(February 21, 2025) - Blaque/OUT Magazine is sad to report that the missing 25yr old in North Carolina, Ervianna "Baydee" Johnson, was located on Wednesday on Bermuda Bay Lane by family members that had been searching for her since her disappearance in the early morning hours of February 13th.

The gruesome way that Sam Nordquist died has made international news this week. A few internet pictures have circulated widely that you can imagine he never intended for millions to see, the mug shot of the five monsters accused of taking his precious life away and images of his heartbroken family huddled on a motel room bed overcome with grief after an unexpected pilgrimage to upstate New York to reclaim their beloved Sam. These images and the horrific details of the torture he endured will be the lasting memories most associated with Sam Nordquist for the millions of strangers that only learned his name this week.

Rochester, NY (the city nearest to where Sam was found) is our Editor, Tamara Leigh’s hometown so Blaque/OUT Magazine began covering Sam’s disappearance and the devastating conclusion earlier than most media outlets, but it was our intention to stop continued coverage until the trial verdict to avoid being a part of the sensationalized coverage that will undoubtably follow a news story of this magnitude. It’s always our goal to tell OUR stories but not to exploit them. However, we came across a short, sweet post made by Face To Face Academy in St. Paul, MN where Sam graduated in 2020 that felt too important not to share with our readers.

You often hear of families who have abandoned their Trans family member, even their GOFUNDMEs often misgender them which can be incredibly dehumanizing and painful for the friends and chosen family who knew them in life. To honor who someone is, is to respect who they authentically were both in life and death. In the interviews with both Tahiry and Sam’s family, they stood by their loved ones and used correct pronouns and names through immense heartbreak and grief. There was a vigil for Tahiry on Valentine’s Day and there wilI be one held in Canandaigua on February 17th.

Both family’s have created GOFUNDME’s to raise money for their travel and funeral expenses which will be significant as both will be bringing their children home from another state to lay them to rest. If you are in the position to give, at this moment, Sam’s GOFUNDME has raised $12,764 and Tahiry’s GOFUNDME has only raised $105.

Since Day 1 of the Trump Administration, the Trans community has been hit over and over again with vicious Executive Orders that challenge everything from their right to serve in the military, to ability to receive life-saving care, to questioning their very existence. While organizations and Attorney Generals from across the nation bring the legality and constitutionality of these actions to Federal Justices for intervention, the consequences of the hateful rhetoric spewing from our highest offices is parroted by the masses and puts the lives of every single Trans community member in more and more danger every day. This week alone, the murders of both Tahiry Broom and Sam Nordquist hit the news and an already hurting community.

In 2022, Blaque/OUT Magazine told you the story of 20 year old Jimmie “Jay” Lee, a missing University of Mississippi student. He was a popular LGBTQ student pursuing his Masters degree at the University. He was well-known, out and popular. On July 8, 2022, he disappeared. His social media posts stopped, his bank transactions stopped and his family hadn’t heard from him. Lee’s mother reported him missing, a search ensued but Jay Lee was never heard from again. Over the weekend we learned that Jay Lee may have finally been found.

A young, white nursing student is murdered on a trail in Athens, GA near the University of Georgia campus and there is an international media frenzy. An undocumented immigrant is arrested, tried and convicted. Months later, Santonio Coleman was murdered on a trail in Athens, GA near the University of Georgia campus and there is no press, no arrest and no justice for Santonio.

I often struggle when I write. Show me a writer or artist that doesn’t and I’ll show you a miracle in the flesh! Sometimes I am blessed with writing prompts but more often than not, I must come up with something that speaks to me to write about and let it develop into a piece I deem worthy of sharing. Many times, I’ll write something and get to a point and just decide, “Nah, that’s not what I want to say.” Or the message isn’t as clear as I need it to be and I scrap it and start all over again. This has been my challenge the last few months. I am a deadline oriented writer and tend to work better under pressure for the most part. The tighter the deadline, the better the piece, which can be good or bad depending on who you ask. In many ways, writing is my voice so to speak.

As I sit here watching cartoons with my cat, smoking a joint, and reflecting on the holidays, the elections, and community, a quote from a kids' show called “Phineas and Ferb” sent me into a rabbit hole of why I love villains and antiheroes. The quote was, “A hero is a hero, but everybody loves a great villain.” As a Black, non-binary, Trans feminine person, my existence is often used as a scapegoat for ignorance and justifications of people's rage, without them knowing who I am and only being concerned with what I am. How long must all of my communities endure this? Let’s not forget that intersectionality is real; I’m not just fighting racism; I’m fighting sexism, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, and the list goes on. Like many people in marginalized communities that I share space with, all we want is to live a happy and free life. The reality is that most of us are surviving, and the few of us who are thriving are told we should be grateful for the bare minimum that many of our counterparts take for granted.

