10 Queer Women and Non-binary People of Color Using Media & Art to Get Free
Artists to check out!
The Next Wave of Queer Hip-Hop: 12 Upcoming Legendary Children
In 2012, Pitchfork wrote up an extensive article heralding a new wave of queer hip-hop. Featuring insightful interviews with artists Mykki Blanco, Le1f, and Zebra Katz, the piece somewhat rightfully anticipated the beginning of a movement, despite ignoring an older generation of LGBT rappers like Yo! Majesty, Cazwell, Gravy Train!!!!, and a handful of other rap and electroclash superstars. Even before the post was published, the artists featured in the piece had been dismissive of grouping together gay rappers (or, conversely, putting them against each other). They claimed that while they’re all on good terms, their disparate art hardly amounts to a “scene” or subculture: “I’m not trying to be competing with my friends based on their race and sexuality,” said Le1f to Pitchfork. “The whole ‘room for one’ mentality is homophobic… if the world is ready for a gay rapper, then they’re ready for multiple gay rappers. If we were straight, no one would be comparing us.”
That being said, a handful of queer artists working in and around hip-hop music have gone on to semi-mainstream success. Mykki Blanco, Le1f, and Brooke Candy have since been signed to major labels. Big Freedia has gotten her own reality television show. Zebra Katz has become a rather well-known fashion icon after his song “Ima Read” was featured in a Rick Owens show. DJ MikeQ (a prolific ballroom beatmaker) has toured the globe, schooling the world on vogue music. Angel Haze is a regular topic of gossip columns. And, Azealia Banks is, well, Azealia Banks.
Gay rap isn’t “over” now that these artists have succeeded, nor was it ever really “a thing” to begin with. LGBT artists of all colors, shapes, and sizes have always made music and will continue to emerge in the hip-hop world. Now, we’re looking at 12 newer, up-and-coming legendary children and some of the older stars finally getting the recognition they deserve.
The 12 Artists to Look Out For:
- Stose
- Cakes Da Killa
- Big Momma
- Kevin Jz Prodigy
- Big Dipper
- Contessa Stuto
- Junglepussy
- Katey Red
- Chapman
- Dai Burger
- Sissy Nobby
- Jonte’ Moaning
Words by Eric Shorey
source: mtviggy
XQsí Magazine — The rise of genderqueer youth in popular culture
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.
The Muxes of Juchitán
Juchitán is a towns in the southeast of the Mexican state of Oaxaca. The city which is largely inhabited by the Zapotec Indigenous people, has not only preserved it’s precolonial language and culture, but has also retained gender identities and roles that transcend the traditional western ones. Those which were subjected onto much of the rest of Mexican society by European colonizers.
This contrasting expression of gender that survives among the Zapotec and Mestizo communities of southern Oaxaca, takes its form in the concept of the muxe. Muxe is a term used to refer to those assigned male at birth, but who identify either as women or as a distinct third-gender. They are an intrinsic part of Zapotec society, and highly respected for the roles they play in families, such as taking care of their elderly parents, when their siblings have moved out of the household. Despite the acceptance of them in many rural areas, they face discrimination in more urban areas, mainly by non-Indigenous people who have inherited the Spanish cultural attitude of machismo.
We Are the Youth supports #BlackOutDay
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!
“DARKMATTER is a trans south asian art and activist collaboration comprised of janani and alok. using poetry & polemic, tweet & tirade DM is committed to an art practice of gender self(ie) determination, racial justice, and movement building. DM has been invited to perform and facilitate workshops across the world. you can follow their antics at www.darkmatterrage.com or darkmatterrage
Janani Balasubramanian is a trans south asian artivist-techie based in brooklyn. they work as a designer and ½ of the spoken word duo DARKMATTER. janani’s work has been featured in Black Girl Dangerous, Racialicious, Model View Culture, MSNBC, Colorlines, Upworthy, Autostraddle, TEDx, and various print publications. they’ve been invited to perform and facilitate workshops at universities and organizations across the world. janani likes using words/maps/design to tell nonlinear stories about empire, desire, microflora, ancestry, apocalypse, and the Future. they’re currently working on their first sci-fi novel, H, and a comic collection, SHY. you can read more of their work at www.queerdarkenergy.com.
tl;dr: Janani is a shy nerd who regularly questions whether they’re real or imaginary. check out queerdarkenergy.com.
Alok Vaid-Menon is a trans/national south asian writer, performer, and solidarity activist who has organized with racial, economic, and gender justice movements across the world. their creative & political work grapples with questions of diaspora, trauma, race, desire, and politics. as a staff member of the audre lorde project (a grassroots organizing center for LGBT people of color) and ½ of the spoken word collaboration DARKMATTER, alok is committed to building the collective power of young queer and trans people of color. alok has been invited to perform and facilitate at universities, conferences, and organizations across the world; their work has appeared in various zines & media/publishing outlets like MTV, Best Sex Writing 2015, The New York Times, Upworthy, TEDx and more. to read more visit www.returnthegayze.com
tl;dr: Alok is a brown femme with lots of feelings and is trying to make the world a better place one poem at a time. read more at returnthegayze.com”
black
brown
queer
femme*
trans*
goodness
infinitely beautiful
wondrously colorful
fearfully made
resilient
warriors
systahs.#femmemilitia
CASTING CALL: POC GENDERQUEER / NON-BINARY FEMME
This is a casting call for a paid role. Check below the “Read More” line for the actual casting call. Please help us spread the word!
Watching our own pilot, something became apparent. While our show has POC actors, all were of lighter complexion, and we hadn’t created space for actors with darker skin tones. That meant we weren’t creating a show that our whole audience could see themselves in. That didn’t sit right.
Addie is a new role that we’ve added to the show. They’re a genderqueer POC (of darker complexion). At the start of the show, Addie and Su work together. Su moves on, but their lives intersect every once in a while.
Addie has a scene early on where they’re still presenting as a man, but in subsequent scenes are living out as a genderqueer / non-binary femme. Their role in the first season is limited, but their story stretches into future seasons.
Our casting call is below the “Read More” line. Please help us spread the word! This is an important opportunity for QTPOC actors!
10 Black Queer Artists You Should Know
1-2. THEE Satisfaction theesatisfaction
2. Syd tha Kid, of The Internet (friscotsc)
3. Le1f (@le1f)
4. B. Steady
5-6. BOOMscat
7. Mykki Blanco
10.Dandy Warhol
Because my boos made the list 🙌
