Brian Michael Smith Black History Month Interview

What extra must be performed to fight Black queer and trans erasure?

Proceed to platform us and supply the funding to the individuals who [need it]. So a lot of my friends have written wonderful, unbelievable initiatives, and so they simply cannot get the funding. Cease pigeonholing our initiatives and saying that it is “area of interest” or that “they will solely attain a small viewers.” When genuine tales are informed, individuals hook up with them. Whether or not it is Pose or Kinky Boots, these initiatives have been fashionable as a result of individuals noticed one thing that they wanted to see about themselves, regardless that the characters’ experiences have been very completely different.

Who’re another Black trans males that you simply really feel deserve recognition for his or her work?

Tiq Milan is a motivational speaker who has performed quite a bit for others. Jevon Martin is an advocate who’s been working for years in New York, serving to construct neighborhood within the ballroom scene. Marquise Vilsón is one other trans man who’s lively within the ballroom scene. He is additionally an actor and makes use of his visibility to convey consideration to the problems that matter.

Who’s your Black queer icon?

Laverne Cox. She was a mannequin for what’s potential by way of storytelling, and utilizing her voice, past her work. She places different individuals on. She’ll government produce different individuals’s initiatives to make sure individuals have alternatives and platforms.

What would you like your contributions to Black historical past to be?

I would like my contributions to replicate that Black trans males are working for a similar rights as different Black individuals. Whether or not it is by the artists, advocacy, or simply exhibiting as much as work, and offering for our households. We’re part of the material of Black individuals, and our voices matter, too.