Tag Archives: disabled artist

Go Blue for MECFS and the Millions Missing!

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goblueformecfs May 12Today is May 12, International MECFS Awareness Day.

I’m already wiped out from all the online awareness stuff I’ve been doing all day. But I wanted to share some of it here, on my online homebase.

goblueformecfs May 12I made lots of graphics!

There’s a social campaign called #goblueformecfs I really like. The idea to use the hashtag on a post of yourself wearing or with something blue. The blue ribbon for ME dates back to 1995.

It wasn’t hard for me to wear blue!

It was a nice chance to show all my blue textile arts projects.

photo by ZIlle Defeu of Midori performing at Feminas Potens in 2010. Suzanne Forbes is drawing in the background.I shared a little about what having MECFS has cost me.

Here’s a photo taken at Femina Potens in 2010, by Zille Defeu. Midori performing and me drawing in the background.

Victoria Copeland with Millions Missing pillowcase 2023

Victoria Copeland with Millions Missing pillowcase 2023.

MECFS affects millions of people of the Global Majority.

This is policy analyst, researcher, abolitionist praxis MSW and MECFS patient, Victoria Copeland. Vee is wearing her MEAction Still Sick Still Fighting shirt and lying on the Millions Missing pillowcase she made for the 2023 action in Washington DC. I asked her if I could share her picture with her info, because she deserves a treatment for this terrible disease.

GoBlueForMECFS art by Victoria Aronoff aka Stupid Sloth Cards May 12 2023

GoBlueForMECFS art by Victoria Aronoff aka Stupid Sloth Cards May 12 2023

This isn’t about me.

Personally. I’ve had a lot of life, a lot of lovers, and lots of my dreams came true. I’m one of the lucky ones… and one of the privileged ones. But #mecfs is a disease that strikes traumatized bodies, that strikes mostly AFAB people, including trans guys, that you have to convince your doctor you have. It’s a disease that invisibly disables and kills BIPOC people, and they almost never get help or justice. The #medicalracism is enormous. Vee deserves the life she wants and to do the work she wants to do in the world. The world needs her.

So please @goblueformecfs for young people, for aunties, for moms, for trans guys, who have never gotten any help.

Here are some resources:

MEAction’s Resource list.

Mepedia

Health Rising is our favorite site for ME research news

Deutsche Gesellschaft für ME/CFS (German Association for ME/CFS) Run by volunteers, that’s how fucking underfunded this disease is!

And there’s so much more to say, but I am exhausted.

Virtual Halloween life drawing with Muse Noéline la Bouche!

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On Halloween I booked Beloved Friend and Muse Noéline la Bouche for a zoom life drawing session!

As we are both disabled artists, virtual collaboration lets us work together safely. My Patrons who support me made it possible for me to pay Noéline for both modeling and prep time. We did a similar collab for Black Fae Day, and I hope to do more in the future.

Noeline la Bouche, a fat femme-presenting Black burlesque performer, gazes at the viewer fiercely. Drawn on Halloween by Suzanne Forbes October 31 2022 I’m so grateful that my Patrons make supporting creative equity like this possible!

Noéline is always on-time and professional and we started our session with them completely in costume and makeup, set up with camera. We always take breaks as needed for our disabled bodies. Working with Noéline is a safe space for me, so I continued to experiment with the Liquitex Acrylic Ink I’ve been using for the past six months or so.

Noeline la Bouche for Halloween by Suzanne Forbes October 31 2022If you’re interested in disabled performer life and building the emotional intelligence to cope with medical trauma and serious physical challenge, I highly recommend reading Noéline’s posts.

And of course paying her some money because we don’t take the labor of Black femmes for free!

Noéline’s website here, Insta here, burlesque accessory line here, Paypal.me here!

Noéline in a headpiece I made! And as the Goddess Yemaya.

Many other Noeline drawings in my Noéline Muse Album on flickr.

I am so grateful to my Patreon Patrons, whose monthly financial support makes it possible for me to continue documenting Berlin performers as a vulnerable disabled person.