User:Dane Cruz/sandbox

Hashtags
 * Notable Media Campaigns

When looking at LGBT youth of color and their presence in media, there are some hashtags that bring forward issues they face because of their intersectionality’s. The hashtag #morecolormorepride celebrates the addition of both a brown and black stripe, changing the iconic rainbow flag originally designed by Gilbert Baler. The additional stripes were added to make the LGBTQ community more inclusive and an advocate for racial discrimination.

In addition, the hashtag #VisibleMe was created to highlight stories from LGBT youth from all over the world. The hashtag was used by a diverse community on multiple platforms including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Many young teens shared their stories and created a thriving channel on Instagram.

There are also movements such as the #40toNoneDay that raised awareness regarding POC youth homelessness and within the LGBT community. Sara Ramirez, who plays a bisexual doctor on Grey’s Anatomy, is an advocate for the movement to bring attention to how 40% of youth who are homeless identify as being part of the LGBT community. With LGBT youth making up less than 7% of the general youth population.

Blogs

Blog posts are another popular form of media where representation and expressions of LGBTQ youth of color can be found. Best selling author and trans activist Janet Mock began blogging in 2010 and writes about gender, race, and representation. Mock was named as one of Time magazine’s 30 most influential people on the internet. The blog features a variety of posts relevant to teens ranging from bullying to the phenomenon known as “Black Girl Magic.”

Black Girl Dangerous, is a social justice blog written from a QTPoC perspective and was founded by award winning writer, Mia Mckenzie in 2011. The blog has featured over 300 queer and trans writers who have contributed their voices to topics such as the queer male gaming experience. Despite having over 7 million readers, Black Girl Dangerous ended it’s online publication as of July 31, 2017.

The social networking site Tumblr also features a variety of blogs geared towards LGBT youth of color such as Fuck Yeah Queer People of Color and LGBT + PoC. These blogs serve to provide a space for LGBT youth of color to engage in community with other LGBT PoC youth.

Podcasts

With the rise in popularity of podcasts, the LGBTQ of color community has enjoyed a space to connect with one another and freely discuss triumphs and issues they face. In Louisville, KY, Dr. Kaila Story and Jaison Gardner, two black members of the LGBTQ community, banter weekly on a variety of topics on their podcast Strange Fruit, some of which pertaining to the interests of many youth such as “politics, pop culture, and black gay life. ” Nia King produces the podcast We Want the Airwaves, which focuses on queer and trans people of color, especially those that identify as artists. In an interview, King focuses on fighting oppression against this marginalized group and raising awareness for queer and trans artists of colors.

Trans Youth Equality Foundation funds a podcast, TransWaves, which focuses on education, advocacy, and support for transgender youth and their families. Focusing on popularizing the trans child movement, the podcast features interviews and anonymous advice to listeners. Laverne Cox LaVerne Cox, a black openly transwoman, has been known for her crusade for trans youth rights. Though accomplished in filmography, she is well-known for her advocacy for trans-rights both on the screen and off. Earning a spot on Time’s 100 Most Influential People List and as one of the icons for the LGBT History Month, she has used her fame and success to try to affect policy and increase acceptance overall. From speaking engagements to creating a documentary, Cox hones in on the intersectionality of being trans and of color. Cox has created a dialogue for youth of color, and consistently shares support and resources to her trans youth followers.
 * Prominent Media LGBT Figures

Ru Paul RuPaul Andre Charles became famous for his drag queen performance and his release of his single “Supermodel” in 1993. RuPaul gained recognition as a master of transformation gaining success in reality T.V. for “RuPaul’s Drag Race”. In this hit show, he has queens lip sync battle in order to stay in the competition. The show discusses issues surrounding masculinity and male femininity. Other issues include people living with HIV, recovering from addiction, trans community and the fight for marriage equality.

Frank Ocean Hip-Hop singer and songwriter, Frank Ocean released his debut studio album Channel Orange in 2012. Days before the album's release, Ocean used the social media platform Tumblr to write an open letter in which he reminisced about his feelings towards another young man. The album received critical acclaim and garnered six Grammy Award nominations. Ocean also received wide support from within the music industry as Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons and other celebrities voiced their support. As one of the first openly gay hip hop artists, Frank Ocean is credited for breaking barriers within the hip hop/ r&b genres which have had long a history of homophobia. NEW SECTION: Movie/Documentaries/TV Media

Kiki Culture

Inspired by the underground drag ballroom culture of New York, kiki culture is a sub culture of the ballroom scene which is led by LGBT youth of color. Although more informal than the ballroom scene, it provides a space for LGBT youth of color to express themselves through performance and allows them to network with other LGBT youth. Kiki Culture also sets itself apart from ballroom culture through its focus on political and social activism, bringing attention to issues within the LGBT community such as homelessness and HIV. Kiki culture has been brought into the mainstream media through the documentary Kiki  written by Sara Jordenö and co-written by Twiggy Pucci. The band Scissor Sisters have also contributed to bringing kiki culture into mainstream media through their song, “Let’s Have a Kiki” which was released in September 2012 and later covered on the Fox television show Glee. Documentaries

One documentary that focuses specifically on the trans community is Laverne Cox’s Emmy winning 'The T Word”. The documentary looks into the lives of seven teens and young adults who identify as trans sharing their lived experiences and the struggles they have to face on a daily basis. The film focuses on issues pertaining to bullying on campus, challenges of changing gender pronouns, family issues, and insights on relationships and sex.

