Queer & Kinky AF: Black Liberation at its Finest

“Life is very short. What we have to do must be done in the now.” - Audre Lorde
We all have been ingrained with the history of how, the one and only, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., spearheaded the Civil Rights Movement. He was the headliner, making incredible speeches and being the representative of Love and Human Rights until he was assassinated.
If you aren’t queer, you probably don’t know that Bayard Rustin was King’s right-hand man. Every decision King made, Rustin was right there with him; they made decisions together and then brought those decisions to the forefront of the other players in the movement. Rustin was gay and, at the time, knew the world wasn’t ready for a Black gay man to be the face of the Civil Rights Movement. So, he kind of remained in the background -- advising cishet people in various human rights missions to ensure that people all over the world are treated with dignity and respect.
But Rustin wasn’t the only one. We had Marsha P. Johnson, who remained in the background for years with regard to the gay/queer liberation movement at Stonewall, until fairly recently. And how often did you hear about Audre Lorde in your history classes and the strides she made within the second wave feminist movements?
As you can see, Black queers have been here, influencing movements here in the United States (and beyond) and loving each other for centuries. These early influencers of Black Liberation in the 20th century set the tone for the Black kinksters that would soon come to flourish and make room for the future Black queer kinksters who continue to thrive.
In fact, when thinking about how our revolutionaries fought for our representation, access, equality, and equity, we can contextualize how we are now reaping the benefits and solidifying our places in the kink world, unapologetically.
Queer & Kinky AF: Black Liberation at its Finest