Today’s blog is brought to you by both Zasneny and Till! We teamed up to create an all-American, western-inspired look. Oh, and you, readers, asked for more guns: so here you go!
When I first moved to Portland, a gay co-worker asked me to participate in “Queer For A Day” an event organized by Queer Nation. I happily agreed, not realizing that meant all day. I blithely pasted on my florescent green and safety orange stickers that boldly proclaimed “Dyke” and “Queer” in huge black lettering and enjoyed my latte at Pioneer Square with all sorts of other temporary queers. Then I went to work.
Like many people in political activism, I began as a canvasser, one of those people who go door-to-door talking to folks about the issues and raising money to fund organizing campaigns. I had no fear of reprisals from my employer over my bold signage, but when I learned we were going to canvass in East County in a particular neighborhood we canvassers called “mean dog turf” my stomach began to churn. This was no liberal bastion of tolerance. I was terrified. My friend who had invited me to join the Queer For a Day action assured me that no one would blame me for taking off the stickers given the circumstances. However, I decided that gay folks don’t get to take off their gender orientation and truly, part of the purpose of Queer For a Day was to expose gay rights supporters to the un-fabulous reality of gay life – bullying, violence and homophobia.
So, I wore my sticker and approached every door with trepidation and anxiety. I did not suffer any physical violence other than some spit at my feet and only got a smattering of verbal abuse during the night. On the contrary, most people were very nice and friendly, supportive of the national health care campaign I was working on and curious and intrigued by my stickers and my explanation of the Queer For a Day concept. I did get warned away from particular houses – neighbors telling me that so and so was an OCA member (the virulent anti-gay organization responsible for several anti-gay ballot measures). I happily took their advice since I was not looking for any excitement. However, even though the night was successful and mostly uneventful, I have never forgotten that feeling of fear as I knocked on each door, anxious over every single encounter, afraid of verbal abuse, hatred, and violence.
Queer for a Day began as a lark to please a friend, but in many ways, it changed my life. I took the stickers off at the end of the day and returned to my relatively safe straight life, but I learned that night that tolerance is not equality. Human rights and human dignity are meaningless if even one person is denied them. If they are not innate and immutable, they are nothing more than privileges subject to the whims of those in power. I had been one of those Saul Alinsky style activists who believed that if we only sorted out the economic justice issues, oppression would lose its power, but I learned then, that oppression is not just an economic wedge, it is the foundation of political division and disempowerment. The oppression of gender minorities, women and people of color are the foundation of economic oppression, not the other way around. So long as we can be divided and disempowered by social wedges, the future is bleak.
It’s been about 17 years since I was Queer For a Day and a lot has changed. Not enough. There’s so much more to be done, but I am hopeful and optimistic and I am wearing purple for Spirit Day –. It’s much more fashionable than neon stickers and not nearly as frightening. As to why purple – I think I will just play the Lavender Song from 1920 for you.
I adore this time of year, not least because Schadenfreude’s totally free Treat Basket appears at the Starlust elephant. I also love the Cinema event (look at those beautiful suede boots!), and this cute dress from Katat0nik. In SL, where we’re costumed all the time, is there a need to dress up further? Also, you might notice that I’ve got on a lovely monstery necklace — Violet Voltaire is back (yay), and her new necklace is currently at the Starlust Monster Beach Party!
Dress: Katat0nik Rainbow Dollie Dress, mesh, in green
Hair: Clawtooth Dear Heart in screaming yellow
Shoes: Lassitude & Ennui embroidered mesh boots in green for the Cinema event (in the Fantasy genre) – http://hottiecooterati.com/events/cinema-2012/
Skin: Plastik Ataciara elven valah light naked & ears
Eyes: Plastik Jerusalem Candy
Bucket: Schadenfreude Treat Bucket / sucker
Necklace: Violet Voltaire Boogie Monster Necklace (wooo, welcome back!) – at the Monster Beach Party
Poses: Lolapop!
Tattoo: Wicked Redemption Tattoo
It was easy deciding what to wear for this second installment in the Raid Your Closet Challenge. There are pieces I will never throw out, no matter how old they are. Among them are most of my Paper Couture designs. This dress is from September 2011 and is still available. I chose it because it highlights how much more experimental and effective the Lu sisters are at working with the system layers. This skirt has a bit more shape and body than the usual system skirt – not because of the skirt glitch that gives us all donkey booty, but because they often made full skirts with system pieces. They took the system skirt beyond the skin-tight pencil skirt and played with form. They weren’t the only ones, but they were certainly the most successful. They have not released in over a year. I hope that means they are taking their experimental, boundary-pushing, technology-testing ways to mesh and are preparing to surprise us all. I hope that’s why we have not heard from them in so long.
A special release of fun fall and Halloween inspired colors are the offering from L’Aph for the MY SECOND BOX Women’s Fashion Subscription this October. Three sets of shoes in purple, green and orange and dresses that they coordinate with are all included in this month’s box. If you can fit your self somewhere between an XS to a L size, there is a dress in this box that is going to fit YOU.
This dress in it’s regular release is truly one of my favorites for the fall season with it’s rich tapestry texture and festive 60’s collar.
For 300L this, plus THIS and THIS that I haven’t even covered yet! So search in groups for MY SECOND BOX – WOMENS and join for 300L. These items will remain in the group until ABOUT Oct 28ish or so. That means you have some time left to join! Continue reading →
Come my tan-faced children,
Follow well in order, get your weapons ready,
Have you your pistols? have you your sharp-edged axes?
Pioneers! O pioneers!
For we cannot tarry here,
We must march my darlings, we must bear the brunt of danger,
We the youthful sinewy races, all the rest on us depend,
Pioneers! O pioneers!
-Walt Whitman
On Till:
Skin: The Body Co. – Sky
Ears: Aitui – Stretched Ears 2″
Teeth: CheerNo – Teeth 03
Hands: CheerNo – Mesh Hand Relaxed
Hair: Burley – Gosling
Feathers: Fashionably Dead – Kill The White Swan
Facial Hair: Zovo – Classic
Face Paint: CheerNo – Native Makeup (from Pataxos outfit)
The recent release of the Shelby Doll Dress from VoguE put me in mind of Marie Antoinette. She was a huge promoter of Chinese art and the style of Western decor infused with Chinese sensibility called Chinoiserie. Chinoiserie is a French world meaning China-esque, a cultural appropriation that has produced amazing design in home decor and fashion.
One of our My Second Box gifts this month is a BEAUTIFUL Dolly Skin from Matrioska – the skin line from BLUEBLOOD. The skin comes with dolly makeup ON the skin or as an optional Tattoo layer.
It’s a beautiful pearl toned skin with luminous glow. I love it a lot.
PXL Creations VIP Group will be open by OVERWHELMING demand so that you can not only join, but pick up this beautiful version of FAITH – available only to VIP Group Members.
Join the PXL Creations VIP Group for 250L and get this and other lovely gifts just for VIPs all year long, plus early access to new skin releases!
I’m a day late, but here is my Raid Your Closet Challenge look for the week! As usual, I’ve pulled a lot of older items for this challenge. Hope you’re enjoying it!
****CREDITS****
Disclaimer: I don’t know if some of these items are available now, as several of them are pretty old.
