This article reminded me so much of my own experiences growing up queer but being around a lot of boys in my friend group. Especially because, yeah, I was kissing girls in front of men that looked like their heads were about to explode and I gave myself a lot of shit for this for a really long time. There was a lot of "I can't believe I participated in their voyeurism" but looking back now, man I was just gay. Yes, I was kissing girls in front of men, but I was also kissing girls NOT in front of men. The "(presumably) straight girls kissing" phenomenon has been so criticized by feminists and "girls' girls" that there is little room for queer people to exist in straight spaces. "you can't kiss girls in front of men because that's attention seeking" okay but what if I want to kiss a girl and men are around? It seems like this criticism advocates for seperatism in some ways.
It doesn't give grace to people to explore their desires in public, which has a lot to do with heteronormativity in general and the expectation of straightness from birth, a main argument of the zine. I assert that all of these women are gay, they just don't quite grasp the connection, like when your mom says that "no one actually WANTS to marry a man" and you can't bring yourself to tell her. Sure, speculating about other people's sexuality is none of my business and all that but my point isn't actually to speculate. I'm just saying everyone is probably a little gay, and that's fun.
While I am advocating for a less strict view of "straight" girls kissing other girls, specifically in public, I also want to acknowledge that it is often still harmful. The reason I titled this zine "I'ts not like we're lesbians" is because many girls are still afraid of and grossed out by the term lesbian. It further marginalizes lesbians when girls kissing is fetishized in situations like these, however, drunk sorority girls are not the root of the problem. I want to be clear, I am not labeling it a non-issue, but I also think we need to chill a little bit and let people figure themselves out while focusing on systemic issues rather than personal ones.
Lastly, it's okay to be gay! Be more gay! Everyone get more gay now!
okay here's my zine and yeah it's badly photographed because it is late and I don't have a smart phone or a scanner:
