Black LGBT+ Voices We Recommend You Follow this Black History Month
October 30, 2020As black history month comes to an end, it's important to remember and amplify Black voices, especially Black LGBTQ+ voices, to understand their lived experiences and recognise their profound contributions to their industries. In this article, we're putting together a list of some of the Black LGBTQ+ voices who we recommend you should be following.
Born in Ghana, and emigrated to London in his childhood. A chance encounter with stylist Simon Foxton on a train at 16 led to an opportunity to work with him as a model. In turn this turned into a career that spanned from fashion director at i-D magazine (where he was the youngest ever fashion director of an international publication) to working as fashion director and editor of Italian, American, and British vogue. He has routinely ranked in the Top 10 Most Influential British People of African Descent, and was described as “an influential figure in the communities of fashion, Hollywood and music which shape the cultural zeitgeist”.
Executive Director of Kaleidoscope, Lady Phyll has fought tirelessly for over 20 years for BAME and LGBT+ communities. From founding UK Black Pride, one of the largest celebrations of Black and Brown LGBTQ+ people in Britain 15 years ago, to working with the Trades Union Congress and Stonewall, Lady Phyll - real name Phyll Opoku-Gyimah - has had a profound impact on the lives of Black & LGBT+ Britons. In addition to this impressive portfolio, Lady Phyll also sits as editor of Sista!, a collection of works by LGBT+ women of African/Carribean heritage and is also a Patron of AKT – Albert Kennedy Trust.
Working at the Proud Trust as the lead for the Trust’s LGBT+ Young People of Colour programme, as well as co-founding the COLOURS Youth Network, Chloe Cousins works continuously to the benefit of LGBT+ People of Colour. In addition to this, Chloe also works as the Strategic Lead for Rainbow Noir in Manchester, working to celebrate and platform LGBT+ People of Colour in spaces away from activism. Chloe’s areas of expertise include LGBT+ youth work in and out of education, LGBT+ young people and faith, and young People of Colour.
Founder of Gal-Dem Liv Little has always been committed to improving diversity and opportunities for Women of Colour. The magazine, available both online and in print, is run exclusively by almost 100 Women of Colour with a global reach and was founded in 2015 after Little was disappointed by the lack of diversity in voices she saw at university, studying in Bristol. The magazine has only gone onwards and upwards, running activities and events including workshops at the V&A for the benefit of Women of Colour. In recognition of her achievements, Liv Little was named one of the BBC’s 100 Women.
With over 15 years experience working in retail, artist management and PR, Chloe Daviessits atop a mountain of professional skill and knowledge. Working with myGwork as the Head of Partnerships, in addition to volunteering for the core team in UK Black Pride, Davies has remained unapologetically authentic to her true self - a Black, bisexual woman, a mother of two, a mental health survivor, and a role model to others. So successful has Chloe Davies been that she was nominated in 2019 for the LGBT Positive Role Model Award at the National Diversity Awards. Bringing to the table a wealth of experience as a Black businesswoman who understands the barriers discrimination poses, Davies continues to make positive change for herself and those who seek to follow in her footsteps.
With their first breakthrough anthology, Black and Gay in the UK, launching in 2015, Travis Alabanza trailblazed across a tour around the UK and beyond with their theatre show Stories of a Queer Brown Muddy Kid. As well as a successful theatre run, 24-year-old Alabanza has given lectures at numerous UK institutions as part of LGBT and Black history months, giving talks on topics around race, gender identity, and sexuality, and the links between them. In 2017 they made history by becoming the youngest person ever awarded a residency at the Tate, the institution behind the eponymous museums that explore British art.
A star of the Vine age, RIckey Thompson, the American comedian and internet personality, came out as gay on Twitter in 2016. Following a childhood presence in theatre, for which he was bullied as “gay”, Thompson built a social media following talking about his experiences with bullying whilst producing comedic skits that quickly went viral on Vine. After being shared by Kylie Jenner, he achieved a new level of celebrity status and quickly transformed his Vine following into a platform to explore his other passion, fashion. In 2018 he successfully walked his first runway for Alexander Wang.
The first black, transgender, and disabled model to be represented by a major modelling agency, Aaron Philip has appeared in a number of high level campaigns and fashion shoots. Born with cerebral palsy in Antigua, Philip’s family relocated to New York. During her childhood, Philip’s tumblr blog “Aaronverse”, which documented her experiences living with cerebral palsy, went viral, including being noticed by the site’s CEO. Driven by the lack of representation of trans Women of Colour within the fashion industry, and the lack of disabled models, Aaron Philip succeeded using editorial features in fashion magazines to promote an inclusive, diverse industry.
