He claims police officers ed anti-gay slurs agast him.
Contents:
- MYKKI BLAN, THE RAPPER CHALLENG RAP’S HIV STIGMATRUTH AND DARETHE QUEER RAPPER HAS MA HIS HIV POSIVE STAT PUBLIC. WILL THE WORLD OF RAP EMBRACE OR TURN ON HIM?SAMANTHA ALLENUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 10:33AM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 16, 2015 12:48PM EDT BURAK CGI/REDFERNS VIA GETTY “OH THIS FAG N RAP? YEAH, THEY SAYG THAT. THEY LISTENG.”THREE YEARS AGO, THIS LE OM MYKKI BLAN’S H SGLE “WAVVY” BEME SOMETHG OF A RALLYG CRY FOR AN EMERGG LGBT RAP AND HIP-HOP SCENE POPULATED BY FIGUR LIKE LE1F, ANGEL HAZE, ZEBRA KATZ, AND BIG FREEDIA.FOR BLAN, BORN MICHAEL QUATTLEBM JR., THE LYRIC WAS AN ASSERTN OF ARTISTIC RELEVANCE BEYOND THE NF OF INTY—A CLAIM TO A PLACE NOT JT QUEER RAP, BUT RAP UNMODIFIED.BUT BLAN’S FACEBOOK POST LAST WEEKEND MIGHT PROVE TO BE EVEN MORE FLUENTIAL: “IVE BEEN HIV POSIVE SCE 2011, MY ENTIRE REER. FUCK STIGMA AND HIDG THE DARK, THIS IS MY REAL LIFE.” FOR BLAN TO E OUT AS AN HIV-POSIVE MICIAN IS BRAVE BUT FOR HIM TO E OUT AS AN HIV-POSIVE RAPPER IS ALMOST REVOLUTNARY. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT JT OVER TWENTY YEARS AFTER RAP STAR EAZY-E REVEALED THAT HE HAD AIDS, BEG ONE OF THE FIRST MICIANS TO DO SO.IN A STATEMENT ISSUED SHORTLY BEFORE HIS ATH, EAZY-E SAID THAT HE “WOULD LIKE TO TURN MY OWN PROBLEM TO SOMETHG GOOD THAT WILL REACH OUT TO ALL MY HOMEBOYS AND THEIR K BEE I WANT TO SAVE [THEM] BEFORE ’S TOO LATE.”TWO S LATER, YOUNG BLACK GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ARE MOST AFFECTED BY HIV THE UNED STAT, WH NEARLY THE SAME NUMBER OF NEW FECTNS AS THE MUCH LARGER POPULATN OF WHE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN.THE PUBLIC HEALTH FACTORS BEHD THIS DISPARY N EP BUT RAP AND HIP-HOP ULD PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE ADDRSG THE CULTURAL PROBLEMS THAT SHAPE THEM.CHARL STEPHENS, FOUNR OF THE COUNTER NARRATIVE PROJECT, A BLACK GAY ADVOCY WORK, TELLS THE DAILY BEAST THAT THE UNAPOLOGETIC TONE OF BLAN’S FACEBOOK POST FALLS LE WH A LONG TRADN OF BLACK LGBT ARTISTS NONTG THE STIGMA AROUND HIV.“MUCH OF THE HISTORY OF HIV ACTIVISM IS ALSO THE HISTORY OF ARTISTS,” SAYS STEPHENS. “THEY WERE ABLE TO CREATE THE MSAG, IMAGE THE TACTICS, AND MANY WAYS PROVI THE POETRY FOR THE MOVEMENT.”IN PARTICULAR, STEPHENS SAYS, BLAN’S ATTU REMDS HIM OF A 1991 SAY BY BLACK GAY ACTIVIST CRAIG G. HARRIS, “I’M GOG OUT LIKE A FUCKG METEOR,” WHICH ENDS WH THE POWERFUL CLARATN, “I WANT TO LIVE THE RT OF MY LIFE WH AN ENERGY THAT IGN AND IRRAT, BURNS AND BUBBL, SOOTH AND SPIR UNTIL BURSTS OM THIS ATMOSPHERE, DISSIPATG TO THE SMOS.”THAT SAME CRACKLG ENERGY SEEMS