Superstars of Butch Voices LA 2010: Nine or Ten We’d Like to “Know” For Sure
Hey LA lesbians/queers/transfolk/awesome people, we’ve found the perfect cure for whatever boring plans you had this weekend. The Butch Voices Conference happens four times a year in different locations and Butch Voices Los Angeles starts tomorrow, October 8, and you should be there! We would be there if we lived in LA, and we aren’t just saying that because we want to maybe get super close to Heather Cassils and maybe touch her arm for a second at this freakin’ awesome party!
The conference declares: “We are woman-identified Butches. We are trans-masculine Studs. We are faggot-identified Aggressives. We are noun Butches, adjective Studs and pronoun-shunning Aggressives. We are she, he, hy, ze, zie and hir. We are you, and we are me. The point is, we don’t decide who is Butch, Stud or Aggressive. You get to decide for yourself.”
The weekend features queers with a healthy love of gender f*ckery sharing their thoughts about the modern concept of “butch.” You may have read about it last year in Jezebel in It’s Possible To Be A Butch Intellectual, And Other Lessons From “Butch Voices”.
Did you cry when you read Stone Butch Blues (like Sarah did)? Are you wondering how those themes translate to 2010 and really wondering about like ten thousand variant gender/sexuality topics all attended and populated by progressive, intellectually curious and socially active human beings who are changing the queer world as we know it? Then Butch Voices is for you. The organizers describe the event as as a chance for people of all sorts to meet, bond, organize, and learn about butch issues.
“Crossing race and class barriers, the Conference sees “butch” as a unifying umbrella identity that will bring together all those “who identify as butch, boi, genderqueer, tomboy, stud, aggressive, butcha, macha, drag king, jock, dyke, two-spirit, androgynous-with-a-butch twist, and transmasculine.” Femmes, divas, MtFs, FtMs, and other allies who partner with any of the above, are also welcome.”
The conference has a bunch of workshops, including “1950s Bar Life as Church,” “Let it Hang” (about Strap-Ons) and “Boi Hair” and events with such imaginative titles as “INVINCIBLE: A Night of Sartorial Radicality for Daggers, Dandies & Dapper Dudes” and “SWAGGER: One Night of Butch Bravado & Stud Service by Those That Live It and Those That Love It.” (Sidenote, if you ever want me to attend an event, put “sartorial radicality” in the title, and I’ll be there.)
Basically, ButchVoices encompasses a huge number of things that Autostraddle loves: genderqueerness, inclusion, mashup discussions of pop culture & politics, dapper queers, menswear, and inspiring activists. ButchVoices is basically perfect, but for a lack of kittens. We hope they keep that in mind next year. We also hope that you attend this event so there will actually be one next year. Go here and register! You can pre-register for $50, and it’s $60 at the door.
And if you need any more enticement, check out ten of our a small sampling of our favorite persons who will be appearing at this lovely event.
1. Kimberly Peirce, Filmmaker
Panelist, “Butch at the Movies”
According to ~2-3 interviews with Kimberly Peirce, Kimberly Peirce looks interviewers in the eye when she talks to them, which I imagine has a somewhat unintentional erotic effect on said interviewers or at least it would if it ever happened to me. Peirce directed Boys Don’t Cry, which you’ve seen, and also Stop-Loss, which you’ve maybe seen. In her Butch Voices bio, we are told “Kimberly is a storyteller who focuses on identity related stories and is navigates the business and media world as a butch.”
2. Angie Evans, Musician
BVLA Artistic Director, Producer of Butch Revival Sunday
Panelist, “Keeping Out Feminisms While Exploring Our Masculinities”
How hard do you love that photo. A lot probs. The person in that photo is Angie Evans, and she’s a butch feminist musician from Southern California who loves “ice cream, trees, orgasms, Angie Evans, hugs, & feminism.” Don’t we all. Listen to her music at Angie Evans Dot Com
3. J. ‘Jack’ Halberstam, Author/Scholar/Activist/Teacher/Genius
Keynote Speaker, “Pregnant Men, Heteroflexible Women and The End of Gender As We Knew It”
Jack Halberstam wrote Female Masculinity, which is an important book that you should read or at least scan highlighted passages from and then pretend to have read. As we mentioned in our “Ten Gay-Friendly Colleges That Are Also Friendly to Lesbians,” he is the professor of English and director of The Center for Feminist Research at USC. He’s basically a rockstar of gender theory. See: Judith Jack Halberstam Dot Com.
