Can't Stop the Mudbloods

Because I will never shut up about this man, let me introduce you to the Chevalier de Saint-Georges.

born Joseph Bologne in Guadeloupe to plantation owner Joseph Bologne and his Senegalese slave Nanon (Anne), Saint-George’s father took Nanon and her son to Paris and set up house with them there when Saint-Georges was a child

Saint-Georges received the best of educations that his father could provide, including the best of fencing instructors and music. At 13, he enrolled in Académie royale polytechnique des armes et de ‘l’équitation.

by his teens, Saint-Georges was acknowledged as one of the best fencers in the country and gave at least one racist fencer master an absolute drubbing. His dad was so proud of him that he bought him the equivalent of a car :) (Horse and buggy)

at 21, he was named Gendarme du roi (officer of the king’s bodyguard) and a chevalier.

from here to the revolution, his life was wild.

He became famous as a virtuoso composer and violinist and was even offered the role as conductor of the Paris Opera, but his name was dropped from consideration after racist singers said they wouldn’t perform for someone of his ethnicity.

However, that’s when Marie-Antoinette went “well, if they don’t want him, I’ll have him!” and installed him as part of her band. No, really. They had musical salons and he would play violin and she would play whatever-the-piano-thing-of-fashion-was.

He was hot. A contemporary wrote that “he loved and was loved” by the women of the court.

Aside from the fencing and music, he was also a keen sportsman and could ice skate and box with the best of them.

There was also speculation that he was a spy for France in the years leading up to the revolution. He spent a lot of time in England and was given ready access to the Prince of Wales’s court as a novelty, which gave him a lot of access to a lot of powerful people.

He was also a staunch and active abolitionist to the point that the slave-owning aristocrats in London tried to have him assassinated. It was meant to look like a botched robbery, but the assassins underestimated the fastest fencer in France and all four of them got their arses kicked and Saint-Geoges dusted himself off and went on his way to perform in a concert.

He was leader of the first all-black French battalion in the French army, which included the man who would end up as General Dumas, the father of Alexandre Dumas. The legion was named after Saint-Georges when he distinguished himself in combat.

When the revolution came, he - the son of a slave and a man who had been derided and belittled for his heritage for his entire life - chose the side of the revolution.

It shows Saint-Georges demonstrating fisticuffs to an aristocrat, Colonel Hanger, Baron of Coleraine - “Now in the mouth, then in the eye, then where you like”.

In the background, the Prince of Wales has received a similar boxing-lesson from trans fencer, spy and all-round BAMF the Chevalier D’Éon (another fascinating character of the period).

The dragon in the wall-painting represents slavery and slave owners, so the allegory’s meaning is obvious. :->

Here’s an illustration of a fencing exhibition between Saint-Georges and D’Éon…

…and here’s an example of his music.

History taught in schools is only the tip of history’s iceberg; the really good stuff is usually under the surface, though all too often it’s left there for all sorts of reasons.

Tell me that peter doesn't resemble Tony, I dare you.

Happy is about to cry too . Omg I'm emotional.

VS an adult

I’m writing this post about the upcoming midterm elections on November 6th, in which I’ll be voting in the state of Tennessee. In the past I’ve been reluctant to publicly voice my political opinions, but due to several events in my life and in the world in the past two years, I feel very differently about that now.  I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country. I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent.

I cannot vote for someone who will not be willing to fight for dignity for ALL Americans, no matter their skin color, gender or who they love.  Running for Senate in the state of Tennessee is a woman named Marsha Blackburn. As much as I have in the past and would like to continue voting for women in office, I cannot support Marsha Blackburn. Her voting record in Congress appalls and terrifies me. She voted against equal pay for women. She voted against the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, which attempts to protect women from domestic violence, stalking, and date rape. She believes businesses have a right to refuse service to gay couples. She also believes they should not have the right to marry. These are not MY Tennessee values. I will be voting for Phil Bredesen for Senate and Jim Cooper for House of Representatives.  Please, please educate yourself on the candidates running in your state and vote based on who most closely represents your values. For a lot of us, we may never find a candidate or party with whom we agree 100% on every issue, but we have to vote anyway.