QTPOC
I grew up in the Baptist Church and we did not commemorate the liturgical season of the Christian Church. When I became a pastor, it was my church in Sacramento that schooled me on Advent and Lent. I developed a deep appreciation for the spiritual concepts of developing patience (a core part of anticipation of…
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Claudius Afolabi “Labi” Siffre is a singer songwriter, composer and poet from London. He is the fourth of five children born to parents of Barbadian-Belgian and Nigerian descent. Although educated in Catholic School, Siffre has stated that he has always been an atheist. Siffre studied at the Eric Gilder School of Music, and recounted his…
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Alvin Ailey was born in 1931 in Rogers, Texas, and grew up in a time of economic crisis (the Great Depression), racism, violence and segregation. His father abandoned his mother when Ailey was only three months old, forcing the family to work in cotton fields and as domestics for white households. Yet with the support…
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Josephine Baker’s life story was unbelievably queer, boundary-defying and transgressive. The first indication of this is found in the St. Louis city records. Baker’s mother, Carrie McDonald, became pregnant while working for a German family, and was admitted to the exclusively white Female Hospital. This was 1906: America was segregated and patriarchal, and typically Black…
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Audre Lorde described herself as a “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.” She was a native New Yorker, the daughter of West Indian immigrants who grew up in Harlem and went on to become an influential black feminist theorist, essayist, memoirist and novelist. Lorde focused her prose and poetry on the complexities of sexual and racial…
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Outspoken transgender activist, fashion icon, drag performer and LGBT rights pioneer Marsha P. Johnson began to wear dresses at the age of 5. As it so often happens, other children teased, harassed and bullied her to the point where she eventually stopped. Not until she graduated high school and moved to New York City—with $15…
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Willi Ninja, born William Roscoe Leake, was an American choreographer and dancer known for his iconic dance style, made famous in the film Paris is Burning. Ninja’s distinctive dance style was inspired by Fred Astaire, young Michael Jackson, Olympic gymnasts, Asian culture and haute couture. During the 1980’s in Harlem, ball culture was a huge…
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On December 1,1988, World Aids Day became the first ever global health day to be commemorated annually. The AIDS movement evolved into an advocacy mission with a global reach that continues to have significant impact on the history of social justice and activism. A report from NPR states that by the mid 1980’s, President Ronald…
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In this episode, we meet Bishop Tonyia M. Rawls and Reverend Debra J. Hopkins: two LGBT faith leaders based in Charlotte, NC. The long-time friends sit down to discuss the ways their faith shaped the acceptance of their sexuality and gender identity, and how that self-acceptance shaped their ministries. Created by: Ben Ohene, and Victoria…
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One of the most frustrating and emotionally and spiritually damaging aspects of Transgender justice work is the persistent confrontation with silence. There is always a moment when individuals, organizations of all kinds, family members or friends, communities of faith, and government entities have an opportunity to offer care, kindness and compassion into our lives as…
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