A second documentary focuses on the problem of youth homelessness within the LGBT community. Approximately 500,000 youth experience homelessness and 200,000 identify with the LGBT community, POC represent over 70% of the LGBT youth homelessness. The Documentary follows Beniah, Noel, Giovanno, Benjamin, Danielle and Zaykeem Over the course of 18 months. Of the youth profiled, two are queer women: Noel and Danielle Youth LGBTQ POC Characters

Many shows popular with today’s youth include main and secondary characters that are LGBTQ and of color. LGBTQ POC Youth can watch these shows and see their ‘minority within a minority’ being represented.

Orange is the New Black (OITNB)

Netflix’s Orange is the New Black include many characters that identify as LGBT or find themselves questioning their sexuality while at the penitentiary. Poussey Washington, played by Samira Wiley, is a black lesbian who had been out before her incarceration. During the show, she developed a relationship with Brook Soso, played by Kimiko Glenn. Soso dated men before entering the prison, yet pursued a relationship with her fellow female inmate. Another character includes, Sophia Burset, a transwoman played by LaVerne Cox. The show includes her struggles as a transwoman from harassment to getting her necessary hormones.

Pretty Little Liars

ABC Family’s Award-winning, Pretty Little Liars, includes a main character Emily Fields who is in a relationship for part of the show with Maya St. Germain. Maya, a black lesbian, is played by Bianca Lawson. Emily Fields, played by Shay Mitchell, a multi-raced woman, goes on to be engaged to Alison DiLaurentis in the show as well.

13 Reasons Why

Netflix’s Series based off of the book, 13 Reasons Why, includes Tony Padilla, one of the main characters in the show and distributor of the tapes. Padilla, is a gay Hispanic, played by Christian Navarro. Towards the end of the season, Padilla comes out to the main character, Clay, as gay. Padilla briefly mentions familial issues and lack of acceptance he faces in his Catholic household. He dates Brad in the show as well.

Glee: Unique

Unique Adams - played by Alex Neweel is a young black trans woman on Fox’s musical comedy-drama television show that aired from 2009-2015. In the show, prevalent issues such as using the school’s bathroom policy, shed light on issues that trans folk face. She is also pivotal in the support of Coach Beiste after his transgender operation on the show.

Media Initiatives:

* Expand on "#MyStoryOutLoud: Digital Storytelling for LGBTQ Youth of Color"

Advocates for Youth is an online activism and informational resource portal for all youth, but puts emphasis on many initiatives for the LGBTQ Youth. One of the segments of Advocates for Youth is YouthResource, a website "created by and for gay, lesbian, transgender, and questioning young people," that offers online peer educators to create an inclusive space. One of the most successful features of Youth Resource has been MyStoryOutLoud. MyStoryOutLoud is a digital storytelling campaign for LGBTQ Youth of Colour to use technology to allow their voices to be heard, and bring awareness to providing safe spaces in communities. Using platforms such as Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram, LGBTQ+ people of color can highlight their experiences through narratives in video or written form, along with other forms of art, including poetry and pictures. Another resource, Amplify, which is sponsored by Advocates for Youth, which is a self-claimed "online youth activism hub." Advocates for Youth also have a Cultural Advocacy and Mobilization Initiative for helping create activities to empower youth through leadership training and allowing the youth to educate the community about safe spaces.

Sources:

Advocatesforyouth.org, www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/publications-a-z/425-the-impact-of-homophobia-and-racism-on-glbtq-youth-of-color.

“LGBT Youth Promote Justice By Creating Their Own Media.” The Center for Media Justice, 18 Apr. 2017, centerformediajustice.org/2017/04/18/lgbt-youth-promote-justice-creating-media/.

“My Journey (So Far) with #GirlsLikeUs: Hoping for Sisterhood, Solidarity & Empowerment.” Janet Mock, janetmock.com/2012/05/28/twitter-girlslikeus-campaign-for-trans-women/.

Nichols, JamesMichael. “Black History Month: 23 Prominent Black LGBT Icons.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 8 Feb. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/08/prominent-black-lgbt-icons_n_4747530.html?slideshow=true#gallery/336390/0.

Blogs:

http://fuckyeahqueerpeopleofcolor.tumblr.com/

https://lgbtqiapoc.tumblr.com/

https://www.bgdblog.org/

https://wearyourvoicemag.com/lgbtq-identities/black-girl-dangerous-helped-embrace-queer-nerd-color

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/16-thought-provoking-social-justice-blogs-on-tumblr_us_562f8638e4b06317990f591d

Podcasts:

http://www.brothaspeakpod.libdownloadsyn.com/

https://www.bgdblog.org/category/the-bgd-podcast/

http://wfpl.org/category/podcasts/strange-fruit/

Kiki Culture:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19361653.2013.879464?scroll=top&needAccess=true

https://muse.jhu.edu/article/595602/pdf

“SYNOPSIS.” Kikimovie.com, www.kikimovie.com/synopsis/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/kiki-movie-highlights-activism-young-ballroom-scene-n566446

www.huckmagazine.com/art-and-culture/kiki-vogue-radical-identity-social-change/

Frank Ocean:

http://frankocean.tumblr.com/post/26473798723

https://www.advocate.com/music/2016/6/21/could-orlando-make-frank-ocean-activist

http://www.mtv.com/news/1689036/frank-ocean-coming-out-tyler-the-creator-russell-simmons/

Glee:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Characters_of_Glee#Unique_Adams

Podcast:

http://www.transyouthequality.org/

http://wfpl.org/category/podcasts/strange-fruit/

https://ww2.kqed.org/arts/2015/05/27/nia-kings-urgent-message-we-were-here-and-our-lives-matter/

Dane's?

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/instagram-launches-lgbtq-channel-visibleme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDy0DhfuxfI

https://www.glaad.org/blog/documentary-film-explore-crisis-lgbt-youth-homelessness