Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2022 i GAY TIMES

In both the UK and US, October is a moment to reflect on our past. In the UK it’s Black History Month, while in the US it is LGBT History Month. They represent two histories that have too often been whitewashed, suppressed and rarely taught in the way that they should. History is told by those who write it, which up until now has overwhelmingly been the heterosexual white cisgender male. But things are shifting and progress is being made. Marginalised voices are being allowed to tell their own stories more and more, and those history books are beginning to truly reflect the society and experiences we live. This issue of GAY TIMES Magazine reflects on queer Black history, but largey focusses on celebrating the intersection of Blackness and queerness…

Tens across the board!”, “Category is…” Phrases like these have “Tens become instantly recognisable in queer spaces. We hit the dance floor when Renaissance plays and find our hands framing our face; voguing almost instinctive. Yet, little is know of the Ballroom origins of queer vernacular. Shows like HBO’s Legendary and Ryan Murphy’s Pose have turned the spotlight on the once underground Ballroom scene, and the Black trans women who established it are finally being celebrated by mainstream audiences. But make no mistake, after the final credits roll, Ballroom’s story is far from over. “Without the balls, pop culture as it is today wouldn’t exist, we wouldn’t have all of the amazing music we have and the creative side of the queer community wouldn’t exist in the way it does…

“It solidified me as a voice and a global phenomenon,” Ts Madison says of her collaboration with Beyoncé. The pop icon’s seventh studio album, Renaissance, has been lauded as one of her best with fans and critics commending her homage to the Black and queer pioneers of music and ballroom. Sampling Ts Madison’s viral video Bitch I’m Black, Cozy debuted inside the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, with Madison - and producer Honey Dijon - making history in the process as the first Black trans women to chart. “I know [Beyoncé] watched me because there are things that I’ve done, like in the words she says, ‘Dancing in the mirror, kiss my scars because I love what they made,’” Madison tells GAY TIMES. “There’s videos of me dancing,…

Daily Paper Nemi Pants, £130, available at uk.dailypaperclothing.com Daily Paper is an Amsterdam-based fashion and lifestyle brand established in 2012 by three childhood friends. Starting out as a blog, the creators Hussein, Jefferson and Abderrahmane shared a love for music, art, fashion, and culture and grew the brand into a household name. Fueled by the rich heritage of African culture wrapped in contemporary designs, Daily Paper has truly become one of the fastest growing fashion brands out of Europe. With two collections a year focusing on both men and womenswear, Daily Paper offers timeless designs across accessories, ready to wear and a range of capsules across the season, and these jeans are no different. The classic straight leg denim in a mid-wash blue will never go out of style, but…

For queer Black people, having safe spaces is essential. They’re places that are intrinsically linked to who we are and what we experience. The comfort of having a physical environment to unabashedly be ourselves cannot be understated. But over the decades, how that has manifested has evolved greatly. Being Black and LGBTQ+ are not mutually exclusive identifiers. With the abundance of venues cropping up that are targeted towards queer and Black demographics respectively, there should also be locales which are intended for when such identities converge. In a digitalised era, real-life venues, meeting places and social groups that pertain to the Black and queer experience often feel hard to come by. But that wasn’t always the case. Black LGBTQ+ individuals found ways to meet before the introduction of tech, and…

One of the UK’s brightest new music stars talks about her creative process and industry impact. Dréya Mac has had an enormous year and she’s just getting started. Though her schedule is busier than ever, her composed demeanour suggests otherwise. With rapping, singing, choreographing and directing all under her belt, Dréya proved she was one to watch back in April 2020 with her debut single Skippin. But in 2021 she reached new heights, bursting onto the global scene when her song Own Brand Freestyle featuring FelixThe1st went viral on social media, becoming an international earworm and reaching over 80 million streams on Spotify. In 2022 the star has continued to make waves with tracks as lyrically stirring as they are catchy, and her fans include Kehlani and Rihanna. So far…