Sarah Emma Edmonds aka Frank Thompson
American Civil War Soldier, Spy, Nurse

Emma Edmonds was one of approximately 400 women who succeeded in enlisting in the army (either Union or Confederate) during the Civil War. Her uniqueness is that she not only succeeded in remaining in the army for several years, but was also eminently successful as a Union spy-all while impersonating a man.

Emma was living in Flint, Michigan, when the first call for Union enlistments went out. She wanted to answer the call. So she cropped her hair, got a man’s suit of clothing, took the name of Frank Thompson and tried to enlist. It took her four tries but finally she did in fact get sworn into the Union Army (at that time the physical consisted merely of asking the enlistee questions-no medical examination). On April 25, 1861, Emma Edmonds alias Frank Thompson became a male nurse in the Second Volunteers of the United States Army.

After training in Washington, D.C., Emma’s unit was sent south to be part of McClellan’s campaign in Virginia. Private Thompson (Emma) was assigned as a male nurse to the hospital unit of the 2nd Michigan Volunteers and had no trouble in maintaining her masculine masquerade.

On 5 July 1884, a special act of Congress granted Emma Edmonds alias Frank Thompson an honorable discharge from the army, plus a bonus and a veteran’s pension of twelve dollars a month. The resulting Special Act of Congress read:
Emma lived out the rest of her life in La Porte, Texas, where she died on September 5, 1898. She is buried in the military section of Washington Cemetery in Houston, Texas. In honor of her duty and devotion to her country she is the only female member of the organization formed after the Civil War by Union veterans-The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). In her own words Emma Edmonds said of her adventures: “I am naturally fond of adventure, a little ambitious, and a good deal romantic-but patriotism was the true secret of my success.”

Read her full story HERE

Cathay Williams was born in 1842 outside Independence, Missouri. Born into slavery she served as a house girl for a wealthy farmer. Things changed however when the Civil War started. Union soldiers would later take the plantation on which Cathay served. Several female servants, including Cathay, were taken to Little Rock, Arkansas to cook for the troops. Cathay dutifully served in this capacity, traveled with the army all around the South participating in all aspect of military life to the extent that a woman could. She was eventually sent to Washington to serve as cook and laundress for a general and his staff.

While with this general she was on the front lines with the troops as they raided the Shenandoah Valley and finally on to St. Louis for an extended stay. During this time, congress passed an act authorizing the establishment of the first all Black units of the military (two Calvary and two Infantry), later to become known as “Buffalo Soldiers”. In order to provide a living for herself and not be dependent on others, two very important principals to Cathay, she decided it was time to join the army.

In November of 1866 she enlisted in the 38th US Infantry as William Cathay”. Since there were little or no medical exams required, Cathay was able to successfully (at least initially), pull off this disguise. In an article about her in the St. Louis Times, Williams was described as ”tall and powerfully built.“
It is said that two others knew of her true identity, a cousin and a friend, but both loyally kept her secret.

During Cathay’s tour of duty, she performed assignments required of her fellow troops, such as learning to use a musket and guard duty. These skills were essential as her unit was soon deployed to Fort Curnmings in 1867. The 38 was sent to protect immigrants traveling one of the most dangerous routes to California at the time, Cooke’s Canyon. However, while at Fort Cummings, there was a mutiny among the troops. Several where brought up on charges or jailed. Cathay is not known to be among them. It did however take its toll on her spirit to serve and she decided it was time to get out.

She did so by reporting she was ill prompting an exam by the post surgeon. It was then her secret was discovered. Cathay Williams was honorably discharged on October 14, 1868 having made her place in history as the first female Buffalo Soldier to serve. (Excerpts taken from the West Texan Historian Society)

Gladys Bentley carved out a place for herself, playing at rent parties and the legendary speakeasies of “Jungle Alley” at 133 between Lenox and Seventh Avenue. She would transform popular tunes of the day with raunchy naughty playful lyrics. Dressed in her signature tux and top hat , she openly and riotously flirted with women in the audience. Although on her recordings she did not dare have lesbian lyrics , she certainly played up this image in the clubs and in public.

Bentley associated with many famous gay and lesbian African-Americans of the time, including author Langston Hughes, poet Countee Cullen and comedian Moms Mabley, and was rumored to have had an affair with singer Bessie Smith. She lived for a time in a Park Avenue apartment, complete with servants, and tooled around in a beautiful car, when she wasn’t parading down fashionable 7th Avenue dressed in men’s clothing.

Bentley was such a colorful cultural figure that characters based on her appeared in numerous novels of the time. She was also fodder for the gossip columns: Lois Sobel, a wannabe Hedda Hopper, claimed that the outrageous singer had even staged a “bull dagger wedding,” marrying an unnamed white lesbian lover in a ceremony in Atlantic City. Of course, Bentley was the one wearing the tux.

Beyond the wild aspects of her personal life, Bentley is an important historical figure for the way she integrated elements of lesbian and gay desire into her public performances. In 1930, a performer named Gene Mailin created an act in which he appeared as an openly gay man, igniting what came to be known as the “Pansy Craze” in New York’s speakeasies. Prohibition audiences, emboldened by their disregard of liquor laws and titillated by sexual differences, had an insatiable curiosity for nightclub novelty acts. Bentley rode the wave and flaunted her lesbianism in shows such as the Ubangi Club Revue, in which she was supported by a chorus of men dressed in female drag.

Audiences of politicians, European royalty, and high society followed Black and gay customers from Greenwich Village to Harlem just to experience La Bentley from 1925 to 1940. Then McCarthyism swept the United States and Bentley’s trademark lesbian act became a liability. Bentley , who for so long had been one of THE most open as regards her homosexuality , was of course a sitting duck for persecution. Out of desperate fear for her own survival( particularly with an ageing mother to support) she started wearing dresses , and sanitizing her act. In 1950 , Bentley wrote a desperate , largely fabricated article for Ebony entitled “I am Woman Again” in which she claimed to have cured her lesbianism via female hormone treatments and was finally at peace after a “hell as terrible as dope addiction”. She claimed to have married a newspaper columnist named J.T. Gibson ( a man who soon after publicly denied that the two had ever wed). These desperate attempts to survive do not diminish her previous accomplishments. For many years ,on a daily basis , she took risks that would not be common until the Stonewall era. Living as a lesbian must have been hard for a Black woman at that time. Near the end of her life Bentley became a devout member of The Temple of Love in Christ. She died of influenza in 1960.

as u all know the back of the wall calendar features a pic with all the femmes of the 2010 calendar. what some don’t notice is that one is missing. Brandee.
she’s the lady supporting our Virgo stud. she was also helped out in the 2009 calendar with the July spread.

bubbly, fun and outgoing, she’s surprisingly shy in front of the camera. so when she finally came thru 4 her personal photoshoot, i was beyond delighted. i could not resist sharing some of ms. brandee’s sexiness with with the rest of y’all. here she is…

There are free valentine’s day e-cards on the Stuff page of the site.

As a special treat we have some additional photos from this years shoots on the slide show on the home page. During the sessions, I would experience little glitches with my settings and get these wonderful “red” pics. I thought now would be the best time 2 share them with you all. Seeing as how red is the colour of Valentine’s Day and all. Please check them out and let me know what you think.

In addition to that, I have designed a few items for Kinetic Cards & Gifts for the holiday. There’s still time to order and get them for the weekend.

I Love You bear. Decorative words with interlocking venus symbols give a message in a message.

Titled “Our Love” this exclusive artwork using my signature style is displayed on pillows, greeting cards and tile coasters.

There is indeed someone for everyone. This all inclusive greeting cards shows a message of hope no matter what your romantic preference.

There’s more Valentine’s greeting cards & gifts at the Kinetic Cards & Gifts online shop.

so what’s the big deal u say? absolutely nothing. and everything. it was there as it should b. no big deal. gay a couple pictured right next to a str8 couple and an interracial couple equally. shiny, happy smiling faces. not controversial. not sensationalized or stereotyped. not sexualized or pornographic. just two womyn in love. yay! that’s all i ever wanted. just to be.

it was no big deal at all. there was no controversy. well, i’m speaking 2 soon. the issue just came out. who knows. essence might get letters. but i’m hopeful that they won’t. and as small as it is, i noticed and it mattered. it’s a small step. but it’s a step indeed.

now i don’t read Ebony and Essence cover 2 cover each and every month. so i can’t say with absolute authority that this isn’t a regular occurence. it’s just the one that i happened 2 catch. and i’m happier for it.

prior 2 seeing it, i had been hearing and participating in a lot of conversations with people condemning the movie for its subject matter. some didn’t want to put that image of black folks out there. a sentiment that makes very little sense to me. other just don’t like 2 face such a serious topic. some are avoiding the movie due to personal emotional constraints. at some point, the band aid has to come off. it’s not gonna feel good and it’s not gonna be pretty underneath. but it has to come off. and as Mo’nique said in her acceptance speech: “it’s now time to tell. and it’s okay.”

i remember being on a message board once and the topic of coming out stories was presented. someone starts a story about being 13 or 14 and having sex with a 27 year old woman. another story gets posted about someone being 15 and having a sexual encounter with a woman in her 30s. and the stories continued on and on. i was shocked and frozen. these were not coming out stories. these were stories of molestation. a few other posters were as appalled as i was and stated as such. many of these womyn who recounted these tales responded with anger and insult. they seriously didn’t feel that they were taken advantage of. i really am saddened 2 realize that u actually have 2 tell someone that they were molested. they not only didn’t know. but thought these situations were ok. they retold the tales with pleasant reverie. almost boastfully. i worried. if they thought that it was ok, then who’s 2 say that they won’t in turn at the age of 36 or 40 go by some high school and find themselves a girlfriend in hopes of creating a “coming out story” for someone else. they didn’t come out. their sexuality wasn’t realized at that moment some unscrupulous adult touched them in their private place. they don’t know that. and i know that ignorance is bliss sometimes. but not in this instance. not when there’s a strong possibility that the cycle will be repeated. it is not ok for grown folks to touch children! period. only cuz it didn’t hurt. or only cuz it was woman on woman. or only cuz someone is a teenager who thinks they’re grown doesn’t make any of those stories ok. i hate 2 b the bearer of bad news. folks always kill the messenger. that’s why Precious got so much shit. why so many people wanted to avoid the movie like the plague.

i’m glad Mo’nique got that award. i’m glad 4 as much attention as possible 2 be given to a movie like this. i hope all the Preciouses of the world see this and know that it’s not cool. break the cycle. don’t do 2 others what has been done 2 u. it’s painful to watch. and i’m sure 4 some, it’s even more painful to admit. but time heals all wounds. the wounds won’t heal properly underneath that dirty band aid. brace yourself. rip it off and get better. now’s the time to tell and it’s okay.

so it surprises me when i’m asked about why certain people are not represented. well, i thought i was being diplomatic by allowing the community 2 choose 4 itself. i guess i was wrong. or was i?

after getting yet another comment about the lack of “big gyrls”, i looked over the calendar again. i took note that the sizes of my models are in fact varied. it’s not polite 2 ask or reveal a woman’s weight, but i can say that the ladies in the Hard Candy Calendar start on the low end of the scale (myself), 2 very “healthy” sized individuals. take a second look and u’ll c.

then, i’m also confronted by people regarding the ages. ok, i admit, last year’s edition was full of youngsters but this year has a wider range. being a woman in her late thirties, i ain’t exactly a spring chicken. many of the gyrls are in their early 20s and the years expand all the way up to DJ Levi who just hit her milestone age of 50 last year. I even blogged about it. so i really don’t feel so bad. there is variety within the Hard Candy Stud Calendar.

now my question back is…how come so few see it? did i do a super awesome job with the pics? :)well that’s what i’m supposed 2 do right? or are people looking 4 a more natural, more “real” appearance? hey, if that’s what the people want, i can make that happen. we’ll c what next year has in store.

but in the mean time, check out Hard Candy 2010: AfroZodiac. it’s full of sexxxy studs (and femmes) of all shapes, sizes and ages.