TO BE THE THROUGH LE BETWEEN BLAN’S ART AND ACTIVISM.WHEN ONE FACEBOOK MENTER TOOK A PYG TONE REACTN TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT, BLAN REPLIED, “I AT ILL.”TO ANOTHER MENTER, HE SAID, “I JT NT BE AN IMAGE LIVG FEAR HAVG PEOPLE LLG ME BRAVE AND BEG A LIE.” IT’S CLEAR THAT A WEIGHT HAS BEEN LIFTED OM THE RAPPER’S SHOULRS, JUDGG OM THE SELF-PRETG HUMOR HE HAS DISPLAYED SCE HIS CLARATN. BUT THE FACT THAT TOOK AN ARTIST AS FEARLS AS BLAN THREE YEARS TO E OUT AS HIV-POSIVE SPEAKS TO THE STIGMA THAT STILL SURROUNDS HIV RAP AND HIP-HOP.BLAN ALREADY BUCKS MOST STANDARD NVENTNS OF GENR AND SEXUALY, PERFORMG VAR STUM THAT DRAW EQUALLY OM DRAG AND RTT GRRRL ATHETICS.IN AN TERVIEW, BLAN HAS SAID THAT HE INTIFI NOT AS TRANSGENR BUT AS A “TRANSVTE,” BUT HE HAS BEE SO ASSOCIATED WH HIS “DRSED UP” PERSONA THAT WISPREAD NFN AROUND HIS PRONOUN PREFERENC PERSISTS THE MEDIA WH MOST OUTLETS G “HE” BUT OTHERS “SHE.”NEHER PRONOUN FEELS AQUATE TO PTURE BLAN, WHO HAS BEEN SCRIBED ELSEWHERE AS BEG “MULTI-GENRED.” WHEN THE MEDIA PIGEONHOLED HIM AS A MERE “GAY RAPPER,” HE PHED BACK, AS THE ADVOTE REPORTS, BY ENTLG HIS NEXT ALBUM GAY DOG FOOD.“BLAN’S CRIQUE OF ASSIATN, RISTANCE TO NFORMY, AND TRANSGRSIVE ARTISTIC EXPRSN SPIRE THE OUTSIR PERSPECTIVE THAT SEEMS TO ANIMATE BLAN’S WORK,” EXPLAS STEPHENS.NOT TOO LONG AGO, MIGHT HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE FOR BLAN TO BREAK THROUGH AS A SUBVERSIVE, FN-FYG “TRANSVTE” RAPPER, LET ALONE AN HIV-POSIVE ONE.ONLY TWO YEARS BEFORE EAZY-E PASSED AWAY, RAPPER BUJU BANTON RELEASED “BOOM BYE BYE,” A SONG ABOUT SHOOTG GAY MEN THE HEAD.FROM WILL SMH TELLG PEOPLE WH AIDS TO “BE QUIET” TO EMEM’S LIBERAL E OF THE WORD “FAGGOT” TO 50 CENT TELLG PLAYBOY THAT HE DON’T “LIKE GAY PEOPLE AROUND [HIM],” RAP AND HIP-HOP HAVE E TO BE ASSOCIATED WH VILENT EXPRSNS OF HOMOPHOBIA--HARDLY THE CLIMATE WHERE ONE WOULD EXPECT TO SEE THE BOOM OF EMERGG LGBT ARTISTS THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE THE LAST FIVE YEARS.ON HIS FACEBOOK, BLAN MENTED THAT “THE MIC DTRY A’T GONNA LIKE I ADMTED THIS” AND ’S CLEAR WHY: NOT ONLY DO HE FACE AN UPHILL BATTLE AS A PATH-MAKG QUEER RAPPER, HIV RRI AN PECIALLY NEGATIVE NNOTATN AN ALREADY HOMOPHOBIC CREATIVE ATMOSPHERE.IN THE RAP WORLD WHERE MORS OF DIAGNOSIS SEEM TO BE NSTANTLY SWIRLG, HIV N BEE A BLUNT STMENT FOR TEARG DOWN REPUTATNS.IN 2013, FOR EXAMPLE, TYGA CLAIMED THAT FELLOW RAPPER GUCCI MAE HAD AIDS DURG A TWTER SPAT. THAT SAME YEAR, AN INTER HOAX LED MANY TO BELIEVE THAT NICKI MAJ HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED WH HIV.DPE WISPREAD SUPPORT THIS WEEK FOR BLAN OM HIS FANS AND THE BROAR LGBT MUNY, IS CERTALY POSSIBLE THAT A NFIRMED DIAGNOSIS WILL HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON HIS REER.