In 2005, I heard the news of two teenage boys who were publicly hung in Iran on charges involving homosexual behavior. Of the few published photographs of the episode, the most shocking to me was an image of the boys, blindfolded, just moments before their death on the scaffold. Thinking about ways to counter homophobia, I began to depict my own life in my work with the aim to challenge stereotypes usually represented in mainstream media.
I started to photograph Darrin as an expression of love, aware that relationships such as mine continue to struggle for acceptance and social justice in many parts of the world. This ongoing series relates to a personal journey of discovery, self-reliance, and affirmation, especially for those of us who venture to establish a sense of encouragement and historical inclusion.
My intention is to shift away from the stereotypical homoeroticism typically permeating representations of gay men, focusing instead on ordinary moments and intimate experiences, as Darrin and I share our lives together.
I don’t mess around or play games. I don’t believe in them. I just want honesty. I’d rather wake up one morning and say, “You know what? I had a really terrible dream that you were fucking someone else. Can you love me extra today?” instead of getting in a fight about some stupid shit and then at the end of the day being like, “Okay, can I tell you why I’ve been acting like this?” I’d rather say “Heads up” than “I’m sorry” later. Your relationship is supposed to be the safe place.
—John Mayer on the secret to having a good relationship (via sarahbyrk)
On Monday evening, little girls clutching balloons and cake couldn’t help but bust a move in Providence’s Social Enterprise Greenhouse. The youngsters were celebrating the launch of a $35K Kickstarter campaign in support of Healthy Roots, a collection of African-American, Haitian, Nigerian, Pacific Islander and Afro-Brazilian dolls designed to combat racism and racial stereotypes by encouraging young black females to embrace their natural hair.
According to founder and creative director Yelitsa Jean-Charles 16 IL (top photo, second from left), approximately 50% of children in the US are of color – but only 8% of children’s books have main characters of color. “These numbers don’t add up,” she points out. “It’s time to bring true diversity to the toy isle…. No one should feel less than because of the color of their skin or the kink of their curl.”
The project also includes an instructive hair care manual and book series.
“To get these dolls in the arms of little girls, we need to reach our minimum order of 2,500 dolls,” notes Jean-Charles. “We’re ready to go. We just need everyone’s orders.”
Jean-Charles is optimistic about the prospects. Healthy Roots recently earned a Brown University Social Innovation Fellowship – a program that providesintensive skills training, complementary coursework and a community of social entrepreneurs offering mentorship and critique. The team has also found an outpouring of support from RISD’s E'Ship Program, Brown Breakthrough Innovation Lab and the MassChallenge Accelerator Program.
“Healthy Roots teaches girls of color self-love through education, diversity and positive representation,” Jean-Charles explains. “If the toys we play with influence how we perceive ourselves, imagine the kind of impact we can have with a toy that aims to inspire and empower.”
north Korea scares me to death. the fact that a place like that still exists in modern day. those people are prisoners.
1984 is here and now
this is too 1984 to be real
why the fuck have i barely heard anything about this shit? Why aren’t more people outraged about this? and talking about this? this is fucking horrible! Something has to be done it’s fucking 2014 why the fuck is this even happening
i have family in North Korea that no one has seen since the war.
Why isn’t anyone telling us about this? I’m a sophomore in high school. Who gives a shit about The Second Great Awakening? What about this? What about the Korean Reich that’s strangling it’s own people? Why hasn’t anyone at least pretended to care? Fuck Beyoncé, fuck whatever is coming soon to theaters. Why isn’t the suffering of human beings the first headline in the NY Times? Why hasn’t my history teacher taken a moment out of the 53 minutes in our class to inform us? Why?
Why?
You guys really never had this taught in school? I learned this in school. There were powerpoint presentations, documentaries about American and European doctors who were allowed to enter the country on the strict rule that they only perform medical acts, but they secretly filmed the whole thing anyway. (The medical equipment in North Korea is disgusting, the hospital rooms are basically rooms with kitchen tables and alcohol for numbing. Some other countries have donated proper equipment but there’s not much, and very little people have medical training), we wrote essays. What kind of school did you people attend?
Youre in the minority friend, i know for sure know schools in my area talk about this
