At GirlfriendsMeet I am always making a point to not only celebrate and uphold LGBTQ equality but also diminish other unfair treatments as well such as religion and race. Today we take a moment to suggest a movie for your next date night.
So let us give it up for Queen Latifah as Bessie Smith in the HBO movie “Bessie.” It’s the story of an orphaned, black singer in Vaudeville in the 1920s and 1930s, and how she rose from nothing to achieve fame while still pushing boundaries and being proud of who she is.
“No time to marry, no time to settle down; I’m a young woman, and I ain’t done runnin’ around.”
– Bessie Smith, Young Woman’s Blues
Bessie was based on real life blues singer Bessie Smith. She was known as one of the greatest jazz vocalists of her time and was often heard or listened to with other huge stars such as Louis Armstrong.
The story shows her younger days when both her parents and her brother sadly passed away and she and her younger siblings were raised by her older sister Viola.
What makes Bessie especially interesting is her fluid, bisexual interest in a time when it was really looked down upon and borderline forbidden. It’s always interesting to see people unafraid to come out and to be strong in who they are at times when it was even more difficult to be accepted and to even live safely.
HBO did a great job with this focusing a lot on Bessie’s entire life. It’s a perfect movie to watch with a bottle of wine, a soft blanket and a girlfriend to cuddle. You’ll enjoy the music, the actors and the story line of somebody overcoming pain and struggle to get somewhere they were told they couldn’t be.
If you made this your move night choice then stop by twitter and message us about your thoughts. We would love to hear from you @GFMDating.
The beautiful Bessie Smith.