4. Cheryl Dunye, Filmmaker
Panelist, “Butch at the Movies”
True story, I was at the Detroit YMCA the other day reading Curve magazine, and there was an article about Cheryl Dunye in it, and I Blackberry-Gmail-chatted Exec Editor Laneia and said “Cheryl Dunye: write this down” and she said “ok.” That’s how we do things. How Cheryl Dunye does things is like so: making award-winning films like The Watermelon Woman and The Stranger Inside and winning awards like Community Vision Award from the National Center for Lesbian Rights, the Creative Excellence Award from Women in Film & Television and Outfest’s Fusion Award.
5. Cathy Opie, Photographer
Panelist, “The Many Faces of Butch”
Catherine Opie once described her style as a “kind of twisted social documentary” to the Los Angeles Times. She’s one of the most captivating and innovative and straight-up talented queer photographers working today, and if you haven’t seen her work yet (the opening credits of The L Word don’t count) you should start now. In addition to her 2009 Guggenheim retrospective she recently published the book ‘Girlfriends’, which included photos from her “friends and lovers” archives, “iconic butch lesbians” and new portraits including JD Samson, Jenny Shimizu and Katherine Moennig.
6. Krys Freeman, Web 2.0 Evangelist
Panelist, “Local to Global Butch Organizing”
Freeman is the Butch Voices Conference’s “logistics coordinator,” a “web 2.0 evangelist” and also a “phenomenon” with a “a timeless, elaborate comprehension of power relations and multiple systems of domination.” S/he founded The Definition, a social network and website for masculine of center women, trans men and their allies. Much like all of us here s/he seeks to “employ web technology to bring about social change.” So far so good.
7. Raquel Gutierrez, Performance Artist & Cultural Activist & Writer/Journalist
BVLA Artistic Director
Panelist, “Keeping Our Feminisms While Exploring Our Masculinities”
Performer in Saturday Night Swagger
Raquel is a founding member of performance ensemble Butchlalis de Panochtitlan (BdP), “a community-based and activist-minded group aimed at creating a visual vernacular around queer Latinidad in Los Angeles.” Also she writes things for LA Weekly, Make/shift, AfterEllen.com and the Journal of Chicana/Latina Studies.
8. D’Lo
Performer, Saturday Night Swagger
This “queer Tamil Sri L.A.nkan-American, political theater artist/writer, director, comedian and music producer” has done performance/writing workshops all over the universe, publishes stuff, tours universities/colleges, gets grants, acts in plays and overall is just really something and WILL BE THERE.
9. Heather Cassils, Performance Artist
Performer, Saturday Night Swagger, “A Nite of Butch Bravado & Stud Service for Those Who Live It and Those Who Love It”
Do you remember what life was like before Lady Gaga and Heather Cassils played tonsil hockey in the prisonyard in “Telephone”? I do not. However Heather Cassils probably does, because she had this whole ‘life’ before becoming the apple of our collective eyes. This artist/stunt person/body builder/guerrilla theater instigator/founding L.A. based performance group Toxic Titties thing… and oh lord I don’t know. We just keep staring at her picture.
10. Anna Margarita Albelo
Host, Invincible Fashion Show
Not a necessarily a “butch voice,” but once upon a time you may remember a special vagina hanging out in the background of a Real L Word creamed corn wrestling party. She’s a stellar performance artist and filmmaker. We wanted to interview her and sort of become gradually a part of her life in an inexorable yet vital way, and we’re 97% sure that our interview is gonna happen super-soon because we have BEEN IN TOUCH.
Yes, Anna Margarita Albelo will be hosting the big Invincible Fashion Show, and we can only hope & pray that her fashions will dare to compare with the fashions she rocked at the aforementioned Creamed Corn Party.
Lady Gaga: We’re Born Gay & Homosexiness is Telephone’s Most Bestest Aspect
LADY GAGA:
Lady Gaga was interviewed on The Kyle and Jackie O Show in Australia in an interview they’re promoting as “Gaga’s gay revelation.” Apparently no one let them know that Gaga has been an out bisexual for some time now? Their fact-checkers must be worse than ours! (We don’t have any).
