104 Search results for "black queer identity"

How TikTok is ushering in yet another way for youths to don “Digital Blackface”
by Cosima Smith By now many of you will have heard the term “Digital Blackface” a term defined loosely as the movement or expansion of Blackface minstrelsy to the new-age digital platforms we frequent. The “tradition” of minstrelsy dates back to the early 19th century and began as a form of entertainment at the expense of […]
Black people aren’t resistant to mental health treatment. We’re resistant to framing it as a cure
I was stressed. I was broke. I’d just confronted my parents with my queerness, and they responded by refusing to support my education. And since enrolling at NYU’s film school, my film-maker dreams were eroding in the face of structural barriers erected by white supremacy. I was bouncing to and from mental health crises. Everything […]
Black asexuals are not unicorns, there are more of us than we know
This essay contains discussions of sexual violence as well as racist violence and fetishization I personally know of fewer than five Black people who identify as asexual, and I’ve only met two of them in person. The others remain virtual friends for now, but I hope to meet them someday. Of course, these are just […]
Maybe Black men protect white women because we see ourselves in them
by Donnie Moreland My crushes, in high school, were all white girls. I used to fantasize about asking them out, kissing them, fucking them. It was about the only way by which I judged my social value—by how many of them I was of interest to. In fact, the first girl to ever hear the […]
Somewhere over the rainbow: Reading the Pride symbol as a queering of the Bible
Editor’s Note: June is LGBTQ Pride Month. At BYP, we will be exploring gender, sexuality, transgender issues and queer theory, and we are interested in publishing works that address these topics and the things surrounding them. We want to hear from you! Send us your pitches at info@blackyouthproject.com By Ciarra Milan Jones Genesis 9:13–16 I […]
Queer Black folks talk about masturbation, confront shame, and affirm their right to self-pleasure
Editor’s Note: May is Mental Health Awareness Month and National Masturbation Month. This is also the month that we celebrate Mother’s Day. At BYP, we will be exploring these topics alongside the theme of Imagination and the Arts, and we are interested in publishing works that address these topics and the things surrounding them. Science […]
Black liberation requires making room for uncomfortable manifestations of mental illness
May is Mental Health Awareness Month and National Masturbation Month. This is also the month that we celebrate Mother’s Day. At BYP, we will be exploring these topics alongside the theme of Imagination and the Arts, and we are interested in publishing works that address these topics and the things surrounding them. We want to […]
Black queer people were never #allJussieSmollett
I want to start this off with a reminder that the police are never to be trusted—particularly when it comes to their version of a situation where harm has befallen a Black queer person (because of their explicit history of contributing to that harm, and of trying to cover it up). I want to start […]
What Future’s fear of admitting his sobriety says about our unhealthy expectation for Black pain
By Arielle Gray Dana Schutz’s “Open Casket” is hard to decipher at first. Its textured and abstract strokes make it difficult to discern the image. But the more your eyes linger, the more easily the distorted face, rendered in geometric simplicity, and the brown coffin outlining the body become clear. After a second lengthy look, […]
The story of Black queer women imprisoned for defending themselves to reminds us this criminal system cannot save us
By Gabrielle Noel The legal system was never built with Black queer people in mind. This system assigns victimhood, or refuses it, according to social biases, and society’s perception of who is more likely to be a victim or more credible thus affects who is allowed to receive justice. When it comes to sexual harassment, […]
Queer sex freed me from the shame and discomfort of compulsory heteronormative sex
by Haillee Mason I wish I could say that I’ve always known that I deserved good sex. Or that I arrived into my twenties seeking out my own pleasure. But Black queer women like me are never taught that they deserve anything—not an orgasm, not empathy, or even apologies. I had arrived in my adolescence, […]
Why you should watch ‘Hook Ups’, a new queer, intersectional web-series about love and dating
by Arnetta Randall I think the more identity boxes you check, the more you yearn to see people like yourself in the media. For me, its young, Black, educated, queer characters on the screen. Even though we now have television shows like Queen Sugar, Love Is, Insecure and the groundbreaking Pose, there is still a […]