Written by: E.L. Winston

Happy New Year, peeps! I hope that your holidays were filled with love and comfort and all the things you wanted and needed. My new year is starting off a bit stressful but exciting at the same time. See, I have this tumor in my left thigh. It’s been there for at least 9 years now. Yes, I said 9 years.

Let me explain…it started out as a lump no bigger than a baseball. I went to the doctor and the doctor said that it’s because I need to lose weight. That’s all he said. He didn't run any tests, didn't look any further… fast forward a year or two from that visit and I start a new position at work that requires me to get in and out of semi trucks all day. On my first day on the job, my leg swells up to the size of a softball. I go back to the doctor and he says, “Oh no you have lymphedema. You're going to need this reduction kit and have to wear it constantly to get the fluid off your leg.” Again, he didn't do any tests, didn't do anything further and still says that weight is a factor. Needless to say the kit never worked. So here we are. Let me tell you what the cause of my tumor was not. It was not my weight or lymphedema and had the doctor taken the time to listen to me then what would have been a simple procedure Is now a major surgery. The mass is now the entire length of my thigh and I’ll be laid up at home for the entire month of February.

Watching the emotional video posted by Lavelle Dunn on his @thelavelleshow TikTok channel you can’t help but wonder if like most things, the potential ban of the social media platform giant, TikTok, will disproportionately effect the Black and Queer like nearly every societal issue has. Although there have always been complaints that the algorithm favors white influencers, BIPOC creators and specially Black, Queer creators have found life changing success and popularity on the platform. Where do they go and what do they do now?

Social media certainly comes with it’s danger and societal ills but it has also become the great equalizer that makes every one a reporter. Recorded videos of police brutality, footage of missing people and broadcasted bad behavior of racists in public have arguably brought more justice to the Black community than any law enforcement agency ever has. The compounded levels of persecution that come with Intersectionality mean that members of the Black LGBTQ community face all of the prejudice and lack of opportunity of Blackness coupled with the homophobia and Transphobia that comes with Queerness. That means fewer opportunities by far, less access to self-promotion whether you are a brand, musician, creator or personality as well as the loss of community that is statically invaluable and life saving for members of marginalized communities. It may sound crazy, but not only may the TikTok ban end people’s careers, it may be the catalyst to some people in crisis, taking their own lives.

(December 20, 2024) - CBS42 in Alabama reports that an 18yr old young Black Trans woman was found murdered on the 600 block of East 35th Avenue in Tuscaloosa, Alabama by the Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit on December 16th.

The victim, Cameron Thompson, who went by “Cam” was believed to have been shot just after midnight early Monday morning. She left her home late the night before but her mother contacted police the next day after returning from her night shift and discovering Cam’s purse and other items were still in her room. The family was unable to reach her by phone and became concerned. Upon contacting police, Cam’s mother was informed about the deceased person that had been discovered in a yard near the street with a GSW and her mother identified her.

The family is supportive and

Calm down, let’s talk through this. We don't know how this is going to turn out. You're getting worked up for nothing. It's still early in the night, maybe we should go to bed and not watch the results. I know, I know, the people have failed us before but maybe it'll be different this time. You got to breathe, buddy. Stop watching. We did our part; we showed up; we voted; we educated others and campaigned for others to vote. Yes, I know that our freedoms are under attack. Yes, I know you're stressed but you are going to have to breathe or we’re going to pass out. Our wife is worried that we are going to stroke out. I know it's stressing you out. That's why I said, “stop watching the results. It's still too early to tell. Let’s go to bed, it will be ok in the morning…… I can't believe it! What.. don't say you told me so. I thought our people would do the right thing. How could they fail us this way? How are we going to make it out in the next four years?

[Photograph by Mamadi Doumbouya 2021]

(December 9, 2024) - Born Yolanda Cornelia Giovanni, Jr., on June 7, 1943, in Knoxville, Tenn., Nikki Giovanni’s mastery of language, narration of a movement and sheer brilliance will forever carve her place in history. Battling her third bout of cancer, Giovanni passed on December 9, 2024. Giovanni leaves a lifetime of art and words that unapologetically describe the struggle, intersectionality, longing, race and revolution. She was above all else and before it was en vogue, authentic, raw and unapologetically Black. Nikki famously said in an interview with Rachel Martin that she didn’t care about her legacy but there were moments that made her proud,

On the last Thursday of the month, many Americans take part in the time-honored tradition of reflecting on the arrival of the pilgrims. As I’ve grown older, I’ve become more determined to ensure that we don’t forget the darker side of this history. While I certainly appreciate the day off work and the delicious food prepared, I recognize that this day often glorifies a tragedy that should never have occurred—especially when it’s celebrated with a dry turkey that clearly was not brined!

