archive soup: sad Taiwanese lesbian subculture, crossdressing in Gaza, forgotten stories of Black women in the Salem witch trials, and playing on my omnichord
january week 4, 2024
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Reading:
(Content warning: mentions of death and suicide)
I am currently reading Solo Dance by Kotomi Li, a coming-of-age novel about a Taiwanese lesbian navigating grief while living in corporate Japan. I just started last night, and…oof. The book represents much of what it means to be a lesbian, full of yearning but also well…..pain. The first words of the book open up with,
“Death. Dying. The words felt good on her lips, their sound gentler than the whispering breeze, softer than any carpet in her dreams.”
But somehow, in these cold winter days, Li’s aching words feel comforting. It’s funny how grief works like a warm wool cloak at times. The book is like an ode to Qiu Miaojin, a beloved Taiwanese lesbian writer who passed away at the tender age of 26. Last winter, I read Miaojin’s Last Words of Montmartre, which is an array of diary entries published after she committed suicide.
It’s been a moment since I’ve thought about Miaojin, and picking up a book a year later that I didn’t know much about before reading it that mentions her feels like a life is a circle moment. In a way, I feel like Miaojin's soulful eyes and haunting writing will always be here with us, like a beautiful ghost or a twinkling spirit.
While reading Solo Dance last night, I felt inspired to look at my old notes. I became immersed in learning about the underground lesbian scene in East Asia and understanding the usage of lexicons:
In Taiwan, “T-Po” is a lexicon referring to “butch-femme” relationships. “T” is an abbreviation of “tomboy” (masculine presenting) while “Po” is a derivative of the Taiwanese conversational word “Laopo” which means wife (femme presenting). In the 1960s, Taiwanese masculine presenting lesbians identified as "chhēng-khò͘-ê” which loosely translates to “pants-wearer”. Many Taiwanese lesbian elders still identify as such.
Shortly after the news of her suicide, Qiu Miaojin’s novel, Notes of a Crocodile, culturally impacted Taiwan as “Lazi” (the name of the protagonist in the novel) became slang for lesbian. The term soon spread to other countries like Mainland China, evolving into the word “Lala”. (Lazi and Lala are so freakin cute!) “Eyu” or “Crocodile” also became other codes for identifying as a lesbian.
As I just started reading Solo Dance, I am unsure how the protagonist, Cho Norie, identifies but I’m interested to see how this unfolds! If you’re a fellow sad lesbian, I recommend checking it out.
Articles I came across that I found interesting:
Queering History, Archiving the Future: In Search of Taiwanese Lesbian History- Eno Pei-Jean Chen 陳佩甄, Jeremy Tiang
Making Queer History: Qiu Miaojin- Marc Zinaman
Engaging:
Ann Cvetkovich, lesbian scholar, said in An Archive of Feelings Trauma, Sexuality, and Lesbian Public Cultures, “Gay and lesbian history even exists has been a contested fact, and the struggle to record and preserve it is exacerbated by the invisibility that often surrounds intimate life, especially sexuality”.
As the erasure of Palestinian people and culture continues, so does the eradication of the rich history, archives, stories, and legacies. What does this also mean for queer and trans Palestinians? Or the underground queer subculture in Palestine?
Zionists resume to skew queer movements with pinkwashing agenda. But the truth is that queer and trans Palestinians have always resisted and persisted through community, art, poetry, storytelling, and more. Even in moments of deep violence and despair.
With these questions haunting me, I have been researching and reading anything I can find. Read their stories, share their artwork, and remember their names. Archiving is a tool of resistance and liberation. It is up to us to preserve their stories.
Queer + Trans Palestinian artwork, poetry, and readings:
“Waqfi Banat: A Collection of Literary Texts by Lesbian Arab Women (English Translation)”- ASWAT Palestinian Feminist Center for Gender and Sexual Freedoms
Homecoming Queenz- Elias Wakeem
Home and exile in queer experience Poem by Rauda Morcos
Between Patriarchy and Occupation: Rauda Morcos and Palestinian Lesbian Activism for Bodily Rights- Interview by Samar Habib and Nayla Moujaes
Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique- Sa'ed Atshan
I also posted some snippets on Instagram a compilation.
Obsessing:
Like all self-respecting teenage girls, I was obsessed with all things historical witchery, and the villainization of witches, particularly the Salem Witch Trials. Etymologically, the term “witchcraft” is derived from the English word “Wicca”. The term was associated with women with power. People feared they were possessed by the devil as practiced by the Church and believed they had the intent to do malice in destroying individuals, families, and properties. (Misogyny, man.)
The historical significance of the Salem Witch trials ultimately led to the cultural impact in the 21st century, inspiring Sabrina the Teenage, Charmed, and the cult classic (my personal favorite), The Craft, and more. However, the modern characterization of witches stems mostly from the Western understanding of witchcraft, which involves porcelain-skinned teenage girls with a fawn-like aura from suburbia. And to be completely honest, this was largely my perception of witches due to pop culture. That is until a week ago, I came across I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem by Maryse Condé (which is what I’m reading next!) and it blew my MIND.
In the late 1600s, Tituba was an enslaved woman who was brought from Barbados to Massachusetts, by Reverend Samuel Parris, the minister of Salem Village. Samuel’s daughters became ill and a concerned member of the church told Tituba to make a cake mixed with the girls’ urine and to feed it to the family dog. Tituba listened to the instructions when later, the daughters claimed that Tituba was tormenting them. Tituba was then accused of being a witch. She was later beaten by Samuel for weeks until she (forcibly) confessed to being a witch. Tituba’s confession ignited a witchcraft scare which led to hundreds of men and women being imprisoned and thus, the infamous Salem Witch Trials.
I was beyond shocked that I had never heard of Tituba’s story. In documentation and research of Tituba’s case, the villagers in Salem perceived her as Native Indian, even though she was from Barbados. This goes to show not only the stripped identities of enslaved women but also the joint struggle between Black and Indigenous women in America due to colonized racial understanding.
Tituba’s story should not be forgotten. Read more about her here:
Unraveling the Many Mysteries of Tituba, the Star Witness of the Salem Witch Trials
Purloined Identity: The Racial Metamorphosis of Tituba of Salem Village- Veta Smith Tucker
Listening + Watching:
Last winter, I bought an omnichord and picked it up again! Been loving learning from covers on TikTok and Youtube.
Here’s me playing Sea of Love by Cat Power on the omnichord! Enjoy <3
Loving:
I’ve been obsessed with GabiUK, a Black British lesbian, who makes incredible historical content focusing on lesbian stories. I’ve learned so much from Gabi! I also featured her video on Alice Walker’s love affair with Tracy Chapman in my last Weekly Roundup.
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That’s all! What have you been reading, engaging, listening/watching, obsessed with, and loving lately? Do tell and comment below <3
This whole post was surprisingly joyful/ hopeful. Thank you for sharing. Your words do touch people and i wanted you to know we’re receiving. And the cover …. Your playing and singing is so beautiful and tender
Thank you for sharing Tituba's story!!!