We believe that all people, including cisgendered* men* (male-assigned and male-identified), are oppressed by the gender binary. We are in full solidarity with any and all efforts to fight ALL types of gender oppression.

However, at GenderJam: LaDIY and Trans Fest we are choosing, along with other anti-oppression tactics, to fight oppression by the creation of intentional space for the womyn, ladies, femayle bodied or identified people, and transfolk of ALL presentations, in our community.

This rare opportunity for ladies and transfolk to share with each other is not based in intentions of excluding the community at large from crucial struggles against oppression. The claiming of space is simply a valuable step within this struggle, not the end goal. We deeply respect and value the anti-oppression work done by cisgendered men both within this community and the rest of the world*.

*Emphasis mine.

I am so glad that was said.

I'm working with a savvy friend to completely redesign my portfolio website. Here's the preliminary layout I drew out for him: I think it looks pretty. :)

This past December I posted up my list of resolutions for 2009. I've achieved a few of them but abandoned most of them. Here's what's left:


3. Finally finish coloring A Colorful Character.

13. Get more scholarships.

14. Be happier!


Plus a new one:

15. GET INTO GRAD SCHOOL!

Here's the contest entry that won a free copy of the book! It's by Dayanna Rodriguez, a very talented artist and student at the Savannah College of Art and Design (my former alma mater). You can check out more of her work here.



And I finally finished it, too! Here's my pin-up of Jezebel from Blackbirds.

Eat.Sleep.Geek. wrote a review of Blackbirds! Take a gander!

http://www.eatsleepgeek.com/review-joamette-gils-blackbirds/

BlackInkBird.com now has a spiffy new page devoted to Blackbirds: it's a reference point for the summary, sample pages, and reviews. Strip #5 is also up! :)

http://blackinkbird.com/books/blackbirds/

So, apparently, PETA has started a new campaign that aims to shame people of size (or people who, thanks to the media, mistakenly perceive themselves as people of size) to go vegetarian/vegan.

Because, you know, vegans/vegetarians are often 10-20 lbs lighter than those who eat meat. Because that's what animal liberation struggles are all about, right? Being thin. RIGHT?!

*head-desks repeatedly*

http://www.feministing.com/archives/017289.html

I have decided to extend the coloring contest deadline to Friday, August 21st, 2009, by midnight. :)

http://joamette.deviantart.com/journal/25804301/

Quoted from The Huffington Post:

Keith Olbermann went off on Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and the birthers in a nearly 15-minute "Special Comment" Monday night. The MSNBC host was particularly incensed by Palin's recent, totally unsupported, claim that Obama's health care plan would result in a "death panel."

"There is no 'death panel.' There is no judgment based on societal productivity. There is no worthiness test. But there is downright evil, and Ms. Palin, you just served its cause," Olbermann said, before going on to call Palin a "clear and present danger to the safety and security of this nation."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/11/olbermann-slams-palin-for_n_256207.html

Sweet. Jesus.

I'm so excited! Starting this Fall at Evergreen, I'm going to be working as a peer academic adviser! I wanted this job so badly, so I'm very excited about it. :)

Blackbirds' first major review: so exciting! Please take the time to read it at SequentialTart.com, if you'd be so kind. ^_^

http://sequentialtart.com/reports.php?ID=6732&issue=2009-08-03

Blackbirds also got a mention over at ComicsGirl.com: take a gander at that as well! ;)

Blackbirds is available for sale at IndyPlanet.com! Use the link below, or just visit IndyPlanet.com and search the keyword BLACKBIRDS.

http://www.indyplanet.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=2298

This is a wonderful critique of our social institutions, particularly the failing tactics they employ against poverty everyday: our educators and welfare providers are under that false impression that the key difference between the lower and middle classes is values.

The real difference: money.

You'd think the people governing would get that.

http://elizabitchez.blogspot.com/2009/07/middle-class-values-dont-solve-poverty.html

My one qualm with the opinions expressed therein is the (what I believe to be false) dichotomy of poor students vs. gifted and AP students in schools. As I can only speak based on my personal experience, growing up I was always surrounded by children and young adults just as poverty-stricken as I was in all of my classes, which were always gifted, honors, AP, and Baccalaureate classes. The dichotomy was only false, however, because I grew up in Miami, FL, whose population is comprised almost entirely of immigrant people of color. It could still be argued that a stark divide does in fact exist between students placed in advanced classes and students who come to school every day from an impoverished household in neighborhoods and cities living under the national norm of white supremacist patriarchy.

Just keep in mind that bubbles of non-white supremacy do exist here and there in the United States, although they may be few and far between (not to mention examples of the oppressed seeking power by mimicking their oppressors).

-Joamette Gil

Watch this at DemocracyNow.org:

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/7/28/broadcast_exclusive_declassified_docs_reveal_military

*wipes eyes*

One day this shirt will be mine, and we will live happily ever after together for all eternity - just you wait and see!

http://www.poseurink.com/makecomics.php

Today was interesting.

Not good or bad. Just very interesting.

Unlike most days, it was a day spent at an anime convention.

I've been to them before. Several in fact. Had my own tables in various artists alleys.

But one thing I can never get through my thick skull is that I really, really, really don't enjoy anime cons unless I'm behind a table. I love anime and manga, but I feel tremendously out of place amongst the "otakus" for lack of a better word. However, I did enjoy this particular day because I got to see my friend Kitty, who was selling cat-eared hats, bells, and paintings in the Artist Alley; and I was introduced to a magnificent anime via one of the screening rooms: Rome x Juliet.

