever attended was Run DMC & Aerosmith.
Hip hop culture is a long lost love of mine.
This usually shocks people when they learn that I used to be huge fan of vintage hip hop. It’s understandable given my cerebral and uptight demeanor ie: the huge stick up my diamond crushing ass.
As a kid, hip hop culture was starting to gain traction and even then I knew it was something special. It was from the streets, it was humble, it was pure. It was by the people for the people. It was inclusive. Hip hop/rap was for everyone: male, female, black, Asian, Latino, and white.
Hello everyone, and welcome to a special episode in which I discuss actress Ginnifer Goodwin’s homophobic comments about the fan ship, SwanQueen, which si the pairing of Regina Mills and Emma Swan.
And here it is again on blip.tv.
http://blip.tv/big-wired/sinking-ships-the-ginny-torpedo-6534103
Enjoy!
Look at more of Linnpuzzle’s artwork here.
Look at more of hamstr’s artwork here.
In honor of celebrating being a black geek for Black History Month, this weekend I had the honor of attending Onyxcon: Sankofa where I fellowshipped with other black geeks.
Bonus I got to hang with my sibling from another maternal figure, Amaya Radjani and my date J.
Suffice it to say I scored with plenty of swag and spent quite a bit of cash. It’s all good as I’m all too happy to support black businesses.
As I chatted with Amaya and J, something struck me as odd. I’ve been to plenty of cons over the years, as both a guest and an attendee. I’ve had some wonderful experiences, and I’ve had some less than pleasant ones. This was the first time I attended a Black convention.
It’s always interesting to note the difference of energy between marginalized spaces and mainstream straight white spaces. This isn’t to say that minorities are infallible because we aren’t. However at the same time, it’s always refreshing to lower my guard and enjoy myself in a non-hostile environment.
Onyxcon is doing a lot of things right that quite frankly mainstream cons/fandoms should be taking notes from. Here are a few examples:
Hat tip from my beloved Internet Wife RVCBard
The Goddess Has Spoken!!!!!!
*bows in reverance*
Ars Marginal 
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