Gaga said Telephone was supposed to be a commentary on consumer culture and American culture and was an opportunity to use homosexual themes in a commercial environment. Also, the story of the Telephone video could’ve been told to “Happy Birthday.” Regarding the most controversial themes of the video, she brings up S&M and violence and says that’s not really what the fuss is about:
“It is my personal belief that this video is not getting so much attention for those [violent] themes because I’ve used those themes in my videos before, haven’t I? It’s because it’s with Beyonce and it’s because there are so many homosexual themes, and transgendered women in the video. Some people believe that being gay is a choice, and it’s not a choice. we are born this way. It has one foot in the art community and one foot in the commercial world.”
Lady Gaga’s ex-boyfriend is suing to get $20 million from her ’cause he says that he made her everything she is and bla bla bla. Someone punch him in the face.
ELLEN DEGENERES:
A shy and super-cute Constance McMillen appeared on The Ellen Show today. Ellen said that she’d never have had the guts to do something like that when she was Constance’s age, and how brave Constnace is. Big words coming from a lesbian who was pretty brave herself when she wanted to bring her sexuality to a sitcom! Constance’s Dad was in the audience, I am serious if I was a random boy in her class I would be scared to fuck with Constance because he looks like he could kick my ass.
This is how the show was described:
Constance McMillen on Ellen Today: A school in Mississippi just canceled their prom because one of their gay students wanted to bring her girlfriend. That makes me sad. Prom should be for everyone, and schools should be teaching acceptance rather than intolerance. I hope these administrators will learn how their decision has hurt not just the student and her girlfriend, but all of the students at the school who simply want to enjoy their prom. Let’s work together to make this a world full of kindness and compassion so that no one is punished for loving another person.
CHERRY BOMB:
Start at 2:40 — that’s where we get to talk about kissing Kristen Stewart. But this time it’s funny and you’ll see why!
PRETTY-PRETTY!
Thank you, Feministing! Stop Calling Pretty Girls Ugly If Tina Fey, Lea Michele and America Ferrera are “ugly,” what hope is there for the rest of us? Knowing Lea IRL I was actually legit confused when GLEE began and I realized she’d been cast as the “ugly duckling” character. WTF? (@feministing)
JESSE JAMES:
Jesse James and the Fallen WomanStop slut-shaming Michelle McGee (@womanist musings)
I like Sandra, from the interviews I have seen with her – she seems like a woman that I would really enjoy sharing a beer with; however, the Madonna/Whore binary that this story is creating in her defence is harmful to ALL women.
As usual, when a celebrity man cheats, the slut shaming of the mistress is the result. McGee is routinely referred to as a skank, ugly, and a ho. People have attacked not only her behaviour, but her very being by commenting on her tats, as though they are a marker of depravity. Her motherhood has been called into question, thereby; affirming the saintly construction of motherhood which is harmful to women.
GLEE:
An actor with a spinal cord injury is guesting on GLEE this season — and this is his story. Also, perhaps predictably b/c America LOVES overkill, they want to make a Glee stage musical. Lea Michele could be back to her home turf after all! (@community server)
NOT SO LOST BOYS:
The boys from Hook – Where are they now? (@celebuzz)
SEX ADVICE:
Sex advice from Joss Whedon fans (@nerve)
WRINKLE IN TIME:
A Wrinke in Time is going to be adapted for a movie! (@coming soon)
WE CAN DO IT:
Daryl Stephens, Wilson Cruz, Quincy LeNear & Deondray Gossett Pose for “We Can Do It!” Campaign. (@living out oud)
Telephone’s “Lesbian Prisonyard Girlfriend” on Kissing Gaga, Queer Media, Gender & Being Hawt
LADY GAGA LESBIAN MAKEOUT:
Out Magazine talks to ‘Lady Gaga’s “prison yard girlfriend,” Canadian performance artist and personal trainer Heather Cassils. Prior to shooting, Cassils knew that Gaga was bringing performance art elements into her work, which she appreciated though she wasn’t a “huge fan per se” prior to the video. Her makeout role was decided on the spot, howevs: “Gaga called me over and asked me to portray her girlfriend and said, “OK, you’re going to be my prison girlfriend, and you’re going to come to me, and I’d like you to touch me inappropriately.” [Laughs] We just kind of went from there.”
Other highlights:
What was Gaga like on set?
