By Fiona Zedde
In the lesbian community, there has been an unspoken expectation down through the years—as couples go, butches pair off with femmes. Butches don’t do other butches, and femmes don’t do other femmes. For this installment of Pride Month, Fiona Zedde’s Femme Like Her changes the dynamic.
Jamaican-born femme Nailah Grant is waiting for the axe to fall on her job at a healthcare company in Atlanta as a result of a corporate takeover. She is often dealing with best friend Pauline’s poor taste in girlfriends. Having been burned by her toxic love interest Raven and losing a friend in stud sistah Chance, she holds fast to the position “I don’t do femmes”—until she meets bi femme sistah Naima “Scottie” Scott, who takes charge and sweeps her off her feet in heated passion.
Their meeting is followed by texts and phone calls. Nailah is captivated by Scottie’s confidence and assertiveness, qualities that she lacks. Their steamy first date, however, comes to an abrupt end with Scottie ghosting Nailah, leaving her bewildered and hurt.
Nailah’s parents, though they accept and embrace her as a lesbian, are now wondering about her nonexistent love life to date; with her older brother Glen’s upcoming wedding, they are looking for her to bring a girlfriend as a plus-one.
Two months later, another chance meeting with Scottie while out lunching with Pauline reunites Nailah and Scottie, and their romance is hotter than ever. Nailah’s parents welcome Scottie. However, Scottie still has a few secrets up her sleeve…
Will Nailah recognize how she’s been blocking her pathways to true love and success? Will Scottie open up and allow herself to be vulnerable?
In addition to Nailah and Scottie’s love story, I loved Zedde’s points about the importance of communication between partners. The message is clear: never judge a person before you get to know them. Their discussion about the homophobic environment in Jamaica is poignant. I also loved her attention to scents and taste throughout the story, further engaging my senses as a reader.
Zedde was born in Jamaica and is currently living in Spain. She has published 30 novels, most about Black lesbian romance. Two of her novels, Bliss and Dangerous Pleasures, were finalists in the Lambda Literary Awards. Femme Like Her is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Red Hills Publishing.
Thank you, Fiona, for sharing your story and showing once again that, at the end of the day, love wins. Sometimes, it means getting out of own way.
W.D. Foster-Graham
W.D. Foster-Graham is a native son of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received a B.A. in psychology from Luther College, and he was an original member of the multi-Grammy-Award-winning ensemble, Sounds of Blackness. He has also been recognized by the International Society of Poets as one of its “Best New Poets of 2003,” is a guest writer for journalist/author/entertainer Wyatt O’Brian Evans.
