A feminine voice: Rachael Smith couldn't find other lesbians who fancy big silver hoop earrings, red stilettos, and the perfect application of eye shadow. So now she's the "Donna" of her own mafia.Atlanta is the queer capital of the South. Our pride celebration is phenomenal, the gay nightlife night·life n. Social activities or entertainment available or pursued in the evening. nightlife Noun is dizzying, and gay neighborhoods and gay-owned businesses abound. When I moved here in 2002, I knew I'd found home. But when it came to lesbian nightlife, my options were limited. Out one night at the city's most popular lesbian bar, dressed in my prettiest clothes, I noticed a strange phenomenon. Amid the diversity of styles and ages there was not a skirt to be seen. No dresses, no high heels high heels high npl → talons hauts, hauts talons high heels high npl → hochhackige Schuhe pl , and no makeup makeup In the performing arts, material used by actors for cosmetic purposes and to help create the characters they play. Not needed in Greek and Roman theatre because of the use of masks, makeup was used in the religious plays of medieval Europe, in which the angels' faces . I've always been a feminine creature, from my childhood love of the "truly outrageous" Jeta cartoon character to my current love of MAC cosmetics; my queerness queer adj. queer·er, queer·est 1. Deviating from the expected or normal; strange: a queer situation. 2. Odd or unconventional, as in behavior; eccentric. See Synonyms at strange. and my girliness have always gone hand in hand. Looking around at that bar, I felt alone. But every so often, through the smoke and strobes, hope came in the flash of a big silver hoop earring earring, a personal adornment, sometimes an amulet, worn attached to the ear lobe. Since prehistoric times the ear has been pierced for the insertion of the earring; certain primitive tribes distort the lobe with plugs several inches in diameter or with heavy stones. , a red stiletto, or an expert application of eye shadow. I'd look twice--could it be? With a smile we would exchange an uncommon joy, a delight in seeing our own. Because this happened so rarely, in January 2005 I invited a small group of femme femme adj. Slang Exhibiting stereotypical or exaggerated feminine traits. Used especially of lesbians and gay men. n. 1. Slang One who is femme. 2. Informal A woman or girl. friends to dinner, and the Femme Mafia was born. Word spread, and our monthly dinner party grew. By June we had a Web site. By July we'd been featured in the local gay paper. By the fall we had close to 100 "Mafia Femmes," and our "Planning Donnas" began preparation for an anniversary party to celebrate the community we'd created. The overwhelmingly successful gala received rave reviews for its production, its entertainment, and the diversity of its attendees. Just by meeting with each other monthly over dinner, the feeling of visibility among femmes in Atlanta has increased significantly. Where once we were invisible, now we are recognized as hardworking community members--sassy, flashy, and outspoken. The Femme Mafia has meant so much to so many of us, especially to me, the Mafia Donna. And in Augusta group of us will make a pilgrims' journey to San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden for the Femme 2006 conference to share with our sisters from around the world a little of the solidarity we've built for ourselves. Find out more at www.femmemafia.com. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion