The Lavender South

Now Accepting Submissions

For this round of The Lavender South, our prompt focuses on the experience of queer youth and coming of age. At a time when LGBTQ+ youths’ rights are under attack, we are asking you to reflect on your younger self. Please submit a response to the following prompt: “Reflect back on your younger self– whether a year or fifty years younger. What would you want to share with them about your life today? What would you tell your younger self knowing what you know now?” We are accepting art and poetry as well as personal essay submissions in response to this prompt.

We are seeking:

• Original personal essay or narrative writing responding to the prompt, not previously published online. Personal essays must be between 500-1,000 words.
• Original poetry responding to the prompt, not previously published online.
• Artwork in any medium (including but not limited to visual, musical, video) that interacts with the prompt. Artwork does not have to be newly created specifically for The Lavender South submission, although new pieces are welcome.

Fill out the form below for your work to be considered for publication on Campaign for Southern Equality’s website and shared on our social media. The deadline to submit is Sunday, September 28 at 12:00 AM Eastern Time. Submissions from transgender and gender expansive, BIPOC, young, and working class people will be prioritized. If your essay, poem, or art is selected, you will be notified within two weeks via email about next steps.

Those selected  will be paid $150 for their work when complete. While we deeply appreciate every submission we recieve, not all submissions will be selected, and only those selected will recieve payment. Those not selected are encouraged to submit to future calls for submissions to The Lavender South. Please fill out the form below to be considered for The Lavender South.

Why is this project called The Lavender South?

During the 1950s and 60s, the gay and lesbian rights movement was blossoming in the United States. Groups like the Mattachine Society and The Daughters of Bilitis were pushing for greater visibility and rights for gays and lesbians. The response to this movement was a moral panic about homosexuality among government officials, who believed that gay and lesbian government officials posed a national security risk because of their “weak moral character”. This led to gay and lesbian government workers being dismissed from their positions. The event was coined the “Lavender Scare”, because historically, men believed to be gay were described as having “a streak of lavender”.  In the years following the Lavender Scare, lavender was reclaimed by the queer community as a symbol of resistance and empowerment. It is for this reason that we have chosen to call this project the Lavender South.

Today, LGBTQ+ people are making progress. More and more people are embracing and celebrating the queer people in their lives and communities. We have made huge steps towards legal equality, securing the right to live, work, and build our families while publicly identifying as LGBTQ+. As in the time of the Lavender Scare, this progress is threatening to some people, including conservative government officials who are doing everything in their power to take away our rights and freedoms, and push us out of public life. This is especially true for transgender and gender expansive members of our communities, who are facing a massive wave of legislation attacking their right to equal education, voting, employment, and healthcare. A large number of anti-LGBTQ+ and specifically anti-trans bills have passed here in the South, where an estimated 5 million LGBTQ+ people make their homes. The purpose of The Lavender South is to elevate LGBTQ+ Southerners’ voices during this tumultuous time in our history.

New in The Lavender South