“Popular music is built upon artists that have toyed with the gender
binary. The influence of musicians like Prince, Wendy Carlos, and
Genesis P-Orridge on the musical landscape is especially being felt in
the modern age, where gender has become a much more openly discussed
topic.
Artists that identify as transgender or non-binary are finally
beginning to see an increased acceptance in the musical world.
However this acceptance does not immediately equal an open door, which
many of these artists are still fighting to kick open. The cisnormative
lens of popular music keeps these musicians fighting for attention.
It’s important to highlight artists existing in certain minorities,
as other people belonging to these groups can see themselves and see
someone with a similar identity existing successfully. There is hope in
recognition, and mainstream music is often very exclusive when it comes
to someone who is not straight, cis, or white. Personally, I identify as
nonbinary, and it is comforting to see musicians like me being
successful in their fields.”
Benji Delgadillo,a 16-year-old who identifies as a genderqueer,
transgender, pansexual male, talks about the intersection of race and
access to (gender/)queer identities.
Hey! Are you a female or non-binary artist of color? Want to get to know more artists like you and share your art (while immersed in a fun, laidback, and welcoming community? :) If so, check out Melanin Collective! We’re a group of nb/female artists of color who showcase all kinds of art via our tumblr (melanincollective).
Super exciting: we’re currently working on our 1st print zine, and so we’re (1) putting out a call for submissions by January 21 and (2) fundraising to have it printed; you can find a link to our gofundme on our tumblr!
Thanks a lot, happy 2015, and we hope to hear from any of you artists out there soon!
“The dandy life is a life of self-sculpted independence, eschewing the heteronormative goals of marriage and children. Wallace’s subjects, with crisp collars and strong posture, reveal how beauty and strength are not at odds if approached creatively.”
For years, Samra Habib kept relatively quiet when it came to her identity. It can be hard for LGBT Muslims to find acceptance in a community that does not hold consistently tolerant views on same-sex equality.
But Habib will stay say silent no longer. Picking up her camera, the young photographer has begun an “aesthetically engaging” and “culturally demanding” project designed to finally bring needed visibility of the queer Muslim community to the world.
“Just Me and Allah” is a photography project originally created on Tumblr, but which will be in exhibition at a handful of locations in Toronto — the Canadian Lesbian & Gay Archives, Videofag Gallery and Parliament Street Library — in conjunction with WorldPride, beginning June 20.
I am a Non-Binary Gender, Jamaican-Canadian, AfroGoth Warrior, Poet & Black Feminist, living with non-visible disabilities.
I am a survivor, truth-seeker, and a student of love.
I am the creator of QueerofGender.com, a site that looks to showcase people of colour and aboriginal/native folks who are queer/trans, two-spirit, intersex, and all other gender identities that do not fit within the narrow confines of the patriarchal gender binary.
I feel that my purpose in life is to share my life experiences with others who have similar intersections and sites of oppression with me. To stand firm and proud as someone who lives on the margins of society, in a world that says our Black lives and beings are optional. I look to use body and my words as tools to bring hope and compassion to those who feel as lost as I sometimes do.
I am Lynx Sainte-Marie. I am a poet, AfroGoth, (gender)queer, feminist, spoonie, and survivor. I am #RedefininingRealness.
