The blood pumping through your veins is red, and so is mine. You’ve faced challenges in life, and so have I. I am not only marginalized for being Black in America but also as a Black man who’s gay in Black culture. There are more parts to us than race alone, you and I both look like resilience derived from Black experiences but that does not make us the same.

Black people may share common narratives and cultural traditions, and we may all be inexplicably bound together by society’s dislocated perceptions of Blackness. However, the diverse array of socio-political identities such as race, gender, sexuality, religion, physical appearance, and class within our community are separable.

So, the time is past due for us as Black people to extend our sense of grace. It’s time to cool off from catching the heat.

The ongoing fear to worry about protecting ourselves from homophobic and transphobic violence. There’s #BlackLivesMatter and there’s #ProtectBlackTranswomen; unfortunately the lack of protection for Black trans women is overshadowed as the media’s language devalues their existence. There is not enough media coverage, and there are not people talking about the violence protecting trans people as if they don’t matter.

There is no need to project hate onto each other. If you’re a fan, then just say that.

It is essential to remind ourselves to love Black people who are too often excluded from Black culture due to their gender identity or sexual orientation.

I am more than just a Black man. I am a fashion scholar who knows fashion is a political outlet that challenges normative traditions. I am a gay man who knows Black is beautiful in my everyday life. I am a Christian whose personal awareness and identity politics are rooted in learning from the experience of my queerness.

I love being Black; we are beautiful and hella dope but I know we’re more than just that. And I am not the only one who agrees. All of my identities add fuel to the fire regardless of who feels uncomfortable; all of my identities set fire to a fashion system built on false conceptions and normative traditions. We don’t wake up every morning with “gay” being the word of the day; instead, the words are “liberation” and “innovation”.

We work just as hard as the next person, fighting to be commanding.

If it’s hard to accept us because of our different orientations, get to know us and discover the things we both value. The innovation and coolness derived from Black and queer experiences are often presented as many embrace their everyday lives while consciously fighting to explore their truth beyond society’s gender, class, and race perceptions.

As we celebrate Pride Month, we highlight Black and LGBTQ creatives throughout New York City who are aware of their socio-cultural identities as they use innovation to storytell and express their Black and queer identities.

I asked the following questions: How has your Blackness and your queer identity influenced your creative work? In what ways has your creative work made a positive impact on other creatives? How will you continue to be a voice within your community?

Jalen Dominique

Model and Creative Director
@jalen.xx

“I am Black first and that alone is rich with culture. It’s constant inspiration. I’m a model and I also work heavily in creative direction. I want to not only acknowledge the struggle, but highlight the beauty in us as a people. To me, my queer identity enhances my experience. I’m able to express myself freely, existing within my own masculinity and femininity. Overall these elements allow me to embrace all parts of myself all while inspiring and educating other people.

“I think that we all have our own niche and inspire one another based on that. When I’m collaborating with other Black creatives I like to think of it as a meshing of worlds. I try to bring others into my world (how I see things, myvision) while also stepping into their perspectives. I know my work inspires anyone “masc” presenting and that says you can be who you are and still give cunt – I’m here for that and I promote that.

“I will continue to be a voice in my community by using my work to get my message across all mediums. I will always create content that provokes thoughts and pushes or challenges people’s perspectives on the traditions we have been taught. If there’s any way I can uplift Black and queer people, I will do just that.”

Sophia Yeshi

Graphic Designer
@sophiayeshi

“While growing up, I didn’t see much representation in the design industry and I definitely didn’t have mentors that I could relate to. As a Queer Black and South Asian illustrator and graphic designer, I create the work that I want to see in the hopes that it inspires someone else who can relate to my experience.

“I try to uplift and extend my platform to other Black creatives whenever I can, whether that means featuring them on my blog, collaborating with them on projects, referring them when I can’t accept a project, and more. At the very least I think the fact that I am unapologetic about who I am and what I believe in helps other Black creatives who have struggled to feel accepted in traditional work environments make space for themselves.”

Jamal Bull

Designer
@jaytbull

“Both my blackness and queer identity has shaped my creative work more than it has influenced it. I am black and I am queer. And many different factors have influenced the work I’ve created and will create. Black designers before me such as Patrick Kelly, LaQuan Smith, and Christopher John Rogers have shown me what creativity looks like.

“In the short time period my brand has been alive, I’ve connected with many people who’ve expressed their gratitude for my brand. I would have never thought I would launch my brand with underwear but I am glad I did. I am a person of action. So when I hear someone wanting to express their sense of art, I just say ‘DO IT, AND DO IT WELL, DO IT WITH PURPOSE.’

“Now that certain notions in the industry have been broken and achieved, I believe my expectations for myself have become greater. I like to be challenged, and I always overcome obstacles. I will use my new brand J. O’Harold as an outlet to curate a place for Blackness and queerness to be shown and appreciated.”

Esther Faciane

Content Creator and Photographer @finessabuxtable

As a New Orleans native, my blackness and queerness have influenced my work because I’ve always wanted to see myself in beauty and fashion but never did as a kid so my work is a way of showcasing people who look like me. I always try to bring in other black creatives on shoots whether it be the makeup artist or stylists or creative directors, I want to see my people in those spaces. I’ll continue to shoot black women and queer people to show the world who we are.”

James Baldwin spoke of his experiences with discrimination and of feeling like an outsider within Black culture as an openly gay man. The prejudice he faced within his marginalized space awarded him with unique perspectives of life.

Just like Baldwin, we, Black and LGBTQ innovators have good food to the table to feed the souls of all folks through our experiences that can be perceived as burdens. Instead of publicly discrediting our queerness, allow us to shed light on the invisible people all while encouraging prosperity amongst humanity.

If life was as simple as loving our brothers and sisters as we love ourselves, then we’d be in perfect harmony. With so much hate projected into this world it might just be hard to imagine. But as we acknowledge and embrace intersectionality amongst people of color, we will know that we all have something to bring to the table.

Melquan Ganzy is the Founder of The GANZY.