“I believe Nina Simone tried to build that gun because that night she realized what all other-ed bodies eventually realize: a gun was already at her head. She feared a song might not be enough. The fact that this gun could not be seen didn’t make it any less real or lethal. And I wonder if it felt like comfort or a trigger being pulled to be told ‘the only thing you’ve got is music.'”
At Lambda Literary, Rumpus contributor Saeed Jones ponders the distinction between writing back and fighting back.
