Introducing our new writer Sean Gray!

Hey guys- long time no see. I’m wrapping up my guest blog, Tales From The Crip, over at the super-rad Bitch magazine. It was a great experience and I hope you’ll take a moment to read through those blogs! Now that I’ll have more free time, I can return to working on poor, neglected Lulu. And, I’ll have some help in the process. Toshio + I are stoked to introduce the newest writer in the Where’s Lulu crew- Sean Gray! 

Sean is our official East coast crip emissary. That’s right- we’re bi-coastal, bitch! He runs Fan Death Records out of B-More and occasionally gives “controversial” interviews that piss off DC hipsters. We here at Where’s Lulu are big fans of disabled provocateurs so he’ll fit in well. In addition to being a troublemaker/baller, Sean has a fancy degree in sociology, likes slurpees, No Trend, baseball, (I’ll let that slide), Superdrag, Bratmobile and selected manga titles.

Welcome aboard, Sean!

 

The Projected Image

Did you guys know that Turner Classic Movies is dedicating Tuesdays in October to exploring depictions of disability in cinema? AND it’s hosted (and curated) by whisky loving vegan Lawrence Carter Long? Well they are. It’s called The Projected Image and it’s a big deal. I wrote about that and one of my all-time faves they are showing, Freaks, over here.  Gooble Gobble!

Q+A with the fabulous Bethany Stevens

 I interviewed lawyer turned sexologist Bethany Stevens from the fabulous ‘This Is What Disability Looks Like‘ campaign for Bitch magazine. We talked about representation of people with disabilities, queerness, and “prurient interests.”

“What made me want to be a sexologist? The desire and gift to talk about sexuality comfortably. There is so much shame and silence around something that is a really beautiful and natural part of life, especially in the disability communities. The disability communities and the world, generally, really needs a sexual revolution—breaking from normativity—between our ears and legs.”

Read the rest here!

 

Mike Birbiglia and Sleepwalk With Me

I wrote about comedian Mike Birbiglia’s new film Sleepwalk With Me for the latest in my Tales of the Crip series for Bitch. I really enjoyed the movie and am a fan of his goofy comedy in general. If you get a chance to see him and/or the movie, go for it. In this piece I wrote about the lack of media representation for people with disabilities and how this was a surprising example of positive disability portrayals. Somebody took issue with MY ISSUE with My Left Foot in the comments, but I think I got my point across when responding. I hope more people chime in so we can have a discourse.

“Within Hollywood now, there’s still a huge dearth of material that not only features disability as a normal, everyday topic, (which of course it is), but does so in a thoughtful, comical manner. Most depictions of disability in cinema continue to fall back on insidious stereotypes of disability as tragedy (The Elephant Man, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane), or someone “overcoming” their impairment to become some supercrip hero (Forrest Gump, My Left Foot). Unlike those movies, Sleepwalk With Me illustrates how Mike’s disability ends up being an asset, not a liability. There is genuine humor with disability, and this particular film is an honest, earnest, and entertaining reflection of that truth.”

Read the rest here. 

 

 

Tales From The Crip aka I’m blogging for Bitch, y’all

 It’s been a busy and exciting week for us at Where’s Lulu! We have some interesting things in store for the site in the near future. But for the time being, we gotta take Belinda’s advice and tell you: our lips are sealed. In the meantime, I started a new disability and pop culture blogging series over at the fantastic Bitch magazine. It’s called Tales From The Crip and best believe I’m your cripkeeper.

“Identity is fluid and complicated, much like disability. I proudly call myself as a crip because it makes me feel powerful. It takes a word previously hurled at me, making me feel ashamed, alienated, and unworthy and flips it on its axis. Crip gives me agency. Crip is my culture. Crip is my community filled with badass freaks and outcasts who are classified as abnormal by society and wear that designation as a badge of honor. Because we’re not trying to assimilate into a culture that doesn’t know what to do with us in the first place.” Read the rest here!