Exi_t.

Akkadian

Arabic

Aramaic

Church Slavonic

Egyptian (hieroglyphics and Demotic)

Elamite

Ethiopic (Ge’ez)

Etruscan

Gaulish

Georgian

Gothic

Greek

Hebrew

Hittite

Latin

Mayan (various related languages/dialects)

Old Chinese

Old English

Old French

Old Frisian

Old High German

Old Irish

Old Norse

Old Persian

Old Turkic

Sanskrit

Sumerian

Syriac

Ugaritic

Atomic Blonde - Set in November 1989 on the eve of the collapse of the Berlin Wall, this spy thriller follows M16 agent Lorraine Broughton as she attempts to recover an important stolen item. Along the way she encounters Delphine Lasalle, a rookie french agent. The usage of two different contrasting themes of lighting in this movie is very striking.

Carol - Based off the 1952 lesbian romance novel “The Price of Salt,” Carol is set in New York City in the early 50s. It follows the love affair between Therese Belivet (an aspiring photographer and department store worker) and Carol Aird (a wealthy mother going through a divorce.) It’s a stunning portrayal of gay friendships and romance during a violently homophobic time.

Desert Hearts - Released in 1985 and set in 1959, this romantic drama is often hailed as the first film to present a positive portrayal of lesbianism. It follows Vivian Bell, a english professor in her mid thirties hoping to obtain a quick divorce and Cay Rivvers, a younger and free spirited sculptor.

Farewell, My Queen - French romantic drama set in 1789 during the last three days of Marie Antoinette, seen through the eyes of a young servant who reads to the queen. It discusses rumours of the queens alleged orgies with women and has a very subtle, entirely queer tone.

Heavenly Creatures - Psychological drama documenting the real life Parker-Hulme murder case. The plot centers around the obsessive and concerning relationship between two teenage girls, Juliet and Pauline. It covers their meeting in 1952 all the way through to the murder they commit together in 1954. The girls bond over a shared history of disease, and begin to indulge in delusions of a rich fantasy world and cult-like religion. Its a frightening look into the lives of the two seemingly normal teenager girls who teamed up to kill Pauline’s mother and only served five years for their crime.

San Junipero - Not technically a film, and not technically set in the past but I think it still counts! This episode of black mirror is praised for having a more hopeful & uplifting tone than the rest of the series and is first set during the 80s, following a lesbian named Yorkie and Kelly, a bisexual woman.

The Girl King - Biographical drama portrayal of the life of Christina, Queen of Sweden. Christina is a brilliant, powerful, and striking figure fighting conservative forces in her country. The film tracks her mission to modernize sweden and follows her awakening sexuality, yet another thing that sets her apart from former rulers.

The Handmaiden - South Korean erotic psychological lesbian revenge thriller. I can honestly say this is one of the most well directed and captivating lesbian films ive ever seen. Sook-Hee, a orphaned Korean pickpocket becomes the handmaiden to a wealthy Japanese Heiress and with the intention to assist a conman in relieving her of her inheritance. It’s loosely inspired by Sarah Waters novel “Fingersmith” but set in Korea under Japanese rule. The male gaze towards lesbians is a reoccuring theme and is accurately portrayed as a disgusting and vile thing in a way i didnt expect a male director to be able to manage.

The Hours - British-American drama based off the novel of the same name. It follows three different queer women of three different eras, all connected through Virgina Woolf’s novel “Mrs. Dalloway.” Clarissa is a bisexual new yorker in the early 2000s, planning an award party for a poet with AIDS. Laura is a pregnant 1950s housewife trapped in an unhappy marriage and Virgina Woolf is a novelist in 1920s england struggling with mental illness under the watchful and suffocating eye of her husband.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post - One of the newest releases, this film just came out this year! Set in 1993 and based off the novel of the same name by Emily M. Danforth, teenager Cameron is caught in the backseat of a car with the prom queen. Her aunt (a devout christian) ships Cameron off to a religious gay conversion camp called God’s Promise. The film documents the struggles, pain, and violence of existing in a space with no place for you.

Benjamin Kelly, the district secretary for Representative Shawn Harrison, reportedly liked a tweet that referred to González as a “brown bald lesbian girl.” (Kelly has since been fired.)

