Category: Queer Issues

A Few Words About Orlando

I didn’t have the words to express how I felt about what happened in Orlando. I sat on my couch Sunday morning and continued to watch the death toll climb. First it was twenty people. Then it was fifty. Then fifty-three. And the last number I saw before I started to write this piece, was… Continue reading A Few Words About Orlando

What’s the Real Danger Here?

Imagine a 15-year-old black boy sucking dick on a staircase while his mother thought he was at the library. Or a 15-year-old boy going to Pride to have sexual encounters with random men on the street. Or even a 16-year-old boy scared to go to the supermarket out of fear that he might see the… Continue reading What’s the Real Danger Here?

Love as a String

2014: A conversation with my father I walked with my father to the store in the rain. “So…” my dad said. “I heard that you were gay.” “I am,” I said as I moved from underneath his umbrella. “Well, you know you are going to hell, right?” I paused, getting drenched in the rain. “And who… Continue reading Love as a String

Sexuality, Race, & #MyGayPride

I’m not ashamed to admit that I was a homophobic and racist man: not because I’m proud of it, but because I understand that my mindset was a result of systemic marginalization and programming. From the aggressive inner city to the ultra-masculine military, I wasn’t given the best environments to cultivate my understanding of my… Continue reading Sexuality, Race, & #MyGayPride

Poc Art

"Artivist" Nia King. Image by Elliot Owen

Nia King is an Oakland-based art activist and author of Queer and Trans Artists of Color, a collection of her interviews. As a long-time admirer of her work, I thought I’d turn the tables and ask her some questions about “artivism,” selling out, and who her queer and trans people of color (QTPOC) icons are.… Continue reading Poc Art