Browsing Tag

queer

As We Emerge: LGBTQ BIPOC Mental Health Following Isolation

Posted on May 28, 2021
A photo of a mental health mural.

Wow, where has the time gone? 2021 has already raced by, and I can’t believe it’s already May. As vaccines are rolling out, it feels like the world is finally starting to open back up just in time for summer, with the prospects of travel and social life on the horizon. While some are chomping at the bit to emerge back into society, others are much less comfortable, still feeling the weight of the pandemic. The month of May marks…

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Call Me By My Name: The Journey to Finding and Embracing My True Name

Posted on May 20, 2021
A photo of author Jaxson Benjamin.

I found my name four years ago—across the world from where I was born, after years of looking and waiting. I was sitting at a friend’s family table with her mom and my dad. “What does J.B. stand for?” her mom asked. I explained how it stood for the initials of my last name, of which I had two at the time. My first name had never fit right. I recalled how I’d even gone through a phase as a…

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Visionary Futures: DiverseWorks Exhibition Explores Questions of the Future Through Queer, Non-binary BIPOC Lens

Posted on April 2, 2021
A photo of Visionary Futures artist Y2K.

Showcased by Houston’s DiverseWorks and running between February 19–April 11, the online exhibition Visionary Futures is a series of projects created by six queer, non-binary artists of color that critically explores questions of the future, the ways in which we survive, and the legacies that we leave behind. “We are conditioned through popular culture, art, and music to believe a certain set of standards, and that we have to achieve them,” says DiverseWorks curator Ashley DeHoyos. “Through Visionary Futures and…

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Continuing the Conversation: Black Queer History Doesn’t End in February

Posted on March 11, 2021
A photo of Black queer history.

Well, Black History Month is officially over. As someone in the Black community, the fact that our history is confined to the shortest month of the year is troublesome to say the least. The month is also shared with other holidays, like Valentine’s Day, that tend to dominate the conversation, putting Black History Month on the back burner. And when Black History is acknowledged, it's often focused on slavery, oppression, and campaigns featuring quotes from the most well-known Black historical…

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A Surprise Love: My Queer Journey from Committed Singlehood to Marriage

Posted on February 26, 2021
A photo of queer love.

I hate surprises—always have, always will. I remember making the terrible mistake of asking for a surprise party in elementary school. One peaceful Sunday afternoon, I came home from church thinking about how much I was looking forward to a nap, and instead found a house full of people screaming “Happy Birthday!” I immediately turned around and burst into a fountain of tears. I wasn’t emotionally prepared, I had other plans set in my mind, and I wasn’t ready to…

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Let’s Talk About Sex: Navigating Conversations Around Pleasure in the Black Queer Community

Posted on February 14, 2021
A photo of queer pleasure.

Most people have memories of getting the talk. Yes, the talk about S-E-X. Now how this talk happened and what was included can differ greatly. Being Black, queer, and growing up in the Bible Belt, conversations about sex were the definition of “hush hush.” To learn about sex, you had to turn to your friends—which meant conversations were mostly heteronormative and filled with misinformation.…

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Call Me Latine: New Online Resource Helps Queer and Non-Binary Latines Define Themselves

Posted on December 29, 2020
A photo of Call Me Latine.

As contentious as the word “Latinx” is, it has emerged as the most commonly used gender-neutral word for “Latino” in the United States. From politics to pop culture, “Latinx” has been used in an effort to be more inclusive of transgender and non-binary people who are of Latin American descent. However, there is a similar word that is gaining traction in the U.S. that goes further to address gender bias in the Spanish language: Latine. …

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Reclaiming Christmas: Queer Competency and Christ

Posted on December 22, 2020
A photo of queer competency and Christ.

By Dr. Laura McGuire While I’ve previously written about learning God’s pronouns and my ongoing journey to finding what ministry means to me, I haven’t talked about my interfaith Abrahamic religious identity’s role in my queerness. I was raised as a Christian, and though I have joyously returned to my ancestorial Jewish roots, I still feel that it is part of my calling as an emerging faith leader to shed light on the toxic fallacies that hurt queer folks in…

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