“THERE IS NO URAGE WHOUT ST,” SAYS STEPHENS. “IF THE MIC DTRY WON’T STAND BEHD MYKKI, THERE ARE MANY OF THAT WILL.”BUT WH THAT ST THE POSSIBILY OF TREMENDO BENEF.“I THK BLAN’S URAGE WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENC THE LIV OF BLACK QUEER AND TRANS YOUTH IMPACTED BY HIV,” STEPHENS MATAS. “AWARENS PRECES ACTN.”IN PARTICULAR, STEPHENS POTS TO BLAN’S “FUCK STIGMA” ATTU AS A VAL THREAD OF BLACK LGBT ACTIVISM AROUND HIV/AIDS. AS THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL (CDC) NOT, POVERTY, LACK OF ACCS TO HEALTHRE, AND AN ALREADY HIGH PREVALENCE OF HIV ARE ALL NTRIBUTG FACTORS TO NEW HIV FECTNS AMONG AIN AMERINS.BUT THE ACUTE STIGMA SURROUNDG THE VIS BLACK MUNI EXACERBAT ALL OF THE STCTURAL FACTORS.“FEAR OF DISCLOSG RISK BEHAVR OR SEXUAL ORIENTATN MAY PREVENT AIN AMERINS OM SEEKG TTG, PREVENTN AND TREATMENT SERVIC, AND SUPPORT OM IENDS AND FAY,” THE CDC REPORTS.“HIDG, BEG AAID OF STIGMA IS EXHSTG,” BLAN WROTE ON FACEBOOK.FOR A RISG GENERATN OF BLACK GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN, THAT FEAR ISN’T JT TIRG, N BE LIFE-THREATENG. IN HIS ANNOUNCEMENT, BLAN SAID, “I’VE TOURED THE WORLD 3 TIM,” BUT THOSE WHOUT HIS ROURC MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ACCS AQUATE HEALTHRE TO RECEIVE ANTIRETROVIRAL DGS OR TO MANAGE HIV-RELATED OR “OPPORTUNISTIC” FECTNS.BY BEG ONE OF THE FIRST MAJOR MICIANS AND ONE OF THE ONLY RAPPERS TO E OUT AS HIV-POSIVE ON HIS OWN TERMS, BLAN PROV THAT AN HIV DIAGNOSIS IS NOT A ATH SENTENCE BUT HE MAY ALSO ALLEVIATE THE SILENCE SURROUNDG PREVENTN FOR THOSE WHO ARE STILL AT RISK.ALTHOUGH THE EFFECTS OF ART LIKE BLAN’S MAY SEEM TANGIBLE PARED TO THE SIZABLE PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE FACG BLACK MUNI, THEY ARE AND ALWAYS HAVE BEEN, AS STEPHENS POTS OUT, ABSOLUTELY SENTIAL.AT THE HEIGHT OF THE AIDS CRISIS, ACT UP’S ACTIVISTS SIGNED AN INIC IMAGE THAT WENT ON TO HAVE AN IMMEASURABLE IMPACT: A PK TRIANGLE ON A BLACK BACKGROUND ABOVE THE MOTTO “SILENCE = DEATH.”SILENCE REMAS ADLY, BUT BLACK ARTISTS LIKE MYKKI BLAN ARE BREAKG —AND THE RULTS N STILL BE RADIL. SAMANTHA ALLEN
- MYKKI BLAN ON MARRIAGE EQUALY: “THIS WILL DO MORE FOR GAYS AND LBIANS THAN PEOPLE THK”
