GLAAD / Neon to Bring More Visibility to the Black LGBTQ Community

I find it fascinating that the term 'masculine' is a dirty word with queer men but is embraced by some proud lesbian women.

Why doesn't masculine equal 'self-hatared/ing' for women who identify with the term? Oh...because reasons.



Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Growing up, I didn’t see myself represented in the media.

Black queer masculine-presenting women were in short supply on my screen as a kid and continue to be a rarity, even with creators like Lena Waithe and Dee Rees gaining ground. In fact, I didn’t start seeing real representations of myself until I crossed paths with other black masculine women I met as a touring poet and writer. Artist, poet and educator Roya Marsh was one such person; one who also spent years without that representation and has since channeled that lack of visibility from her youth into projects like her forthcoming book, dayliGht.

“I went for so long either not seeing any representation of myself in any form of media or seeing those representations be the thugs, the bank robber, the misogynist, or small non-speaking roles,” she told me, speaking directly to my heart. “I want to be a part of the cycle that cancels that.”

With GLAAD and its new digital platform Neon, Marsh takes a big step toward being a part of that change.

GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, has collaborated with young black LGBTQ storytellers to launch Neon, an ongoing digital content series that aims to increase the visibility of black LGBTQ people and we absolutely love to see it.

Neon dropped in February with its first installment, named Black History Month: Legacy Series, a photo and video collection that connects seven black LGBTQ people from a variety of disciplines to the legacies of black queer people throughout history. The series launched with Marsh, and how her legacy channels that of writer-activist Audre Lorde.

Shine Bright Like a Diamond: GLAAD Launches Neon to Bring More Visibility to the Black LGBTQ Community