The anime is a wonderful departure from the normal story in that it intensifies the conflict between the Montagues and Capulets to the point that every single Capulet (except Juliet) and most of their royal staff is slaughtered within the first 5 minutes of the anime. The sole survivor is then raised by the remaining loyal staffers as a commoner in the house of Sir William (Shakespeare). She also happens to disguise herself as boy, as instructed by her keepers, to protect her identity from the reigning Montagues. One TOP of being a cross-dressing girl, she is also a Renaissnce caped crusader known as the Red Whirlwind, an expert swordsman who protects the poor from abuse by the royal guards and nobleman. She meets romeo as per the original plot, but soon after is informed by her keepers of her true identity, her birthright to throne held by the Montagues, and that fact that she has been so well trained in order to lead a coup against the house Montague.

Drama ensues.

Needless to say I plan on watching that one from start to finish!

Why didn't I have a table at this con to promote my recently self-published book, Blackbirds, you might ask? Simple: tables were sold out for this thing before I was even done with the book, which consumed every fiber of my brain until its completion. Learn from my mistakes! Do not let a single project cloud your mind to the rest of the world and other necessities. You might end up waiting two months for the next open door to present itself to you (like I am).

Wholly Unrelated Tidbit: My boyfriend Facbook IMed me while I was writing this entry. Rarely does he use Facebook, so when the FB chat window popped up and it was him saying "I love you" I nearly squealed aloud. x3

Hey all!

I'm holding a coloring contest with a free PDF copy of Blackbirds as the grand prize. Just visit my DA page for full details and the high resolution line art! Note: If you don't use DeviantArt, DON'T WORRY! You can still participate. That information is also available at the link provided. =)

Here's a peak at the artwork you'll need to color. I hope you enjoy it!



Love and peace!
Joamette Gil

These lyrics are keeping me afloat right now. I'm not her biggest fan, but Hilary Duff's youthful-yet-mediocre singing only complements the point of this song. Funny how that works out.

In a moment everything can change
Feel the wind on your shoulder
For a minute all the world can wait
Let go of your yesterday

Can you hear it calling?
Can you feel it in your soul?
Can you trust this longing and take control?

[CHORUS]
Fly
Open up the part of you that wants to hide away
You can shine
Forget about the reasons why you can't in life
and start to try 'cus it's your time, time to fly

All your worries, leave them somewhere else
Find a dream you can follow
Reach for something when there's
nothing left and the world's feeling hollow

Can you hear it calling?
Can you feel it in your soul?
Can you trust this longing and take control?

[CHORUS]
Fly
Open up the part of you that wants to hide away
You can shine
Forget about the reasons why you can't in life
and start to try 'cus it's your time, time to fly

And when you're down and feeling low,
just want to run away
Trust yourself and don't give up
You know you better than anyone else

In a moment everything can change
Feel the wind on your shoulder
For a minute all the world can wait
Let go of yesterday

[CHORUS]
Fly
Open up the part of you that wants to hide away
You can shine
Forget about the reasons why you can't in life(can't in life)
and start to try(start to)
Fly
Forget about the reasons why you
can't in life(can't in life)
and start to try (start to try)
'cus it's your time, time to fly
In a moment everything can change

If you want to post this on your own blogs or social networking sites to spread the word for other comics fans to take the survey, feel free to do so. The survey is open today 6/23 until Sunday 6/28.

************************************************

Hello, my name is Miguel Gonzalez and I am a Psychology graduate student at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, TX. I am conducting research focused on understanding the factors that influence readers' perceptions of female characters as they are portrayed in comic books. My goal is to develop a survey that measures readers' perceptions accurately, reliably, and consistent with my theory, but in order to do this, I need your help!

By clicking here.

and filling out the survey you will be helping me collect important data that adds to the (relatively small) body of knowledge pertaining to comic books. Most research is done using college students which severely limits the ability to generalize the findings to the larger population, especially the population of people for who this research matters, comic book readers! To ensure your voice is heard follow the link and take the survey, and equally important, direct anyone you know who reads comic books back to this announcement so that they can take the survey as well.

The survey will only be available from Tuesday, June 23 until midnight Sunday, June 28. Data will not be collected after Sunday to allow enough time to analyze the data and write up the results to meet my deadline.

My research is in no way affiliated with any publishing company or marketing research firm. The survey is completely anonymous and as a participant you will not be placed on any mailing list, as a matter of fact at no time during the survey will you have to provide your email address or name. The study has been approved by the St. Mary’s University Institutional Review Board and regulated by said Board and the Federal Government. Participation is voluntary and I’m sorry but compensation can not be provided. What can I say, I’m a poor grad student and what little money I do have goes to feeding my own comic book addiction. Thanks in advance to everyone who takes the survey, you help is greatly appreciated!
-Miguel Gonzalez

Blackbirds is now available for sale! Click here to purchase it at IndyPlanet.com.

Here's the teaser for you all. ;3

"For Dante, life as a guy with only one wing isn’t easy. Poverty never helps much either. Frustrated with the hypocrisy and discrimination all around him, he spends most of his time alone, perusing the discarded treasures of the rich and the wasteful in the privacy of his own junkyard. When forced to get a job to help out his family, he confronts the fact that there are people out there just like him who face similar problems, even though their faces differ vastly from his."

Click on the cover image below to see some sample pages!



*jumps for joy*

Just updated my web comic, Black Ink Bird! Make sure to check it out. ;3