We Speak Their Names: Happy Pride! A Celebration of 8 LGBTQIA Black Women
With soooo much love in our hearts we scream HAPPY PRIDE to all of us Dear Black Women who are lesbian, bisexual, trans, pansexual, queer, questioning, intersex or asexual and to all of the allies. WE SEE YOU! This month, like ALL months, is a time to celebrate the wonders of what we bring to the world. So, we highlight 8 Black LGBTQIA women we love. Go clockwise starting from J for Janelle Monae.
J
J is for our pansexual multi-talented star Janelle Monae. Her activism, voice and vision are breaking down barriers for who/how Black women can be. | Her new album "Dirty Computer" got some jams!
I
I is for Isis King! We fell in love with you when she was introduced to the world as the first trans women on on America's Next Top Model and been loving her ever since. | Get into her.
A
A is for Audre Lorde who spoke truth to power in ways that continues to speak! A feminist, lesbian, poet, mother, warrior, Audre dared to speak even when her voice shook, inspiring us to do the same. | Support the Audre Lorde Project, continuing her legacy.
“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.”
E
E is for Ericka Hart. A "kinky, poly, cancer-warrior, activist, sexuality educator and performer", Ericka's life and activism are a GIFT to us all. She burst into many of our consciousness through her visual activism as a bilateral breast cancer survivor. From there, she has drawn us in to learn more about her activism. From her workshops to keynotes, to videos to articles, her genius is liberating so many. | Book her for you workshop, keynote, magazine, photoshoot.
L
L is Lorraine Hansberry. Listen, Lorraine is Black, Queeer genius personified. We don't speak in the past tense, because, though she has transitioned, her genius lives on with her incomparable masterpiece "A Raisin in the Sun" and her legacy of unwavering love of us. | See the PBS documentary "Lorraine Hansberry: Sighted Eyes, Feeling Hearts".
M
M is for Marsha P Jackson. Have you ever heard of Marsha P Johnson? Stop what you're doing and be CLEAR: The LGBTQIA movement as we know it would NOT exist without Marsha. She, a Black trans woman and sex worker, was a leader in the country's gay rights movement, at the Stonewall rebellion, before and beyond. All the parades, all the publicity, all the momentum we now know was sparked by this Black trans woman and her leadership. Yet, because the erasure of trans stories is real, many do not know her story. So, Dear Black Women speaks Marsha's name extra loud. Thank you, dear Marsha. Thank you. | See the Netflix documentary on Marsha "The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson".
LW
LW is for Lena Waithe. Did y'all see her put on for the LGBT community with her stunt at the Met Gala?! From her words to her actions, to her activism, to her art ("The Chi", "Master of None", etc), she is a force of light in the world and dedicating to amplifying the voice of Black folks/LGBTQIA folks. | Watch her incredible Showtime series "The Chi".
S
S is for Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the GODMOTHER of Rock and Roll. Please put some respect on her name. It was HER sound that helped shaped the world renown genre. Do you hear us? A Black, Queer, Christian woman born in Arkansas in 1915 helped create Rock and Roll. | Our full coverage of the world changing Sister Rosetta here.