She was extremely professional and very, very funny. After we did the [kissing] shot, she screamed across the yard to me, “I think you got me pregnant!” [Laughs] She was also very present and real. She took the time to ask people what they did for a living and who they were and where they were from. She was a very genuine, grounded person.
OK — let’s get to the juicy stuff: What was the kiss like?
I think we did several takes — to be honest, it was a little bit of a blur because it happened so quickly. On the first take, her cigarette sunglasses were steaming a little bit, but by the third or fourth take we were both inhaling a lot of secondhand smoke [Laughs]. It was kind of intense. And it just kind of happened naturally because she didn’t really give me explicit instructions to kiss her — it just felt like a natural thing to do. In fact, I sniffed her like a kind of aggressive beast. And as we got closer, she actually put her tongue in my mouth. She just went for it. [Laughs] It was really good.
It’s a fantastic interview and worth a read:
Tell me about your feelings about depictions of queer women in popular culture.
I’ve been in shoots before, and I’ve worked with other artists, and there’s this thing where they try to femme anybody up — especially when it’s mainstream media. And there’s this expectation that you’re either going to fit on one end of the spectrum or the other, so I really appreciated that I literally showed up on set and was allowed to go just as I am. My body is a complete construction. I feel there’s a lot of pressure, even in the queer world, to go trans or whatever and take these real extremes, and I don’t really think there’s anything wrong with that, but I do think there’s a lot you can do with your own body.
She talks about trans identity and representation, the reaction to Gaga’s bisexuality and alleged penis, her own performance art, and so much more! Really, read it!
TEGAN & SARA:
Tegan & Sara did an interview with Mother Jones about Lilith Fair, songwriting, and their cute thoughts about Adam Lambert’s song What Do You Want From Me: “It’s meant to be big and bombastic, but as a songwriter, I’m really amazed.” (@motherjones)
TILA:
Continuing the world’s somewhat sadistic fascination with Tila Tequila, the LA Times profiled the reality TV starlet after her fiancee Casey Johnson’s death. The portrait of Tila is a far cry from the one we got in December before Johnson died. The Times profile is full of the usual background information, sprinkled with a handful of fascinating observations and ridiculous quotes. For example:
It was a late, very rainy evening in January, and the 28-year-old reality television star and tabloid mainstay — born Thien-Thanh Thi Nguyen — had not had a good day. Only a few moments earlier, she’d opened the door to her home to find that her dog, Onyx, had chewed up a pair of her Lucite heels. She chained him to a stripper pole. With a Swiffer mop from the kitchen, she tried to brush aside the pieces of chewed up shoe, but the Velcro mop affixed itself to her rug instead. “I don’t know how to use this thing,” she said, tossing it aside in frustration.
To recap for you, Johnson died in early January, sending Tila into a tailspin involving incoherent tweets and pregnancy rumors. Her publicist quit soon after. SallyAnn Salsano, producer of A Shot At Love, told the Times: “If I had a crystal ball, this isn’t what I would have seen for her… I actually think she’s just on a desperate hunt for love. That was really all she ever wanted.”
CHLOE:
The movie “Chloe” premiered last night in New York. It stars Amanda Seyfried and Julianne Moore, who reportedly have a hot love scene together. (@dnainfo)
TELEPHONE:
So this crazypants guy continues to be super paranoid about pop culture. He thinks Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” video is really just a way to subliminally brainwash all of us to do shit for the Illuminati.
“The hidden meaning of the video actually depicts the elite’s contempt for the general population, hence the scene of ritual murder of average Americans in a diner by mind-controlled slaves. Don’t know what the hell I’m talking about? Keep reading.”
You really should read this whole thing. It’s fascinatingly awful and has sentences like this: This “deeper meaning” found in Gaga’s video relates to mind control, a covert practice used by the military, the CIA, religious cults and the Illuminati elite. It is used to program human beings to become mental slaves and to execute specific tasks. (@vigilantcitizen)
Basically, this guy thinks he’s in the Josie and the Pussycats movie:
No, no, wait, she’s really just trying to hurt America’s kids! Sandy Rios of the Culture Campaign flipped her sh*t on Fox News over the video, saying:
“And this time we have to speculate on whether she has a male member or not or whether it’s been cut off or not. And then they do a mass murder at the the end. And then we’ve got Beyonce’ and GaGa as gay lesbian lovers. It’s disgusting Megan! I wouldn’t under any circumstance allow my children to buy Lady GaGa cd’s or listen to them and I would explain to them why. This is just poison in the minds of our kids.” (@livingoutloud)
Whatever, they’re both wrong, she’s clearly just pushing the gay agenda.