Blaque/OUT Editor, Tamara Leigh sat down for an exclusive interview with Activist and Advocate, Hope Giselle to talk about her bold Washington, DC Bathroom Installation in response to Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) recent bathroom and facility ban affecting Trans and nonbinary people on Capitol Hill.

The policy, which Johnson announced in November to block Rep.-elect Sarah McBride (D-Del.) from using women's restrooms, saw demonstrations on the days of and following Gender-Affirming Care being argued before the Nation’s highest court. The protests included Hope Giselle’s now viral “Meeting in the Ladies Room” dance video and 13 protesters being arrested the following day for “violating the Washington, D.C., code against crowding, obstructing or incommoding,” while sitting-in and chanting in a Capitol Hill restroom and hallway. Arrests included Chelsea Manning and Raquel Willis.

Hope organized a small group of TGNC community members who danced through a Capitol bathroom that these policies have blocked them out of. Met with both cheers and criticism from inside and outside of Queer spaces.

Hope says her goal was, “to go into these same restrooms that we were told our kind, our community, would not be welcomed into and simply create a space where people understood and recognized and realized that it ain’t that serious...Trans folks are not in the restroom to harm people. If anything, we are in there to have a dance party. That is likely the most outrageous thing a Trans person is going to be doing in a restroom”

To those that criticize her for seeming to “make light” of such a serious issue, Hope says, “people are used to us yelling and screaming and getting arrested and being pepper sprayed and they’re used to seeing the parts of our activations that come with the trauma. They are not used to seeing us activate in ways that also center our joy.”

Watch the full interview on Blaque/OUT Mag TV on YouTube.

(December 5, 2024) - Today, equality org, Gender Liberation Movement (GLM) led dozens of social justice activists and allies in a “Bathroom Sit-In” at a congressional bathroom. The bathroom was positioned very closely to Speaker Mike Johnson’s office who is implementing Rep. Nancy Mace's policy banning Trans people from using restrooms in government buildings. Protestors with banners that read, “FLUSH BATHROOM BIGOTRY” and chanted from inside the Women’s restroom and down the halls were arrested by Capital police. Chelsea Manning, GLM co-founder Raquel Willis, abortion liberation activist Renee Bracey Sherman, and other social justice leaders were among the individuals that were removed and detained by police.

The fear is that the proposal to expand bill H. RES. 1579 would ban bathroom access for Trans people in all federal buildings and could extend to educational institutions, museums, and other public landmarks. Opponents of the bill insist this move will not only compromise the safety of Trans women but put everyone including cis-gender women at risk.

Watch the full interview with Javannah Davis on Blaque/OUT Mag TV on Youtube

Photos by Alexa B Wilkinson

(December 5, 2024) - News broke this week that Syracuse Justice, Felicia Pitts Davis refused to marry a lesbian couple in a civil ceremony in the Central New York city in mid-November. Shawntay Davis, 33, and Niccora Davis, 29 watched an opposite sex couple before them be married by Judge Pitts-Davis without issue but when it was their turn to step forward, the judge walked out with what one of the brides called, “a disgusted look” not to return. A second judge came out and took over leaving the couple confused and disheartened. They tried to enjoy their special day but thoughts of what happened and it’s implications lingered. The couple says they aren’t looking to punish the Judge but do hope this doesn’t happen to another couple. The Post-Standard cited two unnamed sources who said Pitts Davis told Doherty (the judge who stepped in) that she didn't want to marry the two women due to her "religious beliefs."

Pitts Davis was referred to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct while Gov. Kathy Hochul,

(December 4, 2024) - Chase Strangio, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, made history today as the 1st Transgender lawyer to argue In front of Supreme Court. Strangio is representing 3 Trans teens and a doctor challenging the constitutionality of the state of Tennessee’s ban on medical intervention for Trans affirming care. As the country anxiously awaits the Supreme Court decision, the looming take-over of Trump's cabinet brings the likelihood that the AG he approves will ban medical transition on a Federal level to very closely resemble the Tennessee ban thats being argued. Over 100 people waited