By Nicole Mitchell
“The next time someone asks you why LGBT Pride marches exist or why Gay Pride Month is June tell them, ‘A bisexual woman named Brenda Howard thought it should be.’” — Brenda Howard
While it’s true that the first pride was a riot, many credit bisexual and LGBTQIA+ Activist Brenda Howard for continuing the fight and making June officially known as Pride Month—therefore awarding her the name of “Mother of Pride.”
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By Sophie Oswald
Honey & Milk tells a story we have yet to see on screen. It follows Alice and Grayson in their final moments as a couple before the life they once knew comes to an end. As Grayson discovers who they truly are and breaks down the walls of masculinity, everything about their romantic relationship changes. Emotions are high with moments of intense anger and heavy sadness.
Alice wants to take on life together, but Grayson needs the freedom to find themself. Grayson leaves and heads back into the world anew, and Alice is left to grieve what once was. As said on Seed & Spark, “Honey & Milk will leave the audience contemplating how some of the most unconditional expressions of love often come at a personal cost. Love holds the sweet grief of impermanence.”
This uniquely beautiful and inclusive film is being created by an all femme and gender nonconforming (GNC) crew. The short film not only explores gender and personal transformation, but it’s being created by people who truly understand those experiences.
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By Sophie Oswald
With our society telling everyone how to look, it’s always great to see people go against the grain. You should feel free to explore all aspects of your being without having to fit the mold that was created to make us all… let’s be real here… boring af! Those who flash a middle finger at set expectations deserve a round of applause. Here’s the thing; you’re allowed to stand out. And drag is one sure way to do that.
Drag is a style of entertainment where performers dress up in flashy clothing and exaggerated makeup as a way of self-expression and an art. Drag doesn’t revolve around the gender or sexuality of the performer, but rather gives them a space to explore different roles.
Folks of any gender can be drag queens, but typical performers are men who get dolled up in a way that overemphasizes the feminine form. Women who perform drag are often referred to as drag kings because they’re dressing up in a way that overemphasizes masculinity.
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By Jen Harris
SOUP offers a content warning prior to every column, as the subjects discussed herein may be triggering for some readers. Please proceed with caution. If you would like to try a grounding technique for triggered moments, here is a personal recommendation.
The song goes, “I would do anything for love… but I won’t do that,” and the great debate is, “What IS ‘that’?”
That is all of the things that wreck a relationship: addiction, codependency, attachment style, jealousy, infidelity, financial strain, untreated mental illness, misogyny, sexism, racism, sexual repression… the list is long. So, the song is inherently claiming, “I would do anything for love, except be human.”
Historically I’ve claimed to be the sort of person who “won’t do that,” even though I totally DO THAT and that and that. I’d still like to believe I would do anything well-intentioned and healthy for love.
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By Jen Harris
Let’s Not have the same holiday, again.
I look up from the 2020 survival trek and oh, it’s that time again. No, not my period. Christmas. I’m talking about Christmas. I’m surprised to smell apple cider and hear holiday music. Are we really celebrating this year, after everything that’s happened? It feels remarkably disrespectful to healthcare and essential workers, the dead, the dying, and those isolated in the purgatory of uncertainty to be glutenous after such a disparaging year, but it appears there are those who are going forward with holiday plans under the guise of being grateful for what remains.
It’s the holiday season (holiday season) // Whoop-dee-doo (Whoop-dee-doo)
Or at least, I think those are the words. Nonetheless, that’s my overall vibe about this year’s holidays. I struggle with holidays. It’s been my experience that many of us struggle with holidays, especially within the queer community.
Look, I’m not trying to exclude anyone, I’m just saying, when it comes to queers and holidays, any holiday, MOST holidays: it’s loaded. Proceed with caution.
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Catcall 