Author Archives: lgbtqrepresent

Hamed Sinno

#HamedSinno (April 25, 1988 – ): The Lebanese-American lead singer of the alt-rock/indie band #MashrouLeila, he was born to a Lebanese-American father and Jordanian mother. He attended an American school and graduated not knowing much Arabic as his family spoke English at home. Instead, he found he was able to both study and learn Arabic through songwriting,Continue reading “Hamed Sinno”

Wu Tsang

#WuTsang (1982 – ): A filmmaker, artist, and performer based in both #NewYork and #Berlin, Tsang works in exploring the lives of marginalized communities and “hidden histories,” as well as in how movement can express emotional experiences that cannot be described with language. She seeks to express that which cannot be expressed within binary systems and even her art doesContinue reading “Wu Tsang”

Jericho Brown

#JerichoBrown (April 14, 1976 – ): Born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Brown graduated from #DillardUniversity, then the #UniversityOfNewOrleans with an MFA and the #UniversityOfHouston with a PhD. He is currently an associate professor of English and the director of the Creative Writing Program at #EmoryUniversity and serves as Assistant Editor at #Callaloo, a quarterly literary magazine that publishes works on the AfricanContinue reading “Jericho Brown”

Ocean Vuong

#OceanVuong (October 14, 1988 – ): A poet, Vuong was born in #HoChiMinhCity, #Vietnam and came to the United States as a refugee at the age of two. His mother renamed him “Ocean” after learning the definition of the word in English and the connection the Pacific Ocean has in joining the United States withContinue reading “Ocean Vuong”

Jasmyne A. Cannick

#JasmyneACannick (October 22, 1977 – ): Cannick is no stranger to issues of race discussed in the current news cycle. She is an “on-air and in-print” pop culture critic who has come into the fore with her work on LGBTQIA and race intersectionality. In the past she has worked on voter registration programs in L.A. County’sContinue reading “Jasmyne A. Cannick”

Lorena Borjas

#LorenaBorjas (May 29, 1960 – March 30, 2020): A #Transgender, #Latinx, and #Immigrant activist, #LorenaBorjas was born in #MexicoCity and came to the United States in 1981 with the goal of transitioning to become who she knew to be inside. Life was hard for her, as for many transgender women at the time, and she supported some 20 transgender women sheContinue reading “Lorena Borjas”

Leyna Bloom

#LeynaBloom: Growing up in Chicago to a Filipina mother and African American father, Bloom was raised primarily by her father after her mother was deported. As she grew up and came into her truth, her father was supportive of her transition. A dancer, she performed on stage with #MistyCopeland when she was 14. Though she received aContinue reading “Leyna Bloom”

Darnell L. Moore

#DarnellLMoore (January 24, 1976 – ): A writer who focuses on themes of anti-racism, feminism, queer theory and anti-colonial thought and advocacy for each of these causes, his writing has been featured in the #FeministWire, #Ebony, and #TheHuffingtonPost. Raised in #Camden, #NewJersey, he was appointed by then #Newark Mayor #CoryBooker to serve as the Chair of Newark’s #LGBTConcernsAdvisoryCommission, the first group of its kind in New Jersey.Continue reading “Darnell L. Moore”

Patria Jiménez

#PatriaJimenez (1957 – ): A Mexican politician who also heads #ClosetDeSorJuana (Sister Juana’s Closet), a lesbian rights group named after Juana Ines de la Cruz (a Carmelite nun and Mexican poet), she has been fighting for LGBTQ+ rights in #Mexico for over two decades. Representing the #PartidoDeLaRevolucionDemocratica (Party of the Democratic Revolution), she was the first openly LGBT member of Mexico’sContinue reading “Patria Jiménez”