Dates is a queer historical anthology that debuted to much excitement in 2015. Dates was created by, for and about queer people. Filled with vibrant illustrations and poignant stories (that don’t end with the gratuitous death of all the queer characters), it’s no big surprise that it was successful. Dates is also kid friendly, and is a great tool for parents who want their children to read positive, hopeful stories about queer people in historical and global settings.

Now, editors Zora Gilbert and Cat Parra are back with Dates 2. They are currently running a kickstarter to get the project off the ground and are so, so, so close to their goal! We sat down with Parra and Gilbert to discuss how the Dates series came to be, the diverse themes and perspectives fans can look forward to in Dates 2, and remind us of the importance of community in this political climate.

How did the idea for Dates come about?

Zora Gilbert: In the spring of 2015, Cat and I were consuming like a lot of historical fiction (Cat more than me, to be honest), and we were both getting really bogged down in the a) lack of canonically queer characters and b) the abrupt and aggressive frequency of their deaths. Cat has a story about The Tudors in particular that’s just… a perfect example of what not to do in queer fiction. I think we were also both looking for something creative, productive, and challenging to do, and Cat suggested we do an anthology. Bolstered by all the amazing creative energy from HeroesCon and feeling like I had way more free time than I did, I said yes, and we launched into it.

Why do you think Dates was such a success? What is it about the series that resonates with readers?

Cat Parra: I think it’s something people haven’t seen a lot of. The happy endings in historical fiction. That was the whole reason we started it, but I think a lot of other people have found that it’s something they wanted too. People like reading new stories and they like stuff that gives them hope and I think Dates provides both.

Zora: I think everyone was just as bone tired as we were with queer tragedy, and we stumbled into a niche that was direly needed. We also made an effort to include perspectives outside of dry, anglo, western christianity, which seems to be the only viewpoint readily available in mass-produced historical fiction, and we’ve had folks tell us just how much that meant to them to see (though of course, full props to the creators of those stories–they deserve all the credit).

Cover art for ‘Intersexions,’ one of the stories in ‘Dates 2’

How did Dates 2 evolve from the first entry? Were you able to add any perspectives or voices that you weren’t able to fit into the first entry?

Zora: I think we really found our voice as editors, honestly. We made the book longer, we spaced out check-ins, we know what works and what doesn’t work from last year–though we’re still learning. Dates 1 was our first anthology, and though we’ve been around comics and had been paying attention for years, the learning curve was rapid. This year, we didn’t have to learn everything from the ground up, so we could focus on expanding the book.

In terms of things that didn’t fit into first book–we didn’t have any stories that took place in Africa in Dates 1, which we realized was a serious oversight and made sure to include in Dates 2. We also got a really cool pitch for a story about a kid in France who’s just found out that she’s intersex (shoutouts to creators Claudia Astorino and Jessica Trevino), which we were really excited about since that’s not something that was in Dates 1 at all. Jessica and Claudia hit it out of the park on that story, so look forward to it!

Cat: I think in general too the stories have a bit more depth and complexity to them this time around. The stories are on average 10 pages longer than the stories in the first volume so you can get a much more complete plot in there, although I am still astonished by what people fit in the story space they had for the first volume.

The Dates series feels more important than ever in this Trump-ian world. What message do you have to send to those artists who are dealing with creative blocks in response?

Cat: Take care of yourselves? It’s hard to make art when you’re in a bad situation so I mean first and foremost, do what you gotta do to be okay. And then I guess I’d say find something that empowers you. Some story, or character, or image, just something that makes you feel just that bit stronger and make that. Work with your friends too, if you can. Community is a very uplifting thing.

Conversely, what message do you want to send to readers who may be feeling marginalized and disenfranchised? 

Cat: You’re not alone. There’s nothing those people can do that will ever make us go away because we’ve always been here and are always gonna be.

Zora: I feel like my advice to readers is a lot like Cat’s advice to creators–find something that lifts you up, and hold tight to it. Your community–our community–is powerful, and, we hope, a source of safety and encouragement. Remember that even though the government sucks and the world has unquestionably gotten more transparently scary, we–and queer creators in general–aren’t going anywhere, and we’ll keep creating. We’ve got your back.

Will there be a Dates 3?

