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How We Show It: Black Queer Pride

admin by admin
May 24, 2023
in Photography News


To be Black and queer is to possess a history rooted in connection. Both identities have their own individual struggles as marginalized groups. The intersection between them is not only undeniable, but has long existed.

Monumental moments of queer history, like the beginning of the drag scene and the Stonewall Riots in New York City, were carried out thanks to contributions from the Black community. The 1966 “sip-in” at Manhattan gay bar Julius was even inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. Likewise, queer Black figures played a large role in major Black historical moments. The Harlem Renaissance and the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s were often led by Black activists.

License these images via Off White Prod/Kobal/Shutterstock, JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock, and M Stan Reaves/Shutterstock.

When it comes down to it, the intersection of Black and queer history is about gaining respect from society at large. It’s about making life fair, equal, and comfortable for those sidelined by the mainstream. Today, channeling that same spirit, those who are Black, queer, and Black and queer continue to show up for each other when needed.

It remains, like any situation involving multiple experiences, a work in progress. To be queer is to be subject to homophobia. To be Black is to be subject to racism. And to be both is to fend both mindsets off. This reality is what kept activist Bayard Rustin largely closeted during the Civil Rights Movement. It’s what caused Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton to remind his fellow activists that “homosexuals are not enemies of the people.” It can be what Black queer people today experience when they see “preferences” on dating apps that are point-black racist. 

While Black queer people know their history, they also know what they want their futures to be. There was pleasure amongst the suffering years ago, just as there is today. What are some ways to depict what a fully formed Black queer person looks like? How can they be represented in a way that honors their personhood and history? Read on.


Author James Baldwin

License this image via Ted Thai/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock.

Black Queer Influence in Early America

The origin of Black queer history, as far as recorded events are concerned, lies in the life of the original “Queen of Drag” William Dorsey Swann. Swann, a former slave and queer activist, is documented as being the first person to call themself a drag queen and one of the first leaders of the queer liberation movement, which dates back to at least 1888.

Swann’s contributions have largely been lost to mainstream history as the decades have passed. It’s easy to look to the Stonewall Riots as the first major showing of queer liberation, due to of how monumental the night was. But before the first brick was thrown, and even before Swann was arrested during their 30th birthday celebration for dressing in drag, there was revelry.

Drag performer getting ready backstage at a gay and drag club in London, Britain

License these images via Shutterstock, Jeanette Jones/Shutterstock, Maria Antonelli/Shutterstock, and Jeanette Jones/Shutterstock.

There was the Cakewalk, where Black men and women would dance and parade around a dance floor. During the Harlem Renaissance, where the Black queer artists like Langston Hughes and Gladys Bentley would, respectively, pen their observations of the nightlife around them, singing the blues in a style that’s best described today as genderfluid. There was the ballroom scene, thriving underground throughout Manhattan as the new millennium approached. Good times and bad existed side-by-side as both Black and queer fought to make themselves seen in the world.

The Cake-walk Dance

License these images via Historia/Shutterstock, Off White Prod/Kobal/Shutterstock, Macall Polay/FX/Kobal/Shutterstock, and Historia/Shutterstock.

A Look at Modern Black Queer Activism

Trailblazers within Black, queer, and Black queer movements have come from many walks of life. Their accomplishments have cemented their place in history.

  • Activist Marsha P. Johnson advocated for the liberation of not just queer people living in Manhattan, but also sex workers.
  • Actor Laverne Cox has made the representation and safety of the transgender community her life’s work.
  • Poet Audre Lorde used her writing to speak on racism, sexism, and Black civil rights.
  • Activist Phil Wilson founded the Black AIDS Institute in 1999, in part to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in the Black community.
  • Actor and transgender advocate Angelica Ross paved the way for her community to thrive in the tech sector and has spoken at numerous summits and gatherings for LGBTQ+ issues.
James Baldwin in 1963
Poet Audre Lorde in the 1970s

License these images via M Stan Reaves/Shutterstock, Robert W Kelley/The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock, Everett/Shutterstock, Everett/Shutterstock, Everett/Shutterstock, Gregory Pace/Shutterstock, Peter Brooker/Shutterstock, and Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock.

