As your Instagram feed surely has notified you, today is #BlackoutTuesday - a day for leaving space for black voices. Our planet has been blessed with legendary queer black celebs, and today we're going to check out just a few. Which queer black celebs inspire you? Let us know in the comments!
Billy Porter
The man who needs no introduction made history in 2019 by being not only the first openly gay black man to win an Emmy (for Pose) but also the first to ever be nominated in a lead acting category. Yo. Betta. Werk.
Keiynan Lonsdale
The super cute Love, Simon starlet told People in 2018 "I don't really label myself as anything. I have been in love with guys and I have been in love with girls. That's me."
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Lil Nax X
The 1019 breakout Old Town Road singer gives approximately zero fucks when it comes to being his true self. I've written about it about a billion times, but I'll still never not be inspired by the stage four DGAF-ery of his coming out approach.
some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm no more. but before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to c7osure. 🌈🤩✨ pic.twitter.com/O9krBLllqQ
— nope (@LilNasX) June 30, 2019
The Vixen
Anyone looking for a strong black queen to stan has his pick of the litter when it comes to RuPaul's Drag Race contestants. Add being a drag queen to being gay and black, and you've got a woman with balls. While divisive, no one brought race to the forefront of Drag Race more pointedly than The Vixen. You can support her journey on OnlyFans.
“Me & my friends got an onlyfans”#transformationtuesday pic.twitter.com/HLQi28eey8
— The Vixen (@TheVixensworld) September 17, 2019
Karamo Brown
The Queer Eye star became famous as the first-ever gay black man on a reality series thanks to his appearance on The Real World: Philadelphia.
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Frank Ocean
Back in 2012 Frank Ocean rocked the music industry (and opened doors for future young LGBTQ artists of color) by penning an open letter in which he details his love for a man. Frank identifies as bisexual. I identify him as sexual.
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Little Richard-ish
I just went down too far of a Little Richard rabbit hole to not include him on this list, even though he had a troubled past with his own sexuality and even said during an interview "Anybody that comes in show business, they gon' say you gay or straight. God made men, men and women, women... You've got to live the way God wants you to live... He can save you."
However, being black and gay and born in 1932 AND born in 1932 in Macon, GA can't be a walk in the damn park, so I want to close out this bombastic and poorly-researched post with Little Richard's actual, legitimate, actual, real, for real, #4real -according to Billboard.com - original lyrics to "Tutti Frutti":
Tutti Frutti, good booty / If it don't fit, don't force it / You can grease it, make it easy.
Fuck. yes.
Little Richard's life was full of painful internal conflict, but no one better defined the freedom and raw energy of rock & roll https://t.co/TcS78FOT49 pic.twitter.com/y7aVRhh95G
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) May 25, 2020