BLAQUE/OUT MAGAZINE Nov 2024

NOVEMBER

2024 ISSUE #050

TRANS

DAY

OF

REMEMBRANCE

TRANS

AWARENESS

WEEK

M A G A Z I N E

INTRODUCING

T.R.A.I.I.BLAQUE/OUT

TRANS REMEMBRANCE ARCHIVE AND INFORMATION INDEX

FREE RESOURCE FOR ACTIVISTS, ORGS, MEDIA & ORGANIZERS TO CREATE CHANGE

INTERVIEW EXCLUSIVES AUTHOR OF

KB BROOKINS “PRETTY”

DOMINIQUE MORGAN

IN HER LAST INTERVIEW BEFORE BEING INDICTED

DR. TELESA HART

CONTENTS

BLAQUE/OUT MAGAZINE IS A MONTHLY DIGITAL PUBLICATION CENTERED FIRMLY IN BLACK & BROWN QUEER QULTURE. WE FEATURE WRITERS, ARTISTS, PHOTOGRAPHERS, CREATIVES AND INFLUENCERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. WE ARE WORDS. WE ARE ART. WE ARE FASHION. WE ARE CULTURE. WE ARE MUSIC. WE ARE PROTEST. WE ARE WHERE BLAQUE QUEER CULTURE LIVES.

11 INTRODUCING T.R.A.I.I.

TAMARA S. LEIGH, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

07 NOVEMBER RAIN VICTORIA VON BLAQUE

14 TDOR 2024 25 YEARS

03 ...a word Editor, Tamara Leigh 05 Columnists & Contributors 09 Old Man’s Corner E.L. Winston 16 Book Therapy KB Brookins, “Pretty” 19 Living In The Light Dominique Morgan 21 I’ll Huff & I’ll Puff Immani Love 23 The Winstons 25 POETRY: You & I

by Ashanti Taylor-Alexander

AJ BROWN page 22 WWW.ISSUU.COM/BLAQUEOUTMAG WWW.BLAQUEOUT.COM FOR ADVERTISING: ADVERTISING@BLAQUEOUTMAG.COM FOR SUBMISSIONS: TAMARALEIGH@BLAQUEOUTMAG.COM

26 Let’s Breez Thru: Dr. Telesa Hart 36 Whosoever Engages Pastor Roni

COPY EDITOR: RONI WINSTON ADVERTISING ACCOUNT MANAGER: DOREEN SCANLAN

FIND US ON FACEBOOK, IG, TIKTOK. TO SUBSCRIBE TO BLAQUE MAGAZINE, VISIT: HTTPS://ISSUU.COM/STORE/PUBLISHERS/BLAQUEOUTMAG/SUBSCRIBE

03 NOV 2024 | ISSUE# 050

cover art

a word.

November is an Incredibly heavy month.

TDOR month Is always hard. There Is pride & glory In standing behind and supporting our Trans sibs. But you never get used to seeing the pictures and reading the stories.

One person Is too many and there are SO many stories.

As I sit here writing, the election Is less than a week away. I had to talk myself Into voting for Biden but I was ready. When Kamala was chosen, I was Immediately both overwhelmed with pride and terrified. With a big mouth from New York but a current address In Florida, that pride and terror has flooded back to me this week. I wasn’t sure If she was electable but her campaign has done a masterful job, the D9 activated and as usual, Black women are showing up in force. You cannot convince me that Black women aren’t magical super heroes. I remember sitting and watching the