These Celebrities Are Proudly Sharing Their Black Queer Icons, And It’s Inspiring

The Blackening‘s Dewayne Perkins: “Janelle Monáe. The way she creates art, from music to movies, and still lives with a very in-your-face freedom of who she is and what she does is very powerful. I went to her concert and saw the spirit of love. I went to Essence Fest where she performed ‘Lipstick Lover.’ There were two older women next to me, and one of them asked, ‘Did she just say she likes lipstick on her neck?’ I love that Janelle’s identity is being forced to be seen. Yeah, she loves women. Just being able to exist with that freedom, I think, is so essential for people to see.”