SKINS:
So episode 7 of Skins was super weird, and now people are lodging legit complaints about the show’s content. We think this ep could discourage already skeptical mentally ill people from getting treatment or from trusting their regimen of meds. (@digitalspy)
LAMBERT:
Speaking of Adam, he’s been on tour in Japan this week. (@hollywoodgossip)
And Camilla Gray of Uh Huh Her has started rehearsals with him as well!
THE BACHELOR:
Femonomics has raised concerns over the fact that The Bachelor franchise is the whitest show on TV. But Racialicious isn’t sure that’s an entirely bad thing. Having a more people of color on the show could be a nice change of pace, but there are a lot of ways it could go wrong. “Imagine if we had, say, a Korean bachelorette. I doubt we would make it through a single episode without references to said bachelorette’s exotic beauty and delicate hands. Or what if we had a bachelor of colour pick a white suitor? We’d have another disastrous portrayal of white beauty being selected over nonwhite.” It’s an interesting argument on the pros, cons, and realities of non-white portrayals on the teevee. (@racialicious)
Lady Gaga Announces New US Tour Dates, Has Basically Taken Over the Internet Today
LADY GAGA:
A lot of Gaga news today people. EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK, IT’S LADY GAGA.
OhNoTheyDidnt: Did you know about the Lady Gaga/Beyonce Telephone Video/Gay Porn connection? Are you ready to see actual cock on your computer screen? If you answered yes to either of those questions then you should read this. I recommend that you do not click “source” unless you are ready to see some serious assf*cking. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but just saying, NSFW.
Via Geekweek: Who is that girl Lady Gaga is kissing in the video!?! That’d be Heather Cassils: “I am an artist, stunt person and a body builder who uses my exaggerated physique to undermine and interrogate systems of power and control. Often employing many of the same strategies used by FLUXUS and guerrilla theater, my method is multidisciplinary and crosses a spectrum of performance, film, drawing, video, photography and event planning. I am a founding member of the Los Angeles based performance group the Toxic Titties.”
The Awl says it best, re: Telephone:
“The girl on girl trope is so tired but here we have here surrounded by surly dykes, leathery cholas, and forbidding black ladies. So here’s where it gets transgressive because unlike say Madge, who leaned over and kissed Britney on a “GEE ARENT ME NAUGHTY” trip.”
“She seems more like a cult leader than a business entity, and that’s where Gaga is more interesting to me [than Madonna] and what keeps her scary and funny and fun.”
Gawker TV: Gawker TV has some very valid words regarding MTV “banning ” Lady Gaga’s video in a piece entitled “MTV Bans “Telephone” Music Video, Remains Completely Irrelevant”:
The ironic thing about this is that MTV, through years of cultivation of reality programming that infested its schedule so deeply, barely even airs music videos anymore—a quick look at the network’s programming schedule for today reveals no time slots devoted to music videos, yet seven hours set aside for its docudrama program, True Life—yet still feels the need to issue a ban on one it deems too provocative.
MTV: Except that um, CNN was wrong when it reported that MTV banned the video — yes CNN was totally wrong:
“MTV did not ban Lady Gaga and Beyoncé’s ‘Telephone’ video — in fact, we premiered it on Friday, March 12, on-air and online at MTV.com, two days before this story was falsely reported.”
Gawker TV: Suze Orman gets a caller wanting to know if she can buy $1,400 headphones and Suze Orman tries to get her to buy Lady Gaga headphones instead because she is a total Lady Gaga freak.
Haus of Gaga: People are worried that Gaga is getting really exhausted from her crazy-ass schedule as she had to sit down on stage during the New Zealand show. I actually don’t understand how she is able to do any of the things she is doing, she is playing way too many concerts.
Lady Gaga: Gaga has announced her North American tour dates. ABC News reports that fans have “gone Gaga” about these 31 New Tour Dates, as well as over the video which featured “Lesbian Prison Sex.” It did? WHERE WAS THE LESBIAN PRISON SEX WE DIDN’T SEE THAT.