MYKKI BLAN, THE RAPPER CHALLENG RAP’S HIV STIGMATRUTH AND DARETHE QUEER RAPPER HAS MA HIS HIV POSIVE STAT PUBLIC. WILL THE WORLD OF RAP EMBRACE OR TURN ON HIM?SAMANTHA ALLENUPDATED APR. 14, 2017 10:33AM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 16, 2015 12:48PM EDT BURAK CGI/REDFERNS VIA GETTY “OH THIS FAG N RAP? YEAH, THEY SAYG THAT. THEY LISTENG.”THREE YEARS AGO, THIS LE OM MYKKI BLAN’S H SGLE “WAVVY” BEME SOMETHG OF A RALLYG CRY FOR AN EMERGG LGBT RAP AND HIP-HOP SCENE POPULATED BY FIGUR LIKE LE1F, ANGEL HAZE, ZEBRA KATZ, AND BIG FREEDIA.FOR BLAN, BORN MICHAEL QUATTLEBM JR., THE LYRIC WAS AN ASSERTN OF ARTISTIC RELEVANCE BEYOND THE NF OF INTY—A CLAIM TO A PLACE NOT JT QUEER RAP, BUT RAP UNMODIFIED.BUT BLAN’S FACEBOOK POST LAST WEEKEND MIGHT PROVE TO BE EVEN MORE FLUENTIAL: “IVE BEEN HIV POSIVE SCE 2011, MY ENTIRE REER. FUCK STIGMA AND HIDG THE DARK, THIS IS MY REAL LIFE.” FOR BLAN TO E OUT AS AN HIV-POSIVE MICIAN IS BRAVE BUT FOR HIM TO E OUT AS AN HIV-POSIVE RAPPER IS ALMOST REVOLUTNARY. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT JT OVER TWENTY YEARS AFTER RAP STAR EAZY-E REVEALED THAT HE HAD AIDS, BEG ONE OF THE FIRST MICIANS TO DO SO.IN A STATEMENT ISSUED SHORTLY BEFORE HIS ATH, EAZY-E SAID THAT HE “WOULD LIKE TO TURN MY OWN PROBLEM TO SOMETHG GOOD THAT WILL REACH OUT TO ALL MY HOMEBOYS AND THEIR K BEE I WANT TO SAVE [THEM] BEFORE ’S TOO LATE.”TWO S LATER, YOUNG BLACK GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN ARE MOST AFFECTED BY HIV THE UNED STAT, WH NEARLY THE SAME NUMBER OF NEW FECTNS AS THE MUCH LARGER POPULATN OF WHE GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN.THE PUBLIC HEALTH FACTORS BEHD THIS DISPARY N EP BUT RAP AND HIP-HOP ULD PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE ADDRSG THE CULTURAL PROBLEMS THAT SHAPE THEM.CHARL STEPHENS, FOUNR OF THE COUNTER NARRATIVE PROJECT, A BLACK GAY ADVOCY WORK, TELLS THE DAILY BEAST THAT THE UNAPOLOGETIC TONE OF BLAN’S FACEBOOK POST FALLS LE WH A LONG TRADN OF BLACK LGBT ARTISTS NONTG THE STIGMA AROUND HIV.“MUCH OF THE HISTORY OF HIV ACTIVISM IS ALSO THE HISTORY OF ARTISTS,” SAYS STEPHENS. “THEY WERE ABLE TO CREATE THE MSAG, IMAGE THE TACTICS, AND MANY WAYS PROVI THE POETRY FOR THE MOVEMENT.”IN PARTICULAR, STEPHENS SAYS, BLAN’S ATTU REMDS HIM OF A 1991 SAY BY BLACK GAY ACTIVIST CRAIG G. HARRIS, “I’M GOG OUT LIKE A FUCKG METEOR,” WHICH ENDS WH THE POWERFUL CLARATN, “I WANT TO LIVE THE RT OF MY LIFE WH AN ENERGY THAT IGN AND IRRAT, BURNS AND BUBBL, SOOTH AND SPIR UNTIL BURSTS OM THIS ATMOSPHERE, DISSIPATG TO THE SMOS.”THAT SAME CRACKLG ENERGY SEEMS TO BE THE THROUGH LE BETWEEN BLAN’S ART AND ACTIVISM.WHEN ONE FACEBOOK MENTER TOOK A PYG TONE REACTN TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT, BLAN REPLIED, “I AT ILL.”TO ANOTHER MENTER, HE SAID, “I JT NT BE AN IMAGE LIVG FEAR HAVG PEOPLE LLG ME BRAVE AND BEG A LIE.” IT’S CLEAR THAT A WEIGHT HAS BEEN LIFTED OM THE RAPPER’S SHOULRS, JUDGG OM THE SELF-PRETG HUMOR HE HAS DISPLAYED SCE HIS CLARATN. BUT THE FACT THAT TOOK AN ARTIST AS FEARLS AS BLAN THREE YEARS TO E OUT AS HIV-POSIVE