LGBTQ+ Black History Month Day 6: Billie Holiday

Number 6, Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday
Born April 7, 1915,- July 17, 1959
Singer, Musician, Song Writer

"If one has to live the blues to sing the blues, it is no wonder that Billie Holiday, bisexual and proud,  became a legendary jazz/blues vocalist and songwriter and a seminal influence in phrasing, tempo and style. 

Born Eleanora Fagan in Philadelphia, Holiday was raised in Baltimore. Her mother, Sadie Fagan, was a young teen when she gave birth to Billie. While Billie’s paternity is uncertain, jazz guitarist Clarence Holiday accepted that he was probably her father.

Holiday dropped out of school around the fifth grade when she started housekeeping for a brothel. At age 10, she was sexually assaulted and sent to a reform school. At age 13, she moved to Harlem to be with her mother. Captivated by the 1920s jazz sounds of Louis Armstrong and Bessie Smith, Holiday began singing at Harlem night clubs.

At age 18, she recorded songs with Benny Goodman, and by age 20, she had signed as a recording star with Brunswick Records. During this time, she recorded with the swing era’s greatest musicians.

In her mid-20s, Holiday was the lead vocalist for the Count Bassie Band. She moved to the Artie Shaw Band, where she was one of the first African-Americans to work with a white orchestra.

Holiday’s best-known recordings include “Summertime,” “They Can’t Take That Away from Me,” “Easy Swing,” “Strange Fruit,” “I’ll Get By,” “Lover Man,” “Lady Sings the Blues,” and many other classics."

“I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my way of it.”

-Billie Holiday

Info from: queerty.com, lgbthistorymonth.com

PS. If you really want to get a taste of her sound, I STRONGLY recommend the song, Strange Fruit

LGBTQ+ Black History Month Day 5: Kye Allums

Number 5, Kye Allums

Kye Allums

Born October 23, 1989

Athlete and Advocate

"Kye Allums is a 25-year-old artist, writer, and activist who promotes healthy, positive, and creative self-care practices as powerful tools for personal resilience and transformation. Kye is a former Division I basketball player who graduated with a bachelors degree in Fine Arts from George Washington University. In 2010 he publicly came out, and became the first Division I openly transgender athlete in NCAA history. After graduating Kye decided to become an LGBTQ activist, and since then has traveled to over 32 colleges, and university sharing his trans* athlete experience while encouraging, and inspiring others to love, and embrace who they are."

"Kye Allums is the first openly transgender athlete to play NCAA Division I college basketball. Allums was a star shooting guard on the George Washington University (GWU) women’s basketball team.

Born Kyler Kelcian Allums in Daytona Beach, Florida, he was the oldest of four children. Nicknamed Kay-Kay, Allums was a self-described tomboy, who identifed as male from childhood. “I’ve always felt most comfortable dressing like a boy, but my mom would take all of my clothes and force me to wear girl clothes,” he says. Allums would put boys’ clothes in his backpack and change before going to school, then change back before he got home. He says it was the only way he could go to school.

Allums received a basketball scholarship to GWU. In his freshman year, he played in 11 games for the Colonials and missed the final 20 due to injury. As a sophomore, he started 20 of 26 games.

That same year, Allums began to distance himself from Kay-Kay and opened up to some of his teammates. “I do not like being called a girl. I’m a guy in a girl’s body,” he said. Thereafter, he told his head coach Mike Bozeman. Allums says his teammates, coach and family have all been supportive. 

Allums was advised not to begin taking male hormones or undergo gender reassignment surgery while remaining on the women’s team. If he did, he would risk losing his scholarship and ending his college basketball career. Allums says he’s undecided about when he will continue his transition.

After suffering a total of eight concussions and not starting any games his junior year, Allums announced he would not be returning to the Colonials for his senior season. “I alone came to this decision and I thank the athletic department for respecting my wishes,” he said.                        

In 2011, Allums began telling his story at speaking engagements and other forums. “It meant a lot to me to help and affect others in a positive way,” he says about sharing his experience with young people struggling with similar issues.

As for his future, Allums says, “I’ll just be trying to make some kind of difference in the world and look forward to my life.” "

“I had to come out because it was too hard not being myself.”

-Kye Allums

Info from: kyeallums.com, lgbthistory.com

LGBTQ+ Black History Month Day 4: George Washington Carver

Number 4, George Washington Carver

George Washington Carver

Born July 12, 1864- January 5, 1943

Scientist

George Washington Carver was a groundbreaking agricultural scientist, known for discovering innovative uses for peanuts, sweet potatoes and clay. A black man born during the Civil War, Carver overcame racism to establish himself as a preeminent scientist and renowned academic.

