“There are a lot of reasons why “Rafiki,” which played in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, is a significant movie. It’s the first Kenyan film ever to make Cannes’ main selection, for one thing. It is a rare same-sex romance to come out of Africa, where intolerance for homosexuality runs strong (and has been encouraged by religious-right westerners). And it was banned in its home country in the weeks before Cannes, making its international exposure even more important.
American audiences may see the title and immediately think of a character from “The Lion King,” but the name is simply Swahili for “friend.” The friends in the spotlight here are Kena (Samantha Mugatsia), a young woman who rides her skateboard through her small town and bears a sadness that comes in part from the divorce of her parents; and Ziki (Sheila Munyiva), a free spirit who catches Kena’s eye.
In a town where casual homophobia is the order of the day and the preacher condemns gays from the pulpit on Sunday, the two girls rather quickly move past mild flirtation into affection that’s open enough to attract the attention of their friends, neighbors and families, and then to bring the condemnation of the community down on them in full force.”
im the adoptive father of like 14 different kids because im the only out and proud trans dude at my school and all the lgbt underclassmen subconsciously flock to me
me in the hallways at school: [hugs a freshmen trans girl, high fives a young butch lesbian, platonically kisses a bi dude on the forehead]
my straight friends: wow nate u have so many friends! how long have you know them all?
me: first of all these are my children and i love them and second i met two of them this morning and one last week
Anonymous said: Odin's been busy. I keep seeing Loki, Thor and others talking to unexpected people. Over on the Kemetic side, Sobek and others have been reaching out. I'm also getting vibes from some slavic deities. Something good's about to go down.
Look around at the world, and then remember that the gods see this bullshit too, and are and have been taking steps to fight it.