Zora: Ahahaha, what a good question. Our hope is yes, but that’s not something we want to confirm or deny or really even plan in earnest until Dates 2 is totally wrapped. We did Dates 2 because the response to Dates 1 was so encouraging to us, so we want to be able to gauge the response once Dates 2 has debuted in the same way!

Cat: We definitely want to, but I think we’ll both need a little break after Dates 2 hits the shelves and we have some other projects we’ve been thinking about too. So I’d say it’s probably going to happen, but probably not immediately.

Need more? Click here to check out the kickstarter for Dates 2, which ends on March 25th. Donating just $10 will get you the entire PDF of Dates 2 and $25 will get you the actual book itself! Or buy Dates 1 here!

The post Dates is Back with more Queer Historical Fiction first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY FRANCESCA LEWIS

We all have that fantasy of finding a trunk of priceless family heirlooms in the attic, but in Jane Anderson’s case, such a discovery led to something a lot more fulfilling than money. Anderson, an award-winning writer/director whose most recent work Olive Kitteridge won an Emmy in 2014, has been surrounded by her Great Aunt Edith’s artwork all her life. Discovered by her mother in a bunch of old steamer trunks in the attic, they decorated the walls of her house when she was growing up. Not much was known about the mysterious Aunt Edith, except that she was born in the 1860s and spent the latter 30 years of her life in an asylum. As Anderson herself grew into a bohemian artist, living in New York, in part inspired by what she knew of her artsy Aunt Edith’s life, she became fascinated with this familial kindred spirit. Her mother would send her sketches, done by Edith when she was in New York herself, that were almost identical to the ones Anderson herself was making. Upon researching Edith’s life she learned two things – that Edith, like her, was a lesbian, spending her life with a “companion” named Fanny, and that it appeared that Edith’s incarceration was less about mental illness and more about a greedy attorney who wanted to get his mitts on her inheritance. Thus began a lifelong obsession with her aunt. Over the years Anderson tried to learn more about Edith Lake Wilkinson – her art, her life, her tragedy – and to get her recognised by the art world. Finally, reaching the same age Edith was when she was put away, happily married to her spouse Tess, she embarked upon this documentary project and her aunt’s story finally opened up in fascinating and surprising ways. The resulting film, Packed in a Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson, is a lively, colorful film full of heart, beauty and sadness – part detective story, part history lesson, part love letter to a kindred spirit.

Probably the most wonderful thing about this film, other than the intriguing story, is Anderson herself. A bubbly character with a vibrant red bob and a selection of funky glasses, she makes this so much more entertaining than a film about a woman who was wrongly thrown into an asylum would typically be. Her relationship with Tess, who seems like the yin to her yang, a serene and centred presence, lends a sweet dimension to the film, also providing an interesting mirror to the relationship of Edith and Fanny. As is pointed out in the film, Jane and Tess have what Edith and Fanny were tragically denied: the freedom to be in love.

Packed In The Trunk would be a worthwhile film even if it focused on an untalented relative with the same backstory, but what is surprising is that Edith Lake Wilkinson’s work actually has a significant place in American art history. Edith was part of a group of modernists in Provincetown in the 1910/20s whose names are well known for their work with white line printmaking. Anderson learns in the film that there is compelling evidence, in the dating of a piece she possesses, that her Aunt originated the style. This leads to her being prominently featured in a show at the Provincetown Art Association Museum, a place Anderson had longed to see Edith’s work displayed for some time. It is the smaller show before this, however, held in a building Edith painted many years ago, where Jane and Tess lovingly decorate the walls Edith’s favourite shade of forest green, that feels like the real victory. There are a number of genuinely moving moments in this film but Anderson’s exuberance and playful humour ensures that it never becomes sentimental or maudlin.

The details of Edith’s life are never fully uncovered, but we do learn a few things. Edith Lake Wilkinson studied art, moved to New York, and later spent a lot of time in Provincetown where she was friends with prominent members of the art scene there. Provincetown was a place where bohemians and queer people could live safely – a tolerant and progressive haven. Unfortunately, it seems that all it took to doom Edith to a life of tragedy was an unscrupulous attorney, and at the age of 57, just as she planned to move to Paris to join the thriving art scene there, he had her committed to an asylum in order to steal her money. Her diagnosis: paranoia. Likely she told the staff her lawyer was robbing her blind, but this was the 1920s and nobody listened. Edith remained incarcerated until her death in the 1950s. A tragic tale indeed – an independent and talented woman, cut off in her prime – which makes her grand-niece’s crusade to have her properly recognised all the more poignant.