The face of successful podcast Busy Being Black, Josh Rivers previously worked at Soho House and Gay Times, bringing to the podcast his natural talents in production and detail. Busy Being Black explores what it means to be, and live, as a Black LGBT+ person, talking to other Black LGBT+ people about their experiences and thoughts. In his work he has examined intersections between race, queerness, colonialism, and class. In addition to Busy Being Black, Rivers also volunteers as the Head of Communications for UK Black Pride, helping to curate events.
Coming to the UK as a refugee from Zimbabwe, Moud Goba is a proud human rights activist with almost 20 years worth of experience supporting LGBT and BAME people and organisations. Working closely with UK Black Pride as their Chair of Trustees, Goba also works as the Project Manager of Micro Rainbow, the LGBT+ refugee charity, to support LGBT+ asylum seekers in their journey towards settling in the UK. In her work at Micro Rainbow, Goba focuses on the company’s commitment to providing safe housing to prevent LGBT+ asylum seekers becoming homeless whilst they wait for their applications to be processed. In 2015, Moud Goba was named one of the top 100 most influential LGBT+ people in the UK.
Reverend Jide Macaulay, founder and CEO of House of Rainbow, started the Ministry to provide a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ people of faith. Based in London, the ministry carries out the majority of its work in Africa, and has shifted to incorporate both Christians and Muslims in its work. Father Jide was born in Nigeria to the son of the founder of the United Bible University, but found himself isolated as he began to struggle with his sexuality. Eventually able to come to terms with who he is, in 2006 he started House of Rainbow, transforming the world for many religious LGBT+ people.
Competitor on Series 1 of Rupaul’s Drag Race UK, drag queen Vinegar Strokes is a British Carribean sensation who grew up in London. Before Drag Race, Vinegar Strokes was an actor and comedian, appearing in shows across Britain, including in the West End in Everybody's Talking About Jamie. Going on to come 8th in the Series, and the first Queen on the show to survive a lipsync, Strokes brought charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent to the competition. As one of the two BAME Queens to appear in Series 1, Strokes brought a breath of fresh air to the competition and some much-needed representation for the explosive and diverse Drag Scene in London.
Award-winning singer-songwriter MNEK has enjoyed years of success in the charts, both independently as well as working with Dua Lipa, Clean Bandit, Craig David, Selena Gomez, and more. Starting young, MNEK was creating music and posting it to myspace at the age of just 14, where artist CocknBullKid spotted the young talent and helped propel him into the spotlight. Receiving his professional credits as a songwriter in 2011 aged just 16, it was onwards and upwards for MENK as he worked with a roster of singers and bands that represented the best in the British music scene. SInce releasing his own solo work in 2016, he has continued to remain authentic to himself, promoting opportunities and spaces for LGBT+ and BAME singers and songwriters.
Working as the Chief Equity & Inclusion Officer at ACLU, Amber Hikes came into the public eye for her work as the Executive Director of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs. Those unfamiliar with Hikes will perhaps be more familiar with some of her most famous work: leading the More Pride More Colour campaign, which created the “new” Pride flag which features black and brown stripes to represent BAME identities that are often marginalised within the LGBT+ community. This was at the core of Amber Hikes beliefs: identifying as a Black, Queer woman, Hikes continues to champion the importance of taking intersectionality seriously to liberate marginalised communities.
Identifying as a Black transsexual feminist, Kuchenga is committed in her quest as a writer to bring truth with her work, telling the stories of people like herself. Published in publications such as Gal-Dem, Vogue, and Harper’s Bazaar, Kuchenga has spoken openly and honestly about her experiences and beliefs, particularly on the importance of fighting for trans and women's rights. Particularly, Kuchenga embodies in her work the importance of her own experiences: relying, growing up, on Black feminist literature for survival, she has joined the canon of works that continue to provide much-needed support and representation for those struggling.
Founder of the Me Too movement Tarana Burke has fought tirelessly for women and girls everywhere. Despite the movement only going “viral” in 2017, Burke has been using the movement since 2006 to help women with experiences of assault and abuse stand up to their abusers. For her efforts, Tarana Burke was named Time’s Person of the Year 2017, and has gone on to lead the charge for women who have been abused and their rights. Today, she is the Senior DIrector of Girls for Gender Equality, which provides events and support to young Women of Colour to enable them to succeed where systemic barriers have otherwise prevented them.
