La Toya Hankins’ novel, SBF Seeking

SBF Seeking by La Toya Hankins

Pride Month is here again, so it’s time for those who are standing at the intersectionality of Black and LGBTQ to share their stories. After all, the rainbow flag wouldn’t be complete without the Black and Brown. That being said, let’s start off the month of June with La Toya Hankins’ novel, SBF Seeking…

The road to discovery was filled with twists and turns for Yvette “Vet” Thurman, a feature writer for NC Magazine. Four months before her wedding to her long-time boyfriend Martin, she places an ad in the newspaper to meet a white man. Object: hookup. Apparently, she has been evaluating Martin and found him wanting in many areas (including the bedroom), so she wants to hedge her bets and see if there’s anything better out there before she says “I do.”

Needless to say, the hookup fails miserably, leaving her with guilt. After more introspection and input from friends Danita and Karen, her mother, and her twin sister Yolanda, Yvette also decides to call off the wedding.

Through her job, Yvette meets an interracial couple, Erica and Linda. A friendship develops between her and the lesbian sistah Linda, thus beginning Yvette’s journey of realizing her true sexuality, in both the joys and the heartaches of love with Jasmine.

I love the slow-burn feel in Yvette’s self-discovery; the signs that she was into women had always been there, though she hadn’t recognized them for what they were. I also greatly appreciate the spirit of sorority and fraternity in the special and unique environment of HBCUs that Hankins brings to her novel; those of you who are members know that those relationships and connections last a lifetime.

I’ve always enjoyed movies and stories about female friendships, and Hankins delivers in spades. Whether the character of Yvette was going through something with her girlfriend or whether her friends had issues with their significant others, they always came through for each other.

Hankins is a graduate of East Carolina University, with a B.A. in journalism. She is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority and national secretary of Gamma Xi Phi, a predominately African American association for men and women in the arts. SBF Seeking is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and JMS Books LLC.

Thank you, La Toya, for reminding us that sisterhood has been, is, and always will be, powerful!