SPEAKS TO THE STIGMA THAT STILL SURROUNDS HIV RAP AND HIP-HOP.BLAN ALREADY BUCKS MOST STANDARD NVENTNS OF GENR AND SEXUALY, PERFORMG VAR STUM THAT DRAW EQUALLY OM DRAG AND RTT GRRRL ATHETICS.IN AN TERVIEW, BLAN HAS SAID THAT HE INTIFI NOT AS TRANSGENR BUT AS A “TRANSVTE,” BUT HE HAS BEE SO ASSOCIATED WH HIS “DRSED UP” PERSONA THAT WISPREAD NFN AROUND HIS PRONOUN PREFERENC PERSISTS THE MEDIA WH MOST OUTLETS G “HE” BUT OTHERS “SHE.”NEHER PRONOUN FEELS AQUATE TO PTURE BLAN, WHO HAS BEEN SCRIBED ELSEWHERE AS BEG “MULTI-GENRED.” WHEN THE MEDIA PIGEONHOLED HIM AS A MERE “GAY RAPPER,” HE PHED BACK, AS THE ADVOTE REPORTS, BY ENTLG HIS NEXT ALBUM GAY DOG FOOD.“BLAN’S CRIQUE OF ASSIATN, RISTANCE TO NFORMY, AND TRANSGRSIVE ARTISTIC EXPRSN SPIRE THE OUTSIR PERSPECTIVE THAT SEEMS TO ANIMATE BLAN’S WORK,” EXPLAS STEPHENS.NOT TOO LONG AGO, MIGHT HAVE BEEN IMPOSSIBLE FOR BLAN TO BREAK THROUGH AS A SUBVERSIVE, FN-FYG “TRANSVTE” RAPPER, LET ALONE AN HIV-POSIVE ONE.ONLY TWO YEARS BEFORE EAZY-E PASSED AWAY, RAPPER BUJU BANTON RELEASED “BOOM BYE BYE,” A SONG ABOUT SHOOTG GAY MEN THE HEAD.FROM WILL SMH TELLG PEOPLE WH AIDS TO “BE QUIET” TO EMEM’S LIBERAL E OF THE WORD “FAGGOT” TO 50 CENT TELLG PLAYBOY THAT HE DON’T “LIKE GAY PEOPLE AROUND [HIM],” RAP AND HIP-HOP HAVE E TO BE ASSOCIATED WH VILENT EXPRSNS OF HOMOPHOBIA--HARDLY THE CLIMATE WHERE ONE WOULD EXPECT TO SEE THE BOOM OF EMERGG LGBT ARTISTS THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE THE LAST FIVE YEARS.ON HIS FACEBOOK, BLAN MENTED THAT “THE MIC DTRY A’T GONNA LIKE I ADMTED THIS” AND ’S CLEAR WHY: NOT ONLY DO HE FACE AN UPHILL BATTLE AS A PATH-MAKG QUEER RAPPER, HIV RRI AN PECIALLY NEGATIVE NNOTATN AN ALREADY HOMOPHOBIC CREATIVE ATMOSPHERE.IN THE RAP WORLD WHERE MORS OF DIAGNOSIS SEEM TO BE NSTANTLY SWIRLG, HIV N BEE A BLUNT STMENT FOR TEARG DOWN REPUTATNS.IN 2013, FOR EXAMPLE, TYGA CLAIMED THAT FELLOW RAPPER GUCCI MAE HAD AIDS DURG A TWTER SPAT. THAT SAME YEAR, AN INTER HOAX LED MANY TO BELIEVE THAT NICKI MAJ HAD BEEN DIAGNOSED WH HIV.DPE WISPREAD SUPPORT THIS WEEK FOR BLAN OM HIS FANS AND THE BROAR LGBT MUNY, IS CERTALY POSSIBLE THAT A NFIRMED DIAGNOSIS WILL HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON HIS REER.“THERE IS NO URAGE WHOUT ST,” SAYS STEPHENS. “IF THE MIC DTRY WON’T STAND BEHD MYKKI, THERE ARE MANY OF THAT WILL.”BUT WH THAT ST THE POSSIBILY OF TREMENDO BENEF.“I THK BLAN’S URAGE WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENC THE LIV OF BLACK QUEER AND TRANS YOUTH IMPACTED BY HIV,” STEPHENS MATAS. “AWARENS PRECES ACTN.”IN PARTICULAR, STEPHENS POTS TO BLAN’S “FUCK STIGMA” ATTU AS A VAL THREAD OF BLACK LGBT ACTIVISM AROUND HIV/AIDS. AS THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL (CDC) NOT, POVERTY, LACK OF ACCS TO HEALTHRE, AND AN ALREADY HIGH PREVALENCE OF HIV ARE ALL NTRIBUTG FACTORS TO NEW HIV FECTNS AMONG AIN AMERINS.BUT THE ACUTE STIGMA SURROUNDG THE VIS BLACK MUNI EXACERBAT ALL OF THE STCTURAL FACTORS.