Why Black People Aren’t Required to Fight the Battles of Other People of Color

4 May

Master of None

A few months ago, I was enjoying comedian Aziz Ansari’s Netflix show Master of None. The series had been applauded for tackling issues like racism in Hollywood, interracial relationships, and street harassment. But I was watching purely because I think Aziz, the co-creator and star, is pretty funny.

Halfway through the season, the show began to turn me off. During the episode “Indians on TV,” Dev, Ansari’s character, is copied on a racist email about casting Indian actors for a show. When Dev’s friend suggests that he leak the email, he responds, “People don’t get that fired up about racist Indian or Asian stuff. I feel like you only really risk starting a brouhaha if you say something bad about black people or gay people.”… Read more at The Establishment.

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4 Things You Didn’t Know About Pole Dancing

4 Apr
Pole dance 5

Entering the dance studio for the first time, I was introduced to an art form that required a full-body workout, which I do wearing 6+ inch heels. I eventually learned ways to use my muscles to perform gravity-defying tricks and put my jiggly thighs to good use with twerking techniques my instructor showed me.

Of course, when I tell people I pole dance, they typically think I’m working late nights in clubs with titles like ‘King of Diamonds’ or ‘Cheetahs.’ I have to explain that I’m just an amateur who dances for fun, while at the same time thinking to myself, “I wish I was on that level.”

Pole Dance 4

Like other types of dance that include a level of sensuality, people have several misconceptions about pole dancing. There a a few things some folks just don’t understand…Read more.

Hey fam,

This post was originally published on Blavity. Check out the rest there. Hope you enjoy!

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6 Ways to Support a Friend Who Recently Came Out As Asexual

8 Mar

ACE Friendship“Maybe you should see a sex therapist,” one of my closest friends suggested, after I told her my boyfriend and I were having trouble with my asexuality.

“I’m asexual, Cammie. It’s a sexual orientation. It’s not exactly something you can fix–”

“Well, I don’t think you’re trying hard enough,” she said. “How do you expect him to work this out with you if you’re not even willing to try to solve your problem?”

I didn’t feel like protesting any more after Cammie’s last remark, so I gave up and changed the subject. She wasn’t the first to suggest I seek professional help. A few other friends felt my “problem” was psychological, and could be worked out with several trips to a therapist.

I was tired of people telling me there was something wrong with me and hated the reminder that I wasn’t like everyone else.

So I stopped telling friends about my asexuality after that talk with Cammie, but I still needed advice on how to handle my relationship with my allosexual boyfriend. Without bringing up asexuality, I mentioned to another friend that my boyfriend and I were having trouble because of our mismatched levels of sexual desire…read more at Everyday Feminism. 

Hey Fam! I’ve been wanting to publish on Everyday Feminism for years. I was recently hired as a contributing writer there, and will be covering topics related to racism asexuality and more. The full text of this article is there, so  check it out. Thanks for your support!

Photo courtesy of Lionel Fernandez Roca via Flickr.

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