“As a Black lesbian mother in an interracial marriage, there was usually some part of me guaranteed to offend everybody’s comfortable prejudices of who I should be. That is how I learned that if I didn’t define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people’s fantasies for me and eaten alive.”

Said in February 1982 while delivering the keynote address during Harvard’s celebration of Malcolm X Week, Lorde emphasized that it’s important to remain true to yourself. She understood early on she was an anomaly, and wouldn’t allow anyone to define or categorize her as someone other than what she portrayed to be. Considering certain facets of modern society functions on validation (e.g., “likes”), it’s important to remember no one has power over your own decision-making or personality quite like yourself.

LGBTQ+-poetry

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