Don't Explain
Our Intent
On this website, we plan to educate and inform our audience on Black female lesbians in our society. In saying audience, we are referring to people of all races, and genders, specifically for students and individuals studying this specific genre. This study took place around the the work Don't Explain, a collection of short stories written by Jewelle Gomez. In reference to the Black lesbian feminist, it has been noted that,
“In essence, to be completely ‘normal,’ one must be White, masculine, and heretosexual, the core hegemonic White masculinity. This mythical norm is hard to see because it is so taken-for-granted. Its antithesis, its Other, would be Black, female, and lesbian, a fact that Black lesbian feminist Audre Lorde pointed out some time ago.” (Black Sexual Politics, Collins 96)
Through this novel, we have explored the places of acceptances found for the antithesis, Black female lesbians, within literature. These places are found within Don't Explain and through the use of Eroticism and Speculative Fiction within literature.
Outline
On this site, you will find a summary of Don't Explain, information on the author Jewelle Gomez, and an analysis of the three main areas where acceptance can be found within literature, specifically in Don't Explain. These areas were found and focused on as a result of reading Gomez's collection.
Theme I: Short Stories within Don't Explain
Theme II: Acceptance through Eroticism
Theme III: Acceptance through Speculative Fiction
Theme I: Short Stories within Don't Explain
Theme II: Acceptance through Eroticism
Theme III: Acceptance through Speculative Fiction
A Word from Jewelle Gomez
As a group, we had the pleasure of corresponding with Gomez for the purpose of this project. We asked her a variety of questions pertaining to the themes we pulled out of this collection and she provided us with responses that are quoted throughout this site. "A Word from Jewelle Gomez" contains quotes that are said directly from the author.