QUEER POWER EB

Dom&Ink

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9780008434168
• eBook ISBN: 9780008434175
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies
• Index: Social Sciences

You're about to meet so many incredible humans. Are you ready hun?

Celebrate some of the modern-day trailblazers, champions and icons who have shaped, or are shaping our world, from well-known public figures and allies to others you will wish you had heard of earlier.

Covering topics including coming out, gender, mental health and activism, this book is packed full of empowering quotes, inspiring life lessons and helpful advice that will encourage you to embrace your story and find your power.

Chapter One – Out Proud & Visible

It’s our first chapter and you’re about to meet so many incredible humans. Are you ready, hun? These next few pages are looking at people who are out there and visibly representing not just the LGBTQ+ community but others too. I don’t think you can finish reading this without feeling proud of them and what they stand for!

Anick Soni

‘You’ve heard the phrase, “I wear my heart on my sleeve”, well, I kinda wear my penis on mine’

@anickians

The intersex community are massively underrepresented and their voices and stories need to be heard. In 2020 alone, there was a huge call to end unnecessary surgery on intersex children without their consent: the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago was the first hospital to apologise for performing such surgeries in the past.

Anick Soni is at the forefront of intersex campaigning and activism. His many achievements include receiving the GAY TIMES Honour for British Community Trailblazer Award in 2019. Yes, Anick! Having helped to organise UK Black Pride, Pride in London AND the first intersex march, Anick is taking huge steps in advocating for the intersex community.

His visibility and words have been a huge contributor to helping representation and he openly encourages conversations around intersex people, especially in the media. This is mirrored in Anick’s FANTASTIC documentary for BBC Radio 1, ‘The Intersex Diaries’, which charts his own journey to surgery and is powerful, beautiful and informative. I encourage anyone who reads this to watch it straight away. Like, right now, please.

Blair Imani

‘Queer muslims are valid’

@blairimani

Blair Imani is a queer Muslim, historian, author and activist. I think Blair plays a very important part in the queer community and the push for social justice. She came out in June 2017, whilst on Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show talking about safe spaces for Muslims in the United States. This was a real turning point and a massive moment of visibility for the Muslim members of the LGBTQ+ community. There is a common misconception that many Muslim people are homophobic. This outdated stereotype completely erases the idea that you can be queer and Muslim, not to mention the experiences of many queer Muslim people who very much exist!

Following the programme, she also wrote a blog post about her coming out and the importance of representation of queer Muslims in mainstream media. This led to an outpouring of messages of support, with many people thankful that they finally felt seen and heard. Reflecting on Instagram, she wrote: ‘Sure, since coming out I’ve been ostracised and lost opportunities but Alhamdulillah being an out and proud Muslim is a blessing that every closeted person of faith deserves to experience.’ Blair uses online platforms to further educate her audience on a number of issues surrounding anti-racism, LGBTQ+ and feminism. Her ‘Smarter In Seconds’ video series is the highlight of my week and I can guarantee after fifteen seconds, you will have learnt not just something, but something valuable.

Nikkie de Jager

‘If you feel you’re trapped and there’s no way out – know that it gets better’

@nikkietutorials

With over 13.6 million followers on YouTube, NikkieTutorials, a.k.a. Nikkie De Jager, is one of the leading trans figures on social media and in the beauty industry. A supremely talented make-up artist, De Jager can serve a fierce face of any kind of glam. In early January 2020, she came out as trans in her video, ‘I’m Coming Out’, which has had 35 million views and a ton of support, virtual cuddles and love. Coming out for many trans people is a huge thing to do, and this was definitely the case for De Jager. In her video, she revealed she had been blackmailed by someone and came out as a result of not wanting to live in fear. As she said on The Ellen Show, ‘Plot twist, that didn’t happen!’

Whilst it wasn’t ideal, coming out in this way took the power away from the blackmailer. Since releasing the video, Nikkie has received unanimous support from celebrities, brands and followers. She now openly speaks on video about her trans journey, each time constantly reminding any trans youth out there that are still afraid, ‘As long as I get to be myself and inspire little “Nikkies” to be their selves, that’s all I can do.’

Lil Nas X

‘I don’t want to live my entire life … not doing what I want to do’

@lilnasx

Anyone who primarily wears cowboy hats, studded jackets and neon boots so effortlessly, basically is ICONIC in my eyes. In August 2019, ‘Old Town Road’, a country rap song, sat atop the Billboard 100 for nineteen weeks, the longest any single had stayed at number one since the chart began in 1958. Furthermore, Nas came out as gay whilst the single was dominating the charts at number one, therefore making him the only person to do so at the same time as having a number-one record. Historic.

After coming out, Nas revealed on Twitter that he thought he’d made it obvious with his rainbow-themed album cover and the lyrics on his track ‘C7osure’. Whilst he received a homophobic backlash from parts of the hip-hop community, Nas also had a lot of amazing support, with many fans who were Black and queer pointing out how inspiring it was to see a Black queer man succeeding in mainstream music.

Since coming out, Nas has released more top hits, modelled for Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, won awards and was named by TIME magazine as one of ‘the 25 most influential people on the Internet’. He also still wears his signature looks, which incorporate queerness with camp humour, some futuristic aspects and a whole lot of attitude.

Tess Holliday

‘I think the word “pansexual” speaks to me more than “bi” does’

@tessholliday

In 2013, Tess started her #effyourbeautystandards movement on Instagram, which is all about promoting body positivity, inclusivity and, importantly, the idea that you DON’T have to be a certain size to love your body. YAS. She launched her latest fashion range based around the movement in August 2020, in collaboration with Fashion To Figure, and I am in awe of how beautifully diverse it is. She had plus-size models who were Black, trans and disabled. Yes, inclusivity. We love to see it.

Aside from gracing the covers of magazines, being a model and an author, Tess is also very passionate abo...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright
• Note to Readers
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter One – Out Proud & Visible
• Chapter Two – Trans & Non-Binary Power
• Chapter Three – Proud Families
• Chapter Four – Love Your Queer Self!
• Chapter Five – Pride Power!
• Outroduction
• Thank You!
• Ways to Support
• Resources
• Sources
• About the Publisher