This event takes place on Crowdcast, Charis' virtual event platform. This event is free, but registration is required.

Charis and ZAMI NOBLA welcome Kaila Adia Story in conversation with Susana Morris for a discussion of The Rainbow Ain't Never Been Enuf: On the Myth of LGBTQ+ Solidarity, a work that debunks the myth of rainbow solidarity and repositions Black and Latinx LGBTQ+ people at the forefront of queer pasts, presents, and futures

Your favorite Black queer studies professor Kaila Adia Story says the rainbow ain’t never been enough in this introduction to the current state of queer intersectionality, or lack thereof. Story argues that to be queer is to be political, and the carefully glittered façade of solidarity in the pride movement veils dangerous neoliberal ideals of apolitical queer embodiment. The rainbow as a symbol of communal solidarity is a hollow offering when cis white LGBTQ people are allowed to opt out of divesting from white supremacy, misogyny, and transphobia.

The Rainbow Ain’t Never Been Enuf fills a necessary gap in our understanding of how racism, transphobia, and antiblackness operate in liberal spaces. Kaila Adia Story blends analysis, pop culture, and her lived experiences to explore the silencing practices of mainstream queer culture. She touches on cornerstone issues of the movement like:

the whitewashing of queer history and commodification of pride celebrations

the appropriation of the Black and Latinx ball scene and culture

the racialized and gendered violence inflicted upon Black trans women

the exclusion of the lives and work of activists like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Stormé DeLarverie, and CeCe McDonald from queer history

the lack of remembrance and respect for the lives of the Black and Lantinx queer and trans people who have always been on the frontlines of queer liberation

Expanding beyond the classroom, Story utilizes her expertise as a scholar of queer theory to offer readers a comprehensive understanding of how racism operates in these spaces and what we can do to create a more equitable future.

About the Author 

Kaila Adia Story, PhD is an associate professor in the Departments of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Pan-African Studies, as well as the Audre Lorde Endowed Chair at the University of Louisville. She is also the co-creator, co-producer, and cohost of Louisville Public Media’s Strange Fruit: Musings on Politics, Pop Culture, and Black Gay Life, a popular award-winning podcast. Her research examines the intersections of race and sexuality, with special attention to Black feminism, Black lesbians, and Black queer identity. In 2017, Dr. Story was named an LGBTQ+ community leader and change maker by NBC’s inaugural #Pride30. In 2021, she was recognized by Michelle Obama’s nonprofit organization, Reach Higher, for creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ students in and out of higher education. Dr. Story was chosen as the 2022 Champion of Pride for the state of Kentucky by The Advocate magazine.

Susana Morris, PhD is a queer daughter of Caribbean immigrants and a scholar of Black feminism and a cultural critic who has dedicated her career to studying the interior lives of Black women. She is an associate professor of Literature, Media, and Communication at Georgia Tech. A former Anschutz Distinguished Fellow at Princeton University and Norman Freeling Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan, she is the author of Close Kin and Distant Relatives: The Paradox of Respectability in Black Women's Literature and co-founder of The Crunk Feminist Collective. Her other works include the co-edited collection The Crunk Feminist Collection and the co-authored young adult handbook Feminist AF: The Guide to Crushing Girlhood. Her writing has appeared in Gawker, Long Reads, Cosmopolitan.com, and Ebony.com, and she has been featured on NPR, the BBC, and in Essence magazine. Her forthcoming book, Positive Obsession: The Life and Times of Octavia E. Butler will be published in August. Susana was honored to serve as the board chair of Charis Circle, the non-profit programming arm of Charis Books & More, for eight years.

ZAMI NOBLA, headquartered in Atlanta, is the leading advocacy organization dedicated to empowering Black lesbians over 40. With active chapters in Georgia and North Carolina and a robust national membership, they prioritize advocacy alongside community organizing and community-action research. They are committed to forging a strong collective voice and advocating for the rights of Black lesbians in our communities and beyond.

The event is free and open to all people, but we encourage and appreciate a donation of $5-20 in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Donate on Crowdcast or via our website: www.chariscircle.org/donate or in person at the event.

Charis Books is a fully wheelchair accessible space with on site van accessible parking, two ramps, and additional overflow accessible parking nearby. Additional accessibility information can be found on the Accessibility page of our website. 

The event is free and open to all people, but we encourage and appreciate a donation of $5-20 in support of the work of Charis Circle, our programming non-profit. Donate on Crowdcast or via our website: www.chariscircle.org/donate.

Please contact us at info@chariscircle.org or 404-524-0304 if you would like ASL interpretation at this event. If you would like to watch the event with live AI captions, you may do so by watching it in Google Chrome and enabling captions: Instructions here. If you have other accessibility needs or if you are someone who has skills in making digital events more accessible please don't hesitate to reach out to info@chariscircle.org.

By attending our event, whether in person or virtually, you agree to our Code of Conduct: Our event seeks to provide a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion (or lack thereof), class, or technology choices. We do not tolerate harassment in any form. Unsolicited sexual language and imagery are not appropriate. Anyone violating these rules will be expelled from this event and all future events at the discretion of the organizers. Please report all harassment to Charis staff immediately or email info@chariscircle.org.

The Rainbow Ain't Never Been Enuf: On the Myth of LGBTQ+ Solidarity -- Kaila Adia Story in conversation with Susana Morris