Vincent Astor

Chances are, if you’ve read any LGBTQ+ history about Memphis, Vincent Astor is the reason why. His efforts to preserve this city’s pride and history surrounding the gay community have shed light on various figures and organizations that have made this city more inclusive. You can read some of his work here.

Terrell Buckner 

As the organizer of the first Memphis Black Gay Pride, Terrell Buckner created an event in the mid-90s meant to bring people together and give them somewhere they feel at home. This festival has grown exponentially through the years and is now known as Tri-State Black Pride.

Kayla Rena Gore and Illyahna C. Wattshall

These founders of My Sistah’s House aim to “bridge a gap in services for trans and queer people of color (TQPOC) in Memphis, TN” by providing safe, emergency housing, advocacy, and resource assistance through the building of tiny homes around the 901. You can visit their website to donate if you’d like to support their efforts.

Gwendolyn Clemons

Gwendolyn is a proud queer woman dedicated to empowering others in the LGBTQ+ community through the nonprofit efforts at Relationships Unleashed. This organization aims to focus on issues related to HIV/AIDS and transgender people, and she co-founded this nonprofit with her son, Davin Clemons, in 2014. You can visit their website and support them here.

The post 5 Notable LGBTQIA+ Figures Who Made History in Memphis appeared first on We Are Memphis.

Upcoming Events

Rise Up: Stonewall and the LGBTQ Rights Movement at MoSH

Opening on June 4th and running until late September, you can visit the traveling exhibit at the Memphis Museum of Science and History that explores the Stonewall Inn’s illustrious history and the June 1969 police raid. Created by the Newseum in Washington, D.C you can view images and artifacts from the gay rights movement for yourself.  

Memphis Proud: The Resilience of a Southern LGBTQ+ Community at MoSH

In this companion exhibit to Rise Up, you can further examine the South’s LGBTQ+ history and roots, through spotlights of community events, local leaders, and stories of activists within the space. This also opens on June 4th and runs until September 26th.

Movie Night: Pride Edition at The Haven

Catch Victor/Victoria for movie night on June 10th. There will be food trucks and free popcorn, so make a night of it and bring your friends! Oh, and did we mention it’s free? Be sure to reserve your spot ahead of time!

Tri-State Black Pride

From June 16th through the 19th, you can stop at the DoubleTree in East Memphis for a simultaneous Pride Month and Juneteenth event. With educational sessions, keynote speakers, and even live entertainment shows (including drag and comedy), the weekend will be full of activities. Purchase your tickets at Eventbrite now.

Pride Musical Festival

At Overton Shell Park on June 19th, attend the 2nd Annual Pride Musical Festival presented by Tri-State Black Pride. Check out their full lineup of artists and acts, and purchase your tickets for as little as $10.

Drag & A Musical at Dru’s Place

For an interactive show of Chicago, head over to Dru’s Place on June 24th! They’ll be selling concessions and participation bags so be sure to grab your tickets in advance for this fun night out. Tickets start at $20 and sponsorship opportunities are available.

A Night Out With OUTMemphis: Queer Prom

Join OUTMemphis at the Memphis Botanic Garden on June 25th from 7:30 to 10:30 PM for a prom night like no other! This 21 and over event will have dancing and drinking, all for a good cause. Grab your best dancing shoes and your favorite person for this amazing night that supports LGBTQ+ Memphians. 

Atomic Rose – Weekly Events

One of Memphis’ hottest (and most inclusive) nightclubs, the Atomic Rose has weekly events all June each Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Check out their weekly itinerary and keep in mind that Fridays and Saturdays are for 21 and over, while on Sundays they allow for all ages!

Donate/Volunteer

OUTMemphis

This organization works on empowering, connecting, educating, and advocating for the Midsouth’s LGBTQ+ community. They provide services and events for all ages of the community, as well as a crisis hotline. You can donate or volunteer your time.

Choices – Memphis Center for Reproductive Health

Choices is an orgainzation with sexual and reproductive services that are LGBTQ-friendly. They also offer medical care and counseling, and you can donate, volunteer, or support through Amazon Smile and Bonfire.

The Haven

The Haven offers free and confidential testing for HIV and Hepatitis C, community education and empowerment, and free PrEP and PEP Prescriptions in order to provide support and well-being services in Memphis. You can donate or volunteer through their contact form.

Friends for Life

Friends for Life works to prevent the spread of HIV and help those affected by HIV/AIDS through a holistic, client-centered approach and a variety of services. You can donate, volunteer, or start your own fundraiser with them.

Relationships Unleashed

Relationships Unleashed aims to fight inequality through comprehensive programming for the black LGBTQ community. You can donate or support them by shopping through their Amazon Smile link.

Planned Parenthood

Planned Parenthood offers high-quality, affordable healthcare and is the nation’s largest provider of sex education. Their services are available to anyone, regardless of insurance. You can donate, volunteer, or support in other ways.

Friends of George’s Theatre Company

This theatre company has worked toward bringing live shows and entertainment, while also raising funds for local LGBTQ+ charities and organizations. You can donate and see their upcoming events to support their shows.

Be Loud and Proud

Pride Month is more than waving rainbow flags and attending parades. It’s about understanding the history and culture surrounding it, while also advocating for equality. How do you plan on making Memphis a more LGBTQ+-friendly community this month?

You might also be interested in: Black Memphis LGBTQ Voices You Must Know 

The post How to Get Involved in Memphis for Pride Month appeared first on We Are Memphis.

