Califia (or Calafia) is the name of a legendary Black Amazon warrior queen, associated with the mythical Island of California. The legend of Queen Califia appears to date back to the novel Las Sergas de Esplandian (The Adventures of Esplandian), written around 1510 by the Spanish writer Garci RodrÃguez de Montalvo. In Greek mythology, the , Amazons were either an ancient legendary nation of female warriors or a land dominated by women at the outer edges of their known world. ... The Island of California is shown on a 1650 map by Nicolas Sanson The Island of California refers to a long-held European misconception, dating from the 16th century, that California was not part of mainland North America but rather a large island separated from the continent by the Mare... 1510 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Garci RodrÃguez de Montalvo (or Garci Ordoñez de Montalvo) was a Spanish author (d. ...
The U.S. state of California is named for her (see Origin of the name California). The writer Patrick Califia also adopted her name as his surname. Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area - Total - Width - Length - % water - Latitude - Longitude Ranked 3rd 158,302 sq mi 410,000 km² 250 miles 402. ... The toponym California is currently used by three subnational entities â the U.S. state of California and the Mexican states of Baja California and Baja California Sur â and by a string of cities in other parts of the English-speaking world. ... Patrick Califia (formerly known as Pat Califia; born 1954 near Corpus Christi, Texas) is a writer about womens sexuality and of erotic fiction. ...
External links
Why it's called California
African Ancestry in California: More about Queen Califia
Although Califia's sexual philosophy is deeply transgressive in the eyes of the Mormon church, he stated in a 2000 interview that there is an element of Mormon thought in his approach to life.
Califia felt a sense of difference even as a child, insisting that she was not a girl when her parents told her that she could not become a train engineer because of her gender.
Califia acknowledged the inequality of power immanent in lesbian sadomasochistic practices, but contended that exploration and open discussion of these roles would not only lead to liberation but could also be extended to other issues of inequality within the feminist movement such as the marginalization of women of color and lower-income women.
See, Califia has a son, Blake, of whom he shares custody with his ex-girlfriend, Matt, who also used to be a woman, but is now a man. He stopped taking male hormones so he could give birth.
Unfortunately, Califia has a way of tossing out verbal bombs that diminish his credibility, and credibility is something he needs desperately if his more cogent observations of gender identity are to gain credence.
Califia writes, "Like camp, promiscuity is the pink badge of queer courage, our defiant way of whistling past all the graveyards that, for us, dot the heterosexual landscape." Oh, please.