Packed In The Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson is delightful on a number of levels. Firstly, it charts Edith’s return to her proper place in American art history. Secondly, it provides a window into the life of a queer woman who lived a century ago – and into the strides society has made in the time since then. Thirdly, and for me most importantly, it is a very human, very touching story about love, passion and the ways that those who have gone before us, even if they passed before we ever lived, can still have a profound effect on our lives.

You can watch Packed In The Trunk: The Lost Art of Edith Lake Wilkinson on Wolfe video.

Francesca Lewis is a queer feminist writer from Yorkshire, UK. She has written for Curve Magazine, DIVA Magazine, xoJane and The Human Experience. You can find her opinion pieces on Medium. 

The post “Packed In The Trunk” – Part Detective Story, Part History Lesson, Part Love Letter To A Kindred Spirit first appeared on Lesbian.com.

(Photo: Moti Milrod)

BY MORGAN WELCH
dot429

On January 10, Israel officially unveiled a new memorial, dedicated to the LGBT victims of the Holocaust; located in its capital, Tel Aviv, it’s the first memorial in Israel specifically recognizing non-Jewish victims of the Nazis. The monument features a concrete triangle containing a second pink triangle, in remembrance of the symbol used by the Nazis to mark homosexuals, and the re-appropriation of that symbol as a source of pride for the LGBT community.

Though Israel has countless memorials to Jewish victims of the Holocaust, seventy years later, openly gay Tel Aviv councilman Eran Lev decided it was time to remember how many others were victims of the death camps. He told press, “The significance here is that we are recognizing that there were other victims of the Holocaust, not just Jews.” Other groups targeted included communists, Slavs, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Romani, and the disabled.

Read more at dot429.com

The post Israel unveils memorial for LGBT holocaust victims first appeared on Lesbian.com.

BY LUCIEN MAE

Whoopi Goldberg’s directorial debut, a documentary about Moms Mabley, the first female comedian to make a living as a stand up comic, as well as one of the very few out lesbians on stage during her time, will debut exclusively on HBO on Nov 18. Moms Mabley is an important figure in queer black history, one that Goldberg is intent on bringing back to life after decades of obscurity.

Jackie “Moms” Mabley, a black woman who pushed the boundaries by talking about race, politics, sexuality, and gender openly on stage as early as the 20’s, donned floppy hats, old housecoats, and even took off her dentures on stage in order to cultivate the persona of a frumpy grandmother. The Moms Mabley persona became so convincing that many believed Jackie was Moms, on and off stage– though nothing could be further from the truth. Coming out at the age of 27, Mabley was reportedly a dandy butch lesbian, known for her sartorial finesse and her ability to hang with the boys.

Read more at dot429.com

The post Whoopi Goldberg brings iconic comedian Moms Mabley to life in new documentary first appeared on Lesbian.com.

(Photo: Melissa Bradley/The Chronicle)

BY JAMES NICHOLS
Huffington Post Gay Voices

From the days of the Stonewall Riots to the current battle for marriage equality across the United States, the struggle for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights has a rich history — and is far from over. However, social and political victories over the past several decades have seen LGBT individuals make gains in society that would have been considered virtually unthinkable only a generation ago.

As we move forward from LGBT History Month and into Transgender Awareness Month, we’re taking a look back on some of these landmark moments throughout the course of the modern LGBT movement — as well some of the many things that have yet to be accomplished.

Here are eight things LGBT people couldn’t do in 1985 — and seven things they still can’t do.

Read the list at Huffington Post Gay Voices

The post Evolution of LGBT rights: How things change over three decades first appeared on Lesbian.com.

We’re loving “The Okay List,” a new lesbian web series in which two women (Heather Pieske and Sarah Pappalardo) hit on some of our favorite iconic historical figures.

Co-creator Pappalardo told us, “The fun and unique part about this series is that all actors are actually queer and in the New York comedy scene – from a quiet, soft butch Amelia Earhart who drinks by herself to Pocahontas, a waitress, with serious daddy issues. The series is called The Okay List, because in real life Heather and I agreed that only dead lesbians were allowed on our okay list.”

Read more at After Ellen.com

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team.

The post ‘The Okay List’: History with a lesbian twist first appeared on Lesbian.com.