González is not deterred. She’s taking calls from Demi Lovato; speaking with Anderson Cooper on live television. Overnight, she’s turned into the face of gun control, and her being a brown bald bisexual woman is not a deficit, as some might decide–instead, an incredible talisman that seems to indicate the kind of power those of us deemed powerless truly have. That despite the Trumps of the world telling minorities how worthless we are, over and over again; that QPOCs and women are not even low priority but instead targets, we will not recoil while sheepishly raising white flags.

Emma González is the portrait of empowerment, and she’s inspiring a movement that includes us all; one that is not asking for, but demanding a safety that is no longer promised or assured by current administration. And as she continues her advocacy into the March For Our Lives on March 24, it appears the NRA might have finally mets its match in a teenage girl.

Are you hydrated?  If not, have a glass of water.

Have you eaten in the past three hours?  If not, get some food — something with protein, not just simple carbs.  Perhaps some nuts or hummus?

Have you showered in the past day?  If not, take a shower right now.

If daytime: are you dressed?  If not, put on clean clothes that aren’t pajamas.  Give yourself permission to wear something special, whether it’s a funny t-shirt or a pretty dress.

If nighttime: are you sleepy and fatigued but resisting going to sleep?  Put on pajamas, make yourself cozy in bed with a teddy bear and the sound of falling rain, and close your eyes for fifteen minutes — no electronic screens allowed.  If you’re still awake after that, you can get up again; no pressure.

Have you stretched your legs in the past day?  If not, do so right now.  If you don’t have the spoons for a run or trip to the gym, just walk around the block, then keep walking as long as you please.  If the weather’s crap, drive to a big box store (e.g. Target) and go on a brisk walk through the aisles you normally skip.

Have you said something nice to someone in the past day?  Do so, whether online or in person.  Make it genuine; wait until you see something really wonderful about someone, and tell them about it.

Have you moved your body to music in the past day?  If not, do so — jog for the length of an EDM song at your favorite BPM, or just dance around the room for the length of an upbeat song.

Have you cuddled a living being in the past two days?  If not, do so.  Don’t be afraid to ask for hugs from friends or friends’ pets.  Most of them will enjoy the cuddles too; you’re not imposing on them.

Do you feel ineffective?  Pause right now and get something small completed, whether it’s responding to an e-mail, loading up the dishwasher, or packing your gym bag for your next trip.  Good job!

Do you feel unattractive?  Take a goddamn selfie.  Your friends will remind you how great you look, and you’ll fight society’s restrictions on what beauty can look like.

Do you feel paralyzed by indecision?  Give yourself ten minutes to sit back and figure out a game plan for the day.  If a particular decision or problem is still being a roadblock, simply set it aside for now, and pick something else that seems doable.  Right now, the important part is to break through that stasis, even if it means doing something trivial.

Have you seen a therapist in the past few days?  If not, hang on until your next therapy visit and talk through things then.

Have you been over-exerting yourself lately — physically, emotionally, socially, or intellectually?  That can take a toll that lingers for days. Give yourself a break in that area, whether it’s physical rest, taking time alone, or relaxing with some silly entertainment.

Have you changed any of your medications in the past couple of weeks, including skipped doses or a change in generic prescription brand?  That may be screwing with your head.  Give things a few days, then talk to your doctor if it doesn’t settle down.

Have you waited a week?  Sometimes our perception of life is skewed, and we can’t even tell that we’re not thinking clearly, and there’s no obvious external cause.  It happens.  Keep yourself going for a full week, whatever it takes, and see if you still feel the same way then.

You’ve made it this far, and you will make it through.  You are stronger than you think.

This post is available as a downloadable one-page PDF here.