Carver was born a slave in southwest Missouri. As an infant, he was kidnapped by slave raiders, and then abandoned when they discovered he suffered from whooping cough. His mother’s former owners, Moses and Susan Carver, adopted and raised him.

At the age of 13, Carver left home to attend a school for African-Americans. In 1890, he matriculated to Simpson College in Iowa, where he was the only black student. In 1891, he transferred to Iowa State College to focus on his passion for agriculture. After graduating, he served as the only black member of the Iowa State faculty. Carver was invited to head the agriculture department at the Tuskegee Institute, a university for black students founded by Booker T. Washington.

As a professor, Carver encouraged students to think creatively and independently. He emphasized self-sufficiency and resilience, and he pursued broad interests, including painting and religion. Throughout his life, he maintained a positive approach. Even in the face of overt racism, Carver said, “I can’t do my work if my heart is bitter.”

Carver is best known for his advances in the agricultural field. He devised and taught impoverished farmers uses for nutritious, commonly grown crops. He was the first scientist to discover multiple uses for peanuts, developing products as diverse as flour, ink and face cream. He experimented with developing rubber from the sweet potato. Carver’s discoveries are seen as the basis for many products, including biofuels and fruit-based cleaning products.

In 1916, Carver was offered membership in the Royal Society of London. In 1923, he was given a Spingarn Medal by the NAACP. Simpson College awarded him an honorary degree in 1932.

“Where there is no vision, there is no hope.”

-George Washington Carver

Info from: lgbthistory.com

LGBTQ+ Black History Month Day 3: Marsha P. Johnson

Number 3, Marsha P. Johnson

Marsha P. Johnson
Born June 27, 1944 – July 6, 1992
Leader of Stonewall Riots*, Transgender Advocate, and more!

"Marsha "Pay it No Mind" Johnson was a Greenwich Village artists from the 1960s to 1990s. Her legacy is grounded in her compassion for the trans community and her dedication to LGBT visibility and equality. Marsha worked alongside Sylvia Rivera, co-founding the organization Street Transgender Action Revolutionaries (STAR) and the STAR House to provide resources to and advocate for disadvantaged young trans women and drag queens. Marsha was one of numerous trans advocates involved in the Stonewall riots of 1969. Despite such contribution to the historic events, many gay groups of the era excluded the trans community from their efforts, which left Marsha both frustrated with the state of the movement and further determined to work on behalf of her trans peers."

"Marsha P. Johnson was a Black Trans Woman whose efforts for the queer community and overall essence of love and self acceptance in the face of ridicule touched the hearts of many. Marsha P. Johnson was a pivotal part of the Stonewall Riots, being at the epicenter of it all, (which isn’t always illustrated). She was noted as the person who “really started it all”. The stonewall riots really sparked queer and especially trans activism, but also essentially birthed what we now know as the Pride Parades. Another reason to remember to not erase the “T” in LGBTQ rights."

"It really doesn't matter if you ain't got soul."

-Marsha P. Johnson

*The StoneWall Riots: "In the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village section of New York City. Such raids were not unusual in the late 1960s, an era when homosexual sex was illegal in every state but Illinois. That night, however, the street erupted into violent protests and demonstrations that lasted for the next six days. The Stonewall riots, as they came to be known, marked a major turning point in the modern gay civil rights movement in the United States and around the world. "

Info from: glaad.org, tumblr, pbs.org

An Intro to Ableism: A couple of things I've Learned So Far

Hey y'all, 

For a while now, but increasingly lately, I've been learning more and more about different versions of oppression*. 

I want to make changes to this society, make the world a safe space for everyone. 

Its a big dream and I know it will take a lot of time, but I believe it can be achieved. 

I've been educating myself more, 

asking questions, 

studying different terms, 

checking my privilege, etc. 

Ableism, has been one of the types of oppression I've been delving deeper into, 

And learning how chronical illness/disabilities intersect with someone's identity (if they identify) 

As Queer and/or LGBTQ+.

Ableism:

1. The practices and dominant attitudes in society that devalue and limit the potential of persons with disabilities.

2. A set of practices and beliefs that assign inferior value (worth) to people who have developmental, physical or psychiatric disabilities. 

Disablism:

A set of assumptions (conscious or unconscious) and practices that promote the differential or unequal treatment of people because of actual or presumed disabilities. 

So, this is a video I watched recently, where a group of queers who are also disabled/chronically ill, asked or said to each other the things abled/neurotypical people ask them that frustrate them, 

Here it is:

The Video :D

A link to the video in case the video doesn't work on da blog:
http://vimeo.com/65271299

PS. There are a bunch of ableist slurs we use in everyday life, 

Here's a link of those words, and alternatives so you can still get the meaning across:

http://www.autistichoya.com/p/ableist-words-and-terms-to-avoid.html?m=1

Definitions from: stopableism.org

*Oppression is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner, and there are different types: social, institutionalized, and systematic

LGBTQ+ Black History Month Day 2: Angela Davis

Haha no school again!

