aesmith1906

Queerness Beyond Sexuality, Into Identity, and Toward a Truly Liberated Future

4 min read

Queerness Beyond Sexuality, Into Identity, and Toward a Truly Liberated Future

aesmith1906 June 30, 2021

Today is the final day of Pride month 2021. As a Black Queer man, this month always has me reflecting quite deeply on how the meaning of Pride resonates with me and how it continues to evolve over time. Growing up, we were taught to synonymize Queerness solely with sexuality. A man should not lay with another man. There is Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. Years of...

#BidenHarris2020: Measured Joy, Cautious Optimism, and Tempered Celebration

4 min read

#BidenHarris2020: Measured Joy, Cautious Optimism, and Tempered Celebration

aesmith1906 November 7, 2020

Today’s announcement that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are the official President- and Vice President-Elect has brought with it waves of emotion across the country. This fifth day of post-vote tallying symbolizes a culmination of what so many of us have desired since 2016: A hope for a better future. While we celebrate this pivotal moment in the sociopolitical history of our country, we cannot (and should not) ignore...

To Be Black and Queer: A Divine Opportunity to Reject, Redefine, and Reimagine

3 min read

To Be Black and Queer: A Divine Opportunity to Reject, Redefine, and Reimagine

aesmith1906 October 11, 2020

Today, October 11, 2020, is “National Coming Out Day.” National Coming Out Day is an annual observance that began in 1988. Its ostensible purpose is to celebrate Queer liberation and to honor those who have journeyed toward self-discovery, embraced new self-acceptance, and risked public scrutiny. While decades of Queer observance, prides, media representations, laws, and practices have ushered incremental movement toward true liberation of Queer indivduals, there is a...

The JOY Is Mine: We Need This Brandy Monica Verzuz

2 min read

The JOY Is Mine: We Need This Brandy Monica Verzuz

aesmith1906 August 31, 2020

Ever since the release of “The Boy Is Mine” on May 19,1998, we have established our allegiances to one of the two vocalists. The acrimonious duet, wherein two acquaintances discover they are vying for the affection of the same gentleman, firmly and indelibly cemented the two young artists within the cultural consciousness of an entire generation. For many of us, this Verzuz is a culmination of a 22 year...

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