Black queer trailblazers may not have started in the same place, but they’ve all shared the same mission. That is to foster, protect, and help the queer people around them and after them to thrive. This is what the everyday Black queer person has acknowledged as they’ve moved through the world.   


Stylish young man moving and dancing outdoors

How to Successfully Represent Black Queer Folks in Photography

License this image via VITTA GALLERY / VISTA by Westend61.

So what does it look like to represent a Black queer person in the visual sense? For starters, it doesn’t look like any one specific thing! Black queer people aren’t monolith. Blackness comes in all shades, while queerness isn’t determined by how one looks. To document Black queer life, it largely comes down to respect and intent.

Capture a Variety of Emotions

Where there is queerness, there is celebration. And where there is Blackness, there is festiveness. Successfully representing the Black queer community, however, is to show our layers. Showing a range of emotions, hobbies, and major life moments in photos avoids racial and sexual stereotypes, while giving depth to a photo’s subjects. This shows Black queer people as they truly are, instead of portraying them as a concept.

Young non-binary person looking away at pier
Young Black man seated at an LGBTQ+ bar and playing on his phone
Young black gay couple laughing, one giving his partner flowers as a surprise

License these images via Maskot Images, AnnaStills, and i_am_zews.

Represent More Than One “Look”

A Black queer person looks nothing like what you would imagine . . . but they look like every different way you think they could. Photos successfully showcasing the Black queer community are diverse, given the many ways can look Black and be queer. Seek out authentic diversity within photos, instead of sticking to preconceived notions.

Happy young married lesbian couple in wedding apparel cutting their cake
Cheerful African American girlfriends in casual outfits looking away while hugging as they stand on a yacht
LGBTQ+ couple at home being cute and affectionate while laughing and hugging

License these images via Pressmaster, Addictive Creative, and Media Lens King.

Be Respectful of the Environment

Marginalized groups have safe spaces where they can be themselves amongst their communities. A photographer who isn’t Black and/or queer is a guest in those spaces. Being respectful means asking questions, being receptive to the different stories you hear, and hanging back while unfiltered life happens in front of you.

People dance during a
Studio portrait of six LGBTQIA queer people laughing together
Black lesbian wearing a Pride sweatshirt mockup

License these images via Bryan Olin Dozier/NurPhoto/Shutterstock, Southworks, and Rawpixel.com.

Be Open to the Scenes Around You

It’s easy to walk into a situation you know little about, or have only heard about from afar, and make assumptions about what will happen. Any photographer or designer looking to better represent Black queer folks should be open to what those folks look like, and they should also be open to multiple types outcomes and circumstances. A Black queer person may react to a situation differently than how you thought. Going along for the ride and accepting a person’s truth will lead to honest representation.

A person in bright clothing poses for the camera, during the celebration of the Pride walk in Amsterdam, on August 7th, 2021
A rally goer holds a fan
A Black woman shouting slogans against homophobia while raising her fist in the air during Pride Walk in Amsterdam

License these images via Romy Arroyo Fernandez/NurPhoto/Shutterstock, eiko Hiromi/AFLO/Shutterstock, and Romy Arroyo Fernandez/NurPhoto/Shutterstock.

Incorporate Families and Journeys of All Kinds

Black queer folks aren’t just bright young things. They’re parents, grandparents, aunts, your neighbors, your blood relatives, and your chosen family. Photographing the community means representing all of them—young, old, married, single, long-term partners, new couples, those who just came out, and those who have been out for decades. Doing so helps everyone within the community feel seen, because their stories matter.


Get more out of your imagery:


How We Show It: Black Queer Pride

To be Black and queer is to possess a history rooted in connection. Explore how we need to visually represent these intersecting identities.

How to Make a Picture Transparent

How to Make a Picture Transparent

Need a transparent image? Good news: It takes just 3 steps! Learn how to make a picture transparent and get quick ideas for using transparency effectively.

License in-story illustrations via SVPanteon and Alena Puhachova.

License this cover image via Off White Prod/Kobal/Shutterstock and Alena Puhachova.

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