Welcome.

I hope that those of you who are reading this had the pleasure of experiencing Zami Like Me: Queer Womyn of Color CipHER last year, the two day event that I had spent four years dreaming about only to have it develop into a success not only for myself but for the community of queer women of color and allies that helped organize, manage, and produce a monumental occasion in my short life time.  I've said to myself, and perhaps those of you who know me personally have heard me say, that I don't want Zami Like Me to be a one-time occasion, another queer event that comes and goes, is faintly remembered, and never returns.  My intention was always to have it be an annual event and out of it launch a continuous cipHER that we are all a part of.  

Of course, due to money, time, and life responsibilities of the Zami committee and our various communities at large, we can't have a large event every month ... yet; however, we can aim to make Zami happen every year and we can, luckily through smaller events and (yes!) technology, make our cipHERs go on and on ...

With that said, for those of you who didn't get the chance to attend Zami due to the Passover holiday, and other commitments, I hope you can be in attendance to 2009's Zami Like Me, which is in the process of being planned.  For those of you who don't know what Zami Like Me is, you'll realize soon enough.  Still, stick around.  

I created this blog as the beginning of our technological cipHER, which I hope will bring people from various communities outside of New York together and talking about the issues that are important to our particular communities.  As a goal for these conversations and for the planning of Zami 2, I want us to continue with those conversations surrounding gender that were raised at the event cipHER as well as how we can, as a queer community of color (with allies) make our minds, words, and spaces more inclusive to looking at gender in a more complex way.  

I encourage passion, fueled-responses and conversations, debates, upsets, and upsides to all sides of whatever we're choosing to discuss.  I discourage hate, petty fighting and the like, so respect one another and check yourselves, and yes -- check others.

I will write; sometimes freewrite, sometimes with a well thought out thesis, and many times, probably with my foot in my mouth.  But I will write.  I will not give you a formula or predict what I think you feel is important.  I can only gauge things as best as I can.  But if there's ever anything you have a concern with, or something you'd like to be highlighted, posted, etc, feel free to email: zamilikeme@gmail.com.

I know this blog thing is on the rise (everyone wants to be a voice, everyone wants to narrate their story, right?) and I know you probably have a million other blogs to view, but this isn't just about reading someone's musings, it's about us engaging fiercely with one another like we did on those April days and evenings.  Please! Please engage!  

Cleo