Hey, everybody. I’ll be guest blogging here for the next two weeks.
Coincidentally, the timing of this guest blogging stint will expose the somewhat fractured (maybe “varied” is a better word) focuses in my life right now, which currently span a time-zone, language barriers, and a wide array of interests.
For the next week I’ll be blogging from here in Mexico City, where I live for two months out of the year, and where my girlfriend and I write Macha Mexico: A Lesbian Guide to Mexico City. It’s an English language blog meant to provide a more indepth look at dyke life in Mexico City than Lonely Planet can provide and we try to grow it little by little each week. (We also have to update old entries constantly to note which of our favorite venues have been shut down as police crackdowns and gentrification change the queer landscape here in the Distrito Federal.)
After this week I’ll be back in Brooklyn, New York, preparing for my fourth year as a math teacher in a “small” public high school where I am also a “health resource teacher,” a college counselor, and the advisor to an ever-growing gay-straight alliance.
I’m also a burlesque performer, have taught several burlesque workshops here in Mexico City, and just got back from a mini-tour with the burlesque troupe that was formed out of one of those workshops.
The content of my own blog is rarely explicitly political, but I hope to crosspost some interviews I’ve been doing with some interesting queers, feminists, and activists here in Mexico City. (Of course, I have to transcribe and translate them first…) I’m a relatively recent reader of Feministe, so feel free to link to older posts that address similar topics. Also, I apologize in advance for my terrible spelling.
I’ll start by plugging Generación Y, a Spanish-language blog that my girlfriend referred me to and that I’m just starting to read. It’s one of the only blogs being written in Cuba, where internet access is severely restricted. The English language version can be found here, plus a short article that the New York Times did about the role of the internet as a political tool in Cuba.
Welcome, and thanks for the intro to some awesome sites!
Hey, Anna! Welcome to Feministe! Looking forward to reading your stuff.
Haha, not until I hit “Submit Comment” did I realize how generic that sounded for a greeting to a friend! So yeah, uh… woohoo Anna! Heh.
So wait, let me get this straight: you are the author of a blog-guide to lesbian culture in Mexico City, a public high school teacher, a GSA-advisor, AND a burlesque performer?! What awesome thing can’t you do?
As a public high school student and co-leader of my school’s GSA, WELCOME!
Miranda, your comment just made my day.
Good luck with your GSA! I was co-leader of my school’s GSA when I was in middle school and high school, but the GSA I work with now is really different (plus, it’s different playing the advisor role). I’m not sure where you are located or if your school is public or private, but I hope you’ve found other (national and local) organizations you can work with.
Anna, you’re making me feel like a slacker already. You’d better not reveal that you have additional hobbies in your next post, or I’m gonna, like, throw on my sweatpants and pout, or something.
Oh noes! There is another Anna!
I will identify this way! :)
Seriously – thanks for the link to the Cyber Dissidents in Cuba. I talk about Cybder-dissidents in China whenever I can, and am trying to get more awareness out about how the internet is controlled in other countries.
Our GSA is pretty badass overall. Our weekly meetings are usually just discussions about gender, sexuality, and straight allies (since most of us are straight), but we occasionally have some cool guest speakers about more specific topics (harassment, etc.). Our work for the year culminates at PrideFest, a one-day festival in June.
I know that your time is split between New York and Mexico City, but would you ever have time to be a guest speaker?