In the movement for Black Lives, we can’t ignore the lives of Black LGBTQIA+ people. Black LGBTQ leaders have been historically swept under the rug, moved behind the curtain and even pushed back into closets in our country’s most prominent movements. However, we wouldn’t be where we are today without the contribution of leaders like Bayard Rustin, Toni Morrisson, Marsha Johnson, Audre Lorde, Angela Davis and James Baldwin. Now, as more people lift every voice and sing, Black LGBTQ leaders are taking the reins for themselves without asking for permission or waiting for acceptance. From marriage equality to the Supreme Court’s landmark decision on Monday, June 15th, banning employment discrimination based on sex and sexual orientation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, it evident now more than ever that the revolution is here and it’s peaking this Pride Month.  

As we head towards mapping what a more progressive, just and inclusive society looks like for all of us, we can’t ignore the Prideful voices and the work of people who are often gone unnoticed. There are people in our very city with their boots, pumps, stilettos, and Air Force Ones on the ground and marking a pathway that we all can follow and support. Memphis has its own fair share of Black LGBTQ leaders whose voices you should be paying attention to now more than ever on this road to justice and equality. 

1. Shahidah Jones

When it comes to bad asserdry, you can’t mention activism in Memphis without mentioning Shahidah Jones. Shahidah has led protests, strategic planning and organizations in inclusivity and diversity for over a decade, flying under the radar as a force to be reckoned with when it comes to affecting change without the spotlight. 

She’s a drum major for justice. On any given day, you can log onto Facebook and take one of her free masterclasses by reading her facebook posts addressing equity and coalition building. She’s a voice for the people, unafraid to call out systems that perpetuate poverty, racism and dsiscrimination against LGBTQ people. If the pandemic weren’t a thing right now, you’d find her and her wife, Catherine, planning and hosting live music events like Artistik Lounge and DreamFest where she curates a local festival for local and indie Black artists in an effort to raise their notoriety and influence. Right now, you can find her leading Black Lives Matter – Memphis Chapter and leading initiatives including the Mother’s Day Bail Fund, an effort to bail mothers out of jail so they can spend Mothers’ Day with their children. She’s been a resounding voice since the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, challenging local and state governments on modifying policies that could greatly impact Black and Brown communities. She’s definitely someone you need to follow and watch. 

2. Martavius Hampton 

Memphis continues to grapple with a silent issue: the rise in HIV/AIDS infections. Martavius Hampton, Senior Director of Health and Evaluation at OUTMemphis, is here to change that. He’s one of the leading voices and faces whose passion for HIV/AIDS prevention and education drives engagement and increases the accessibility to HIV testing across our city. 

Having studied and been involved with OUTMemphis (the former Gay and Lesbian Community Center) for over 10 years, Martavius designs health programming, trainings and curricula for the organzation and its partners. He and his team tackle issues including intimate partner violence, mental health, and sex education. 

“I look forward to expanding OUTMemphis’s health programming in an effort to address other health issues that are impacting our local LGBTQ community, “ says Martavius. “In addition, I envision a community that embraces healthy living, diversity, mentorship, advocacy, research, and self/community pride.”

3. Jasmine Tasaki 

In a mid-June interview online, Dr. Angela Daivs said, “if we want to develop an intersectional perspective, the trans community is showing us the way. This community has taught us how to challenge that which is totally accepted as normal,” and Jasmine Tasaki is doing just that in a major way, locally and nationally.

As the first transgendered person of color to hold an executive leadership position with the Memphis Urban League (Health Literacy and Advocacy), Jasmine continues to travel off the beaten path here in Memphis. If you ever get the opportunity to hear her story, you’ll understand how she quickly became a mentor, influencers and role model for so many in the LGBTQ community in the city. In 2019, she founded and leads as the Executive Director, WeCareTN, a non-profit that supports trans women of color through education and empowerment, with the goal to ensure that transwomen of color have the same equity and quality of life envisioned. As a Memphis native and Overton High graduate, she volunteers for programs including The Headliners, Sisterreach, OUTMemphis, and Deep South Regional Roundtable.

“Overall, here in Memphis, I’m able to balance creativity and living a purposeful life,” said Jasmine in Focus Mid-South. 

4. Deja Foster 

Our last featured voice may not consider herself as a leader in the movement, but we consider her one. One who many in the city have grown to respect, admire and consider influential. Deja, a Wooddale High grad and former Georgia Tech Women’s Basketball star, works as a financial planner for Fish and Associates. She’s taken her skills as an athlete and a basketball coach, and coaches individuals and families in planning for a healthy financial future. In 2019, she graduated from the University of Alabama with a Masters in financial planning and counseling. Before the achievement, Deja penned an essay featured in MLK50 about her experience winning homecoming queen at her high school, an act of solidarity and support for the White Station male student who won homecoming queen last year and made national headlines. 

“It may have made the news had we done it: I, an openly gay female basketball player at Wooddale High School, and my friend, a popular gay male student, were chosen homecoming queen and king in 2007, and conspired to switch crowns at the ceremony. That may sound funny, but there was a lot of pain leading up to it,” Deja writes.

Deja continues to stand as a role model for youth and young adults whether via her social media or coaching her local youth basketball team. Deja volunteers with the Memphis Urban League of Young Professionals, leading the Financial Literacy and Empowerment committee which provides education and awareness around topics including homeownership, investments and healthy consumer habits. 

Follow these folks on social media and stay plugged into the movement right here in Memphis. The revolution won’t be televised, but it will be Black, Queer and Livestreamed!  

You may also be interested in: Memphis History | African American History | History of Memphis TN

The post Black LGBTQ Voices in Memphis You Must Know appeared first on We Are Memphis.