TransLash Media, Imara Jones’ creation, is a platform that provides content aimed at fighting for transgender people in America, and which seeks to dispel myths around the community. This is core to Jones, who in her other work has continued to promote and champion social justice and equity. After TransLash was nominated for a Queerty Award, Imara Jones went on to chair the first-ever United Nationals High Level Meeting on Gender Diversity to discuss important topics around the subject. As well as Gender Diversity and Trans Equality, Jones has also advocated for communities with HIV/AIDS, including her work whilst working at Viacom where her award winning campaign brought attention to the importance of HIV and AIDS and knoweldge around it.
Founder and CEO of the Teller Creative Group, Azure Antoinette also works as a poet and arts education advocate. Often described as the “Maya Angelou” of MIllenials, she has written for companies such as the Gap, Johnson & Johnson, Girls Scouts of America, and more. In her independent work, Antoinette has published three poetry anthologies - BitterSweet, Commissioned, and Commissioned: the Back Story. Appearing at a number of TEDWomen and TEDx talks, Azure Antoinette is spreading her message and work for a progressive world. Never forget her mantra: “Do what you love, and love what you do”.
Human rights activist Donnya Piggott is the founder of B-GLAD, an LGBT+ organisation operating in Barbados to provide a safe space for the community. B-GLAD (Barbados Gays, Lesbians, and All-Sexuals Against Discrimination) provides education on LGBT+ issues as well as raises the profile of the LGBT+ community as it fights for acceptance. What particularly stands out about Piggott’s approach is rejecting the traditional approach to the argument on LGBT+ rights as one coming from a religious, or moral standpoint - arguing it ends in stalemate - instead pursuing humanism and common humanity as reasons for the acceptance of LGBT+ people. For her work, Donnya Piggott was awarded the Young Leaders Award.
The first trans man to front a period campaign, Kenny Ethan Jones is proud of being a model, activist, and entrepreneur. The campaign was a combination of these identities: Jones says that his focused around topics such as menstruation, body politics, mental health, and intimacy. In his work, Kenny Ethan Jones is keen to see equality for trans people, seeking a respectful and positive portrayal of trans people in the media whilst building allies. Most important to Jones is language: the role it plays in the inclusion and acceptance of trans people and their experiences needs to be understood in order for us to move forwards positively.
Competitive Swimmer Michael Gunning is a proud gay man who has competed at the 2017 and 2019 World Aquatics Championships, swimming in the 200 metre freestyle and butterfly events. Gunning is the national record holder for both categories, as well as the 400 metre freestyle. Taking sports to an international level, he will be representing Jamaica at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, bringing with him the success of a gay man competing for a country at a time when the LGBT+ community there is seeking wider acceptance. In his work, he has become the role model he wanted to see growing up: a proud, Black, gay man who has proved his critics wrong.
American-born Mzz Kimberley grew up in London, feeling the influences of the London scene. Becoming a cabaret artist, singer, and an actress, Kimberley has worked with a number of organisations, including Trans Creative and 100 Trans Voices to tell her story and talk about the importance of representation for trans voices in the creative arts. Additionally, Mzz Kimberley has performed at Pride in London, as a regular feature, and has recently starred as Eva in German sitcom “The Finellis”. Social justice is at the core of Kimberley’s beliefs and identity, as a proud disabled Woman of Colour.
Writer and Poet Brisbon Kofi has explored a number of topics in his work, ranging from nature and the elements, to the complex topics of sexuality, gender, race, and explorations of modern culture. Publishing his first poetry anthology, The Healing Section, Kofi explores the world and emotions through the eyes of a blakc gay man in modern society. This exceptional work has led him to work with UK Black Pride, UK Black History Month, and a variety of artists to produce and create thought-provoking works and campaigns around Black and LGBT+ identity and history.
Proud Black trans woman Ceyenne Doroshow has spent her life fighting for the LGBT+ community, and particularly sex workers. Spending time in prison for sex work herself, Doroshow understands the nature of the problems that routinely affect Black and LGBT+ people and works to support and uplift people away from violence, poverty, or discrimination. Founding GLITS - Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society, Ceyenne Doroshow set up an organisation which sort to provide long-term housing and healthcare to Black trans people to safeguard and protect them. More recently, Doroshow was behind the Liberation March, the historic Black Trans Lives Matter march in New York which brought international attention to the discrimination and violence that Black trans people face.