I'm victory dancing all over the place!

Its a miracle!

But don't think because you don't have school, you aren't gonna be educated, 

LGBTQ+ Black History Month is moving along as planned!

Up next, Angela Davis!

Angela Davis

 Born January 26th, 1944

Author, Activist

"Angela Davis is a loved political activist, author, scholar, and professor. Davis contributed a lot to the Black Panther Party and worked hard for the advancement in the Civil Rights Movement. Davis was also very involved in Prisoners rights, and feminist theory (and where Women of color fit into mainstream white feminism). She also fought hard for the advancement of LGBTQ rights. Overall Angela Davis is a queer women of color whose list of activism efforts goes on and on. Angela Davis did and continues to spread her efforts to all types of oppression and injustices."

"Born with brilliance into a socially-conscious family, Angela Davis was essentially destined to be the determined, established advocate and academic she is today. Her counterculture teachings about black liberation, inclusive feminism, LGBT equality, the war in Vietnam, and the prison industrial complex, as well as her affiliation with the Communist Party USA led the FBI to track Angela, label her a terrorist and enemy of the state, and jail her in the 1970s. Her impact on social justice was palpable, though, as "Free Angela Davis" became a common slogan for those working for change. Angela's messages continue to inspire new generations, as she still actively speaks around the country about creating a more just society."

"We have to talk about liberating minds as well as liberating society."

-Angela Davis

Info from: Bio.com, glaad.org

Happy LGBTQ+ Black History Month!

Afternoon fabulous people!

Today is the first day of Black History Month.

People of color are hardly talked about, at least in my experience, in history class.

Queer people of color? Not at all. 

LGBTQ+ Black folks are erased from the dialogue when discussing important contributions made in U.S culture. 

Or they may be mentioned but their sexuality or gender identity is left out. 

I feel its important to mention the intersectionality in these people's identities, 

It can show how a part of their identity impacted their life 

(Positively and/or Negatively)

And how they continued on to greatness, 

Creating Art, Making scientific discoveries, Being activists and more!

For the next 28 days, I will be featuring an LGBTQ+ Black person who did something significant, or continues to do amazing things. 

"LGBTQ Black folks have been major contributors to society and social justice movements for hundreds of years! From the famous scientist George Washington Carver to the legendary blues singer Ma Rainey – LGBTQ Black figures have made long-lasting contributions and have had a significant influence on U.S. culture. It is important for GSAs to celebrate the contributions of Black LGBTQ people and to advocate for the visibility of these important historical figures. Recognizing how interconnected our oppressions are makes our movements stronger."

-GSA Network

Lets kick it off with Bayard Rustin!

Bayard Rustin

Born Mar. 17, 1910- Aug. 24, 1987

Civil Rights Activist

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream—and a gay ally who helped make it come true. A pacifist and activist, Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) learned to take a nonviolent yet effective stand for equality from his grandmother, Julia, and the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. In his youth, Rustin rallied against Jim Crow laws and the racially charged case against the Scottsboro boys.  Later, he debated Malcolm X, stressing the importance of seeing the world’s various races as one big family.

Rustin first met King in 1956, when Rustin helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He educated MLK in Gandhian nonviolent protest principles and went on to organize the 1963 March on Washington, where King made his immortal “I had a dream” speech.

But Rustin’s homosexuality posed a problem: Some civil rights leaders took issue with it, while members of the U.S. government used Rustin’s sexuality—and his arrest in 1953 for a “sex perversion” offense—to undermine his effectiveness.  Senator Strom Thurmond, in particular, blasted Rustin as a “Communist, draft-dodger, and homosexual” in 1963 and had his arrest file entered in the congressional record.  (Thurmond also produced an FBI photo of Rustin and MLK chatting while the latter was taking a bath, to suggest the two were lovers.)

Before views about homosexuality softened, much of Rustin’s accomplishments in the civil rights movement went unsung, though they are chronicled in the brilliant documentary Brother Outsider.

By the 1970s, Rustin began championing gay rights more directly: In a 1986 speech, “The New N*****s Are Gay,” he drew an explicit connection between the struggles of the black and LGBT communities:

“Today, blacks are no longer the litmus paper or the barometer of social change. Blacks are in every segment of society and there are laws that help to protect them from racial discrimination. The new ‘n*****s’ are gays. It is in this sense that gay people are the new barometer for social change. The question of social change should be framed with the most vulnerable group in mind: gay people.”

 "We are all one. And if we don't know it, we will learn it the hard way."
-Bayard Rustin

Info from: queerty.com