Classics

Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown

The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall (review)

The Color Purple by Alice Walker (review)

Orlando by Virginia Woolf (review)

Fiction:

Nevada by Imogen Binnie (review)

My Education by Susan Choi (review)

Missed Her by Ivan Coyote (review)

Drag King Dreams by Leslie Feinberg (review)

Just Girls by Rachel Gold (review)

Painting Their Portraits in Winter by Myriam Gurba (review)

When Fox is a Thousand by Larissa Lai (review)

The Collection edited by Tom Leger and Riley Macleod (review)

Lost Boi by Sassafras Lowrey (review)

Hero Worship by Rebekah Matthews (review)

Hymnal for Dirty Girls by Rebekah Matthews (review)

Lizzy & Annie by Casey Plett (review)

(You) Set Me On Fire by Mariko Tamaki (review)

Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson

Historical Fiction:

The Last Nude by Ellis Avery (review)

Miss Timmins’ School for Girls by Nayana Currimbhoy (review)

Prairie Ostrich by Tamai Kobayashi (review)

Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters

The Passion by Jeanette Winterson

Poetry:

Sisterhood by Julie R. Enszer (review)

Bodymap by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (review)

When I Was Straight by Julie Marie Wade (review)

Young Adult:

Starting From Here by Lisa Jenn Bigelow (review)

The Miseducation of Cameron Post by emily m. danforth (review)

Down to the Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole (review)

The Difference Between You and Me by Madeleine George (review)

Silhouette of a Sparrow by Molly Beth Griffin (review)

Empress of the World by Sara Ryan

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (review)

The House You Pass On the Way by Jacqueline Woodson (review)

SFF Young Adult:

Love In the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block (review)

All Good Children by Dayna Ingram (review)

Adaptation by Malinda Lo (review)

Inheritance by Malinda Lo (review)

Natural Selection (Adaptation 1.5) by Malinda Lo (review)

Will of the Empress by Tamora Pierce (review)

Sci Fi:

Tierra Del Fuego, Colony Ship: Parting Shots by Caron Cro (review)

Ascension by Jacqueline Koyanagi (review)

The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson

Fantasy: 

Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey (review)

The Narrows by m. craig (review)

Indigo Springs by A.M. Dellamonica (review)

Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue

Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History edited by Rose Fox and Daniel José Older (review)

The Last Mango by Shira Glassman (review)

The Salt Roads by Nalo Hopkinson (review)

Falling In Love With Hominids by Nalo Hopkinson (review)

Fire Logic by Laurie J. Marks (review)

Hellebore & Rue edited by JoSelle Vanderhooft and Catherine Lundoff (review)

Horror/Zombies/Vampires:

Fist of the Spider Woman edited by Amber Dawn (review)

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez (review)

Eat Your Heart Out by Dayna Ingram (review)

The Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (review)

Daughters of Darkness: Lesbian Vampire Stories by Pam Kesey

The Red Tree by Caitlin R. Kiernan (review)

Better Off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon (review)

Romance & Erotica:

The Long Way Home by Rachel Spangler (review)

Macho Sluts by Patrick Califia (review)

Say Please: Lesbian BDSM Erotica edited by Sinclair Sexsmith (review)

Comics:

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel (review)

Darlin’ It’s Betta Down Where It’s Wetta by Megan Rose Gedris (review)

100 Crushes by Elisha Lim (review)

On Loving Women by Diane Obomsawin (review)

Revolutionary Girl Utena manga by Chiho Saito (review)

Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, and Shannon Watters

Jem and the Holograms by Kelly Thompson and Sophia Campbell

Charm School Book One: Magical Witch Girl Bunny by Elizabeth Watasin (review)

War of Streets and Houses by Sophie Yanow (review)

Memoirs/Biographies:

Two or Three Things I Know for Sure by Dorothy Allison (review)

The Family Tooth by Ellis Avery (review)

When We Were Outlaws by Jeanne Cordova (review)

Prairie Silence by Melanie Hoffert (review)

First Spring Grass Fire by Rae Spoon (review)

Gender Failure by Rae Spoon & Ivan E. Coyote (review)

Before the Rain: A Memoir of Love & Revolution by Luisita Lopez Torregrosa (review)

Licking the Spoon: A Memoir of Food, Family and Identity by Candace Walsh (review)

Nonfiction:

Persistence: All Ways Butch and Femme edited by Ivan Coyote and Zena Sharman (review)

Sexual Fluidity: Understanding Women’s Love and Desire by Lisa M. Diamond (review)

Inseparable: Desire Between Women In Literature by Emma Donoghue (review)

Queers Dig Time Lords edited by Sigrid Ellis and Michael Damian Thomas (review)

Aimée & Jaguar: A Love Story, Berlin 1943 by Erica Fischer

Kicked Out edited by Sassafras Lowrey (review)

The Whole Lesbian Sex Book by Felice Newman (review)