As is not hard to imagine, heteropatriarchy systematically establishes and polices spaces to exclude and negate identities and experiences that do not comply with heteronormativity and traditional gender roles. As an archetype and figure, the lesbian automatically threatens this stability with their disruption of gendered expectations. This is part of the work Latina/e lesbian literature aims to do, not only in representing a community that has been vastly invisiblized and silenced but to occupy a space and language removed from systems of colonial ideology and capitalist patriarchy that have been imposed on and controlled the lives of Latina lesbians (Ruiz 6). In Rita E. Urquijo Ruiz’s “Latina Lesbian Literature,” they explore and recount the emergence of Chicana and Latina/e lesbian literature as a response to the lack of inclusivity for their identities within already largely established canons of Euro-centric feminism and male-centric Chicano civil rights movement. In committing to forming a canon that validates the nuances of Latinx identity, lesbianism, and other intersecting identities, writers and readers not only circumvent assigned binary and heteronormative gender roles but also reclaim an affirming sense of selfhood.

To address the disparity of preserved Latina/e lesbian literature as well as affirm the existence and lived experiences of Latina/e lesbians, Founding Director, Dr. Meagan Solomon along with collaborators, created Malflora Collective. Malflora Collective is a digital platform dedicated to uplifting and preserving Latina/e lesbian history, creativity, and culture. The project takes up archival, oral history, and plática—a Chicana/Latina feminist methodology rooted in the belief that they produce knowledge about their lived experience through conversation—methods to critically situate Latina/e lesbians as stewards of culture and social change.

“Malflora” or “bad flower” is a slang term that has historically been mobilized to ridicule and oppress lesbians; however, where there is power, there is also resistance, the term has widely been reclaimed from its pejorative roots.

With the creation of an accessible digital platform, the project centers around 2 large initiatives. The first is the publication of Malflora Magazine, a community-centered biannual magazine, with cultural criticism and creative work by and about Latina/e lesbian writers, artists, activists, and cultural workers “with the goal of making our insights, stories, histories, cultures, and lives open and accessible to all who seek them” (Malflora Magazine). The second is the Malflora Podcast, a seasonally published series of pláticas with Latina/e lesbian writers, artists, activists, and cultural workers. This oral history project is devoted to preserving the lives and legacies of Latina/e lesbians.

The Malflora team includes Dr. Meagan Solomon, Alexandra N. Salazar, Anahí Ponce, Deysy Bonilla, Guadalupe Ortega, Lu Farrell, Mariana Meriqui Rodrigues, Melissa Aslo de la Torre, and Mia Santoscoy, Southwestern double major in Communication Studies and Latin American and Border Studies, and current Research Assistant to Dr. Solomon. In collaboration and community, this amazing team is actively enacting radical resistance, amplifying their own identities, as well as the identities of those who have long been marginalized and erased from dominant narratives. As Colombian lesbian poet tatiana de la tierra writes, “lesbian texts are passed from hand to hand and mouth to mouth between lesbians. they are located on the skin, in the look, in the geography of the palms of the hands,” (tatiana de la tierra).

The Malflora Collective is well underway establishing a presence in our community and recording Latina/e lesbian narratives. They are now accepting submissions for their inaugural issue until December 9. For more information on the growth of the project and access stories, visit their website at https://malflora.org/, now!

Sources

• de la tierra, tatiana. “Lesbian Literature.”
• Urquijo Ruiz, Rita E. “Latina Lesbian Literature.”