the l word

open letter #6

dear readers:

generally, i use the open letter to discuss things that bother me regarding race and other societal ills. i've begged for black folk to be left off of television, suggested the naacp revamp its image, and even squashed beef with kanye. but this time, i'm employing this feature of my blog to talk (a bit more) about myself. not that i want to bore you with my life. trust me, there is a reason why i don't talk about summer mc_____ on this blog. (wait. that didn't make any sense, really. the "character" summer m. was not created because the real me is ridiculously boring. i "created" her for other reasons. but whatever, work with me here. boy, i digress.) i haven't, i must admit, been entirely honest with you all.

please don't be misguided by the title of this post. i am fully aware that after my blackness, i've beat this whole gay shit into the ground (another marked/marginalized identity! look at me! look at me!). so lesbian is not the "l word" i'm speaking of here. nor is that word "love." i do not have a girlfriend; ain't no commitment ceremonies happenin' co-starring me any time soon. rather, this other "l word" deals with something i've been struggling with my entire life. i haven't hidden it, yet i still feel the need to come out, if you will. it's hard to admit, though. for in many ways it has handicapped the way i move through the world--constantly shifting, readjusting to fit into this world that often ignores me, marks me, or relegates me to an uneasy "specialness." perhaps you wouldn't notice it unless you sat next to me, or were (really) attentive. either way, i know that none (or most) of you, dear readers, are aware of this fact. but since i've recently been making an effort to be more vocal about my insecurities, i figured it was the proper time to divulge yet another truth. 'tis the season to be honest. ok. here goes.

i'm...

oh gosh.

i'm...




left-handed.

there. i said it. i'm left-handed. a lefty. wrong-handed (as my daddy would say). a southpaw. add another identity to my identities. so what's the score? i, summer m., fuckin' blogstar extraordinaire, am a colored/negro/afro-american/african-american/african american (no hyphen), woman (no "y", please) , queer/gay/homo/lesbian (at least, 85-95%), working class (though the folks moved up like the jeffersons), child of divorce, publik skool educated, midwestern, left-handed person. hmm...i think i missed something(s).

for a while, i thought left-handedness was normal, okay. my mother, grandmother, brother, and stepsister are also left-handed. righties always seemed odd to me. until, of course, i started going to skool, being socialized and whatnot. why does my elbow drape oddly across the desk? why doesn't my handwriting slant in the same way as my classmates'? why oh why is this ink smeared on my hand? how come i can't cut with these scissors?

i then began to realize that perhaps my difference wasn't necessarily special, but maybe something that would mark me as i moved throughout the world. as i grew older, i realized that things weren't really made for me. how could the world do this to me? after all, i was born this way. any lettering on pens? the words appear upside down while in the left hand. desks? yeah, there are special desks to fit my needs, but they are few and often in corners. wanna be tiger woods? you have to order special clubs. and what of the term left-handed? mendacity. a left-handed compliment. the term "sinister" comes from latin and originally meant "left" until it became associated with evil. while the term to describe the other, dominant hand, the "right" hand, is synonymous with terms like "justice." and lucifer? rumor has it he sat at the left hand of god. left-handers have been beaten and bound until they got "right." my people, my people.

though we are not as ostracized as we once were, i am taking the opportunity to become active, and fully and publicly embrace my left-handedness. it is time for us to unite and take a stand. fight for our rights, our total acceptance and recognition in this right-handed world. no longer will i mention my bi partial ambidexterity when someone notices i write with the "other" hand. i will no longer be shamed when someone notices that i wear my watch on my right wrist. from now on, i will extend my left hand when greeting people!!!!

and i will not stop there. i will find a niche and create a multfacted, multi-billion dollar corporation catering to the needs of left-handed people. (even more) spiral notebooks for leftys! cafes that serve drinks in mugs where the image will face me if i decide to hold the cup in my left hand! timepieces designed counterclockwise (hunh?)! cameras with shutter buttons on the left! events and organizations where left-handed people (of color) can congregate and connect! left-handed scissors for everyone!!!!

no longer will the advantages of being left-handed be relegated to the boxing ring or the pitcher's mound. i have found my cause, and i intend to fight for it until the needs of left-handed people are fully addressed in our society. we have come a long way, but we've so far to go.

as my first act, i propose we eliminate the hyphen in between left and handed.

let's get this money, muthafuckas.

sincerely,
summer "southpaw who will bust you in your right jaw" m., blogstar

open letter #1
open letter #2
open letter #3
open letter #4
open letter #5