“FEAR OF DISCLOSG RISK BEHAVR OR SEXUAL ORIENTATN MAY PREVENT AIN AMERINS OM SEEKG TTG, PREVENTN AND TREATMENT SERVIC, AND SUPPORT OM IENDS AND FAY,” THE CDC REPORTS.“HIDG, BEG AAID OF STIGMA IS EXHSTG,” BLAN WROTE ON FACEBOOK.FOR A RISG GENERATN OF BLACK GAY AND BISEXUAL MEN, THAT FEAR ISN’T JT TIRG, N BE LIFE-THREATENG. IN HIS ANNOUNCEMENT, BLAN SAID, “I’VE TOURED THE WORLD 3 TIM,” BUT THOSE WHOUT HIS ROURC MAY NOT BE ABLE TO ACCS AQUATE HEALTHRE TO RECEIVE ANTIRETROVIRAL DGS OR TO MANAGE HIV-RELATED OR “OPPORTUNISTIC” FECTNS.BY BEG ONE OF THE FIRST MAJOR MICIANS AND ONE OF THE ONLY RAPPERS TO E OUT AS HIV-POSIVE ON HIS OWN TERMS, BLAN PROV THAT AN HIV DIAGNOSIS IS NOT A ATH SENTENCE BUT HE MAY ALSO ALLEVIATE THE SILENCE SURROUNDG PREVENTN FOR THOSE WHO ARE STILL AT RISK.ALTHOUGH THE EFFECTS OF ART LIKE BLAN’S MAY SEEM TANGIBLE PARED TO THE SIZABLE PUBLIC HEALTH CHALLENGE FACG BLACK MUNI, THEY ARE AND ALWAYS HAVE BEEN, AS STEPHENS POTS OUT, ABSOLUTELY SENTIAL.AT THE HEIGHT OF THE AIDS CRISIS, ACT UP’S ACTIVISTS SIGNED AN INIC IMAGE THAT WENT ON TO HAVE AN IMMEASURABLE IMPACT: A PK TRIANGLE ON A BLACK BACKGROUND ABOVE THE MOTTO “SILENCE = DEATH.”SILENCE REMAS ADLY, BUT BLACK ARTISTS LIKE MYKKI BLAN ARE BREAKG —AND THE RULTS N STILL BE RADIL. SAMANTHA ALLEN
We’d planned this phone ll as a chance to talk about the state of homophobia and transphobia mic, but our nversatn bounc around wildly — om Pri experienc (still very much on our bras) to the state of LGBTQ reprentatn the mic dtry to their own journey wh genr as well as their wdg path through the dtry. On one hand, my reer began before gay marriage was passed the U. In certa queer circl, and even certa circl that I felt were like whe gay power circl, I did feel a changg of the guard a posive way, where wrers and edors and people that pull some weight the media are now people of lor, are now trans or genr non-nformg people of lor, are now lbians.
MYKKI BLAN ON MARRIAGE EQUALY: “THIS WILL DO MORE FOR GAYS AND LBIANS THAN PEOPLE THK”
But also Lil Nas X [appears to intify as] a cis male gay. And I know she’s experienced timidatn and homophobia, but at the same time I feel like she’s fely more accepted the hip-hop muny bee she still has the same kd of hyper-mascule braggadoc as a cis het male. Hip-hop has this reputatn for beg particularly homophobic, and people the dtry talk about as if ’s the genre that has been the slowt to embrace LGBTQ cln.