AdAge: Miracle Whip and PlentyofFish.com are the only companies that paid directly for product placement in Gaga’s Telephone Video. However obvs Virgin is sponsoring Gaga’s tour, and she is the creative director for Polaroid.
Fox News: Lady Gaga debuts a bloody nun outfit in New Zealand.
GLEE:
Do you know Paleyfest? You should, because you can buy the podcasts of their events if you don’t happen to live in Beverly Hills to catch them live. They did a fantastic broadcast with the cast of The L Word in 2005, and other notable InsideMedia sessions include The Office, Sex & The City, 30 Rock and Law & Order. Entertainment Weekly is covering PaleyFest ’10 and has some major spoilers from the next season! I hate spoilers, you’ll have to check it out for yourself. Also they’ll be covering a Gaga song in the upcoming season. (@ew)
IDOL:
David Cook, Ke$ha and Orianthi are all performing on American Idol together probs. We don’t know who David Cook is, we just think it’s cute ’cause Orianthi and Ke$ha are both gonna be at Dinah Shore (Orianthi at Girlbar, Ke$ha at Club Skirts) (@ontd)
SUZANNE WESTENHOEFER:
Suzanne Westenhoefer is interviewed at The Sacramento Press: “Westenhoefer did not always identify as a lesbian, however. Early on she felt that she was out of the mainstream but it didn’t occur to her that she was gay until she was 19. “It was such a shock when it occurred to me, and then I thought, ‘Oh! Totally awesome!’ and that led to ‘Oh, my God, I’m gay and we’re not equal to other people! Where’s the protest marches?'” (@sacramento press)
LESBIAN TEEVEE/FILM/WEBTEEVEE:
The results of Afterellen’s Top 50 Lesbian & Bisexual Characters are out! You know what that means! 12 pages and 50 gigantic photographs of your favorite lebsian & bisexual characters. Naomi & Emily from Skins snagged the first two spots (this reminds me of having dinner with my family when I was like 8 or something after we’d just gone to see Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and my Dad asked us what our favorite movies were and my brother and I both said Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and he was like wow, short-term memory), and the ladies of The L Word, South of Nowhere, Grey’s Anatomy follow in sharp succession as well as ladies from Buffy, Xena the Warrior Princess, Guiding Light & ETC. Unfortunately two of my favorite L Word characters, Tasha & Jenny, did not rank that high because not everyone realizes that they are better than everyone else. (@afterellen)
BOOKS:
Prolific writer Joyce Carol Oates won a Lifetime Achievement Award t the National Book Critics Circle Awards. If you don’t know who she is, you should! Also, she wrote the novel that Foxfire was based on, as well as about 6,000 other books because she writes faster than any other human being ever of all time seriously. (@wsj)
ADAM LAMBERT:
…. Adam Lambert is in FLAUNT Magazine. I used to work in the office right next to FLAUNT’s office, and there were all these fun gay boys there. That being said, I can’t figure out how to get the shit from their website, like the article? It’s a good magazine, I’ll just buy it and scan it later but anyhoo the photos are hot!
CELEBRITY APPRENTICE:
Cyndi Lauper advocates equality on Celebrity Apprentice. Sidenote; lesbian Carol Leifer was the first to get kicked out on last night’s premiere. (@shewired)
MOVIES ABOUT LADIES:
The Novelty Of The Imperfect (But Redeemable) Female Character: “Despite complaints that it’s too parochially New York, there’s evidence that writer-director Nicole Holofcener’s Please Give, currently screening at Sundance, offers something distinctly more relatable: female characters that are neither bitches nor saints.” (@jezebel)
DAVID FOSTER WALLACE:
David Foster Wallace: Viking Poem (@the awl)
ALSO: Autostraddle recaps episode 407 of Skins and has 10 Female Musician Fashion Icons.
NSFW Sunday: Girl-on-Girl Music Video Party
Lady Gaga’s music video “Telephone” has set the Internet on fire and subjected 15 million people to the pleasure of girl-on-girl action. Lady Gaga’s clearly not the first lady to love another lady in a music video — music videos LOVE gratuitous lesbian makeouts! Well, for the last 15-20 years.
You know what’s interesting/predictable? Despite the ubiquity of the lesbian makeout trope in music videos, rarely is the maker-outer the actual musician or a band member [even in queer-lady videos, of which, let’s be honest here lesbians-who-are-about-to-yell-at-me, there are not many good queer-lady videos] [The Eth, Indigo Girls, Tracy Chapman, kd lang, & 4 Non Blondes make their most well-played music videos totally sans lesbian content]. In fact, it’s usually male musical artists who feature “lesbian” themes in their videos. Notable girl-on-girl videos have come from Blink 182, Queens of the Stone Age, Aerosmith, 50 Cent, Rolling Stone, Nelly, Metallica, and Lords of Acid. AMONG OTHERS.
So, aside from Lady Gaga’s dyketastic Thursday sexplosion on “Telephone,” what other ladies have gone for the makeout?
Here’s just a few on the tip of our tongues:
1. Madonna – Erotica & Justify My Love
Erotica (1992) — Remember when Madonna was still edgy? Let us refresh your memory:
Madonna pretty much paved the sexual way for female musical artists, and she also made out with Amanda Cazalet in Justify my Love (1990). “Justify my Love” is so ’90s, and again we have her making out with a lady for the benefit of a dude, but there’s a part where she actually has sex on camera, which is one of a few reasons why this video was banned on most outlets… even from allegedly progressive MTV. Oh, ’90s Madonna, you endlessly beautifully raunchy world-changing creature.
2. Pink — Sober
Let’s not forget when Pink decided to make out with a girl, she made out with um, herself!
+
3. Dragonette — I Get Around
Embedding unfortunately disabled by request, but in this video THE ACTUAL WOMAN FROM DRAGONETTE sings about how she likes to get around with lots of people, which includes lesbians and dudes. Audiostraddle recently caught Dragonette in concert, at an intimate lesbian club where Martina Sorbara was rocking an alternative lifestyle haircut.
+
4. t.a.T.u. — All The Things She Said
Oh t.a.T.u, what else can we say about you that dear Stef hasn’t said already. Best/worst fake lesbians of all time.
+
5. Other lady-bands with girl-on-girl videos include The Sounds’ Tony the Beat…
6. Shiny Toy Guns’ Le Disko. I wish Shiny Toy Guns really did play live concerts in clubs where cute lesbians make out with each other:
+
+
And a few of the dude bands with girl-on-girl scenes:
Minus.Plus. — Love Song: I don’t really know what the context of this video is or what kind of story they are trying to tell or why they picked a lesbian couple to be the cute couple making out and walking on the beach for this video, but they sure are cute!
If you’re not into the Vans Warped Tour, you might want to watch it on mute. I personally loved the Vans Warped Tour. Beware; unhappy ending!
+
Blink 182 — I Miss You: Blink 182 is wearing nice suits, and they miss you because you were always so full of life, jk why are all the girls in this video dead and/or catatonic? Oh! Except for the two ladies who are making out/fucking up each other’s lipstick. In the second half of the video, most of the girls wake up and stalk around ghostily in bad makeup.
She Wants Revenge — Written in Blood: What we have here is a straight male fantasy of a woman’s boyfriend picking a girl for her, and then her and that girl getting it on while he watches.
Tosca — Honey: Basically what happens here is someone from Germany is going to have to explain this 2002 German music video to me. Watch!
+
Queens of the Stone Age — 3s & 7s: Like Girltrash meets Telephone meets a bunch of straight guys playing rock ‘n’ roll music.
+
Simian Mobile Disco — Hustler: I think we’ve all happened upon this video simply because of the awesomely intensifying girl-on-girl sexy that takes place. And if you haven’t seen it yet, you’re in for a treat:
+
In conclusion, more girls should make out with girls on camera.
Next:
Bravo goes to Babeland, queer porn casting, lazertits, sexy tumblr, photoshoots, carton characters & sexy sxsw.
Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” Video: Even Gayer Than Actual Dance Clubs
Tonight Lady Gaga & Beyoncé’s much-anticipated music video, “Telephone,” premiered. Eh, it was fine. Kidding. It was no Oops I Did it Again, but on the other hand – oh that fierce bitch Gaga did it again. It was awesome! Wanna watch it again? Oh good, us too!
The monumental task of discussing the world premiere of this landmark artistic achievement, we felt, would be best observed in two parts. We’re splitting it up into a recap and a roundtable of opinions from our team of Lady Gaga experts.