Notes & Queeries
In this monthly column published on AfterEllen.com, I write about the intersection of pop culture and everyday life.
- 07.09 Best Friends Forever — A new novel about college students and her own upcoming wedding has Malinda reflecting on the best gift of her undergrad experience — her friends.
- 06.09 The Allure of the Lesbian Vampire — The lesbian vampire is making a comeback in TV and film — what does that mean for queer women?
- 04.09 The Trouble with “Bisexual” — Malinda raises questions about the label of “bisexual” in light of Clementine Ford, Oprah, and her own coming-out story.
- 03.09 Rachel Maddow, Butch Fatale — Anxiety with butch lesbians is expressed in numerous mainstream articles about Rachel Maddow. (Read my blog post follow-up.)
- 02.09 Change Comes to “The L Word”—The show reminds us that we all struggle to evolve — and that’s a good thing.
- 01.09 The Truth About Lies —Two young adult novels remind us that growing up is about telling the truth.
- 12.08 Yes I Am — The central strategy of Harvey Milk’s campaign for equal rights — coming out — should still be our strategy today.
- 11.08 Come Out, Again — A recent episode of South of Nowhere reminds us of the need to come out to people of older generations.
- 10.08 The Undiscovered Country — Erica and Callie’s relationship on Grey’s Anatomy reminds us of the wonder of our first lesbian relationship.
- 09.08 A Wal-Mart Wedding — Ellen and Portia’s wedding is the talk of the checkout aisle in mainstream America.
- 08.08 An Open Mind — Buffy and Satsu show that sexual orientation is increasingly irrelevant.
- 06.08 Returning to the Indigo Girls — The hardest to learn is the least complicated.
- 05.08 The Wisdom of Exes — “Exes & Ohs” shows that it’s OK to be single and gay.
- 03.08 Beauty and Margaret Cho — The queer comedian’s latest tour, Beautiful, is blunt, explicit and important.
- 02.08 Friends and “The L Word” — Malinda Lo’s first monthly column about the personal side of pop culture.
Back in the Day
In 2005, I wrote a monthly column for AfterEllen.com highlighting key moments in the history of lesbians and bisexual women in entertainment.
- 12.05 Out on the Catwalk — From Gia Carangi to Jenny Shimizu to Kate Moss, Malinda Lo reviews the struggles and achievements of the modeling industry’s few openly lesbian and bisexual high-profile models.
- 11.05 The Ladder — The Ladder, America’s first national lesbian magazine, battled both internal and external controversies during its run from 1955 to 1972, and paved the way for many of today’s queer publications.
- 10.05 Personal Best — The 1982 theatrical debut was a watershed moment for bisexual women in film.
- 08.05 The End of Butch Chic — Masculinity in lesbians has become less acceptable since the k.d. lang-Cindy Crawford cover of Vanity Fair was published in the height of the early 90s “lesbian chic” craze.
- 07.05 Emerging from The Well of Loneliness — The 1928 publication of the first English novel written by a lesbian to focus openly on homosexuality created a sensation.
- 06.05 Cris Williamson’s The Changer and The Changed — This revolutionary album remains one of the best-selling indie records ever.
- 05.05 The Women of Brewster Place — This 1989 Oprah-produced miniseries included one of the first African American lesbian couples on TV.
- 04.05 Coming Out With Ellen — In April 1997, Ellen DeGeneres made history when she came out on her sitcom Ellen, and in real life.
- 03.05 The Kiss Heard Around the World — In February, 1991, two women kissed each other on one of television’s critically acclaimed dramas, L.A. Law.
- 02.05 Melissa Etheridge Comes Out — In 1993, during the first inaugural ball to ever be held in honor of gays and lesbians, Melissa Etheridge came out of the closet.