black lgbtq
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Serving Face—and Tribute: Lena Waithe Honors the Trailblazing Legacy of Paris Is Burning
Wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the “unbought and unbossed” Shirley Chisholm to Saturday night’s MTV Movie & TV Awards, Trailblazer Award honoree Lena Waithe proved that she will always use her platform to elevate the marginalized, transforming her moment at the podium into a tribute to the gay and transgender icons and culture immortalized in…
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Freedom Over Fear: Janelle Monáe Covers Allure’s Freedom Issue
You strip away the makeup, the costumes and everything you know about Janelle Monáe the artist, and I’m still the African-American, queer woman who grew up with poor, working-class parents. When I walk off a stage, I have to deal with these confrontations. I have to deal with being afraid for my family. The artist…
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Amandla Stenberg Makes It Official: She Is a Black Gay Woman
We long for the day when no one feels compelled to “come out”—or for straight folks to feel equally compelled. Ideally, sexuality should just be considered another natural and accepted part of identity—but then again, so should blackness. But if you do feel so compelled, there’s likely no better month to declare pride in who…
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‘It Gets Better’: The Lie We Tell LGBTQ Youths
Editor’s note: For Pride Month, The Root and Jezebel are teaming up once again for JezeRoot, with content by writers of color around everyday life for LGBTQ individuals. Recently, I went to an LGBTQ “It Gets Better” panel at a comic convention. The panelists, one of whom is a good friend, talked about how things…
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Strike a Pose: Ryan Murphy’s Tribute to Ballroom Culture Isn’t Perfect, but It Is Very Necessary
From the very first shot, which pans from a disco ball to a pair of voguing hands flexing to the beat of Taana Gardner’s classic dance hit, “Heartbeat,” I knew Pose would likely become a staple in my summer viewing schedule. True confession: In addition to being a sucker for anything fashion-related, I also swoon…
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GLAAD and Gorgeous: Guests Were Out and Proud on the GLAAD Awards Red Carpet
Red carpets are our “must-see TV” here at The Glow Up, and this weekend wasn’t a disappointment with the 2018 GLAAD Awards. This was one of our favorite red carpets of the year, just because it was so free. In fact, we think GLAAD should seriously consider renaming the ceremony the “Free to Be You…
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The Glow Up Anthem of the Week: ‘Anna Wintour’ by Azealia Banks
She’s messy; she’s brilliant; she’s talented. At times insecure; has frequently been problematic; and at some point made a very illogical endorsement of Donald Trump. And if she sounds like someone else who made major headlines this week, it’s because both have their sanity questioned on the regular. But try as we might, we’re not…
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The Mic Is Open: Poet Dabriel Fulton Is Giving Voice to All
If the mic were open, what would you say? For the many underground poets, singers, rappers and comedians struggling to find spaces to showcase and workshop their talents, poet, performer and community activist Dabriel Fulton has created the Mic Is Open, an inclusive and inspiring forum for those who often go unheard. Says Fulton, via…
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The Voices Missing From #MeToo: Experiencing Sexual Assault as Butch
He was my dude, my nigga, my friend. The details of that night are mine to keep, a privacy I allow myself, even as I often openly share my childhood sexual trauma. This particular violation—rape—came at a crossroads in my life. I was figuring out two things: blackness and butchness, and trying hard to do…
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Star’s Scene-Stealing Miss Lawrence Sits Down With The Glow Up
Miss Lawrence “loves a cape and some heels, darling!” This high-flying performer made his way from walking drag balls into a full-fledged brand and is now in his second season as Miss Bruce, the adorably confounding mess of a hairdresser on the Fox TV series Star. Miss Lawrence is as much a master of charm…