What does it mean to witness Lil Nas X not only unfold in all his complexity but also be platformed by larger media? To be the expansive, daring, playful artist that he is? By J.R. Yussuf It rattles so many of us to witness Lil Nas X, a dark skinned gay Black man, purposefully walk...
Tag: homophobia
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Our Favorite Reactions To Lil Nas X’s CMBYN Video
It’s fucking beautiful. After months of anticipation, Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” music video has finally dropped and fans are eating it up. The eccentric artist has already cemented a reputation for striking, dramatic, and fantastical spectacles in his music videos after being catapulted to fame by his single “Old Town...
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I May Destroy Your Self-Worth: How Childhood Bullying Plagued My Young Adult Years
Childhood bullying has long-lasting effects and its impact should be acknowledged as much as other traumas during this era of mental health awareness. By Khaaliq Crowder CW: bullying, fatphobia, ableism, homophobia, disordered eating, self-harm, suicidality As I approach my 25th birthday, I’ve been examining my childhood trauma and how it plagued my late teens and...
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For Queer Nigerian Youths, #ENDSARS Is A Fight Against Police Brutality And Homophobia
The many arbitrary SARS arrests and harassment of queer Nigerian youth confirm bias towards and targeting of the queer community in Nigeria’s police system. By Conrad Johnson-Omodiagbe For queer people living in Nigeria, the chances of experiencing violence—and in some cases, death—at the hands of a police officer is uncomfortably high. Over the past couple...
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Black Hollywood Has a Black Patriarchy Problem
There’s no point to Black Hollywood if it’s gonna replicate the same structural oppressions that already exist in the entertainment industry at-large. The nominations for the 77th Golden Globes awards ceremony came out in December. And even more recently, nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards ceremony came out, roughly a week ago. And predictably, they...
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Rape Culture, DL Men, and The Carcerality Of The Closet
The intent is not to absolve anyone who has committed sexual violence within the queer community. The intent is to reimagine justice. TW/CW: descriptions of sexual assault and abuse, homophobia, and incarceration This piece was originally published in 2017 at dashaunharrison.com I was around 8 the first time. I still have very clear mirages of...
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Tamar Braxton and Cishet Black Women’s Complicated Relationships to Queer Black People
Tamar’s statement goes beyond harming cishet men, it opens up a particular kind of violence against Queer Black people. This essay contains discussions of sexual violence and r/pe culture Recently, recording artist and television personality, Tamar Braxton, made a post on her Instagram story where she essentially claims that the one and only reason a...
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Three Forms of Faux-Acceptance to Avoid to Live Your Best Queer Life
LGBTQ+ folks should never have to settle on conditional acceptance. We cannot splice or erase our identities to assuage the feelings of cisgender and heterosexual people. By Briana Lawrence Pop-culture and media narratives typically depict our grand closet disembarkment as a one-time event, but the truth is that we come out multiple times during our...
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A Call-In: What Terry Crews Got Wrong And How He Can Fix It
Those who consider themselves allies and male feminists need to learn how to listen to the communities they claim to support. By Sherronda J. Brown and Lara Witt It’s been more than a week since Terry Crews apologized for tweeting that children who grow up without both a maternal and paternal parent will be “severely...
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How Do We Black Queer Folks Talk About Jussie Smollett?
We were right in our willingness to believe Jussie’s initial account, given the propensity of white violence and the dystopian reality QTBIPOC live in. This morning, Jussie Smollett turned himself in for arrest and was charged by the Chicago PD with filing a false police report. In January, the “Empire” actor and singer allegedly sustained injuries in what he described...