Meet Stephanie Voltaire, a young woman of Haitian descent living in the City of Ottawa, Ontario. Tall and curvy, with dark chocolate skin and a stylish Afro, Stephanie is fiercely proud of her Haitian origins. While attending Carleton University, Stephanie studies business administration and hopes to make her mark by also celebrating black art and literature...
Stephanie Voltaire was born in the town of Quartier Morin, northern Haiti, and although her family has lived in Ottawa for a long time, she never forgot where she came from. Stephanie remembered the strong and hard-working people of her quaint hometown. She wanted to celebrate their lives through her art. Stephanie felt driven to make a difference, which wasn't easy since she lived in a world determined to keep her down...
Stephanie Voltaire is tall, brilliant and beautiful, but she's also a black woman, and there are certain things in Canada which she cannot escape. A lot of white Canadians, even the friendly and so-called decent ones, have a problem when they meet a black person who's attractive, smart, and more talented than they are. A kind of knee-jerk insecurity causes them to lash out at such a person. For reasons like these, Stephanie is cautious around people of other backgrounds. They tend to see her as just black, rather than, say, a human being...
Fortunately for Stephanie Voltaire, kindred spirits do exist. That's how Stephanie Voltaire met the woman destined to change her life forever, an Indian cutie named Ankita Desai. To say that these two young women came from different worlds would be an understatement. Ankita Desai is originally from the Kerala region of India, and came to study biology at Carleton University in preparation for a career in medicine.
Ankita Desai is one of those demure beauties that a lot of people can't help but notice. Short and sweet, soft-spoken and smart, with enchanting brown eyes and a ravishing smile, Ankita Desai took Stephanie Voltaire's breath away from the moment they met. Stephanie felt drawn to Ankita and went after her because, well, that's the kind of woman she is.
At first, Ankita Desai resisted her feelings for Stephanie Voltaire because, let's face it, the Indian community isn't known for its tolerance of gays, lesbians and bisexual people. Ankita's parents Kesavan and Mariam Desai want her to go to medical school, find a good husband and get married. Stephanie could totally relate to what Ankita was going through because she'd undergone the same thing.
Stephanie Voltaire's parents, proud Haitian immigrants Stephen and Amelia Voltaire, raised their only daughter to be a good Christian gal. When Stephanie told them of her love for women, they were surprised but ultimately supportive. Ankita was happy for Stephanie when the other woman revealed that little tidbit, but knew that her own family, being deeply traditional Indian immigrants, wouldn't be so kind.
India is a beautiful but complicated place, especially when it comes to issues of race, gender and sexuality. In India, it would be considered problematic and downright dangerous if, say, a Sikh Indian man were to get involved with a Muslim woman. The country also has a race problem. Lots of Indian mothers tell their fair-skinned sons not to bring home dark-skinned brides. In the face of all that, Ankita Desai's affection for Stephanie would be problematic, to say the least...
"I want you, Stephanie, but we have to be discrete," Ankita Desai told Stephanie Voltaire, as they began seeing each other. Stephanie smiled understandingly at Ankita. For ages, Stephanie felt out of place both in the so-called straight world and the lesbian community of Ottawa. When Stephanie came out as a Haitian lesbian, she thought the LGBT world would be supportive. Well, Stephanie was quite wrong about that...
As Stephanie Voltaire got to know the LGBT world, she realized how racist, sexist and exclusionary it really was. White lesbians seemed to look down on lesbians of color. The lesbian community of Ottawa was also full of weirdoes, masculine women who fit every stereotype about women who love women. Stephanie wanted to date a woman who was normal, and not prejudiced, thank you very much. She lucked out when she met Ankita Desai...
"You have my word, darling," Stephanie Voltaire replied, and then the tall young Haitian woman pulled her favorite Indian cutie into her arms and kissed her passionately. Thus Stephanie Voltaire and Ankita Desai embarked on a relationship destined to change their lives forever. They went everywhere together, from movie theaters to malls and museums. They danced in night clubs, and went to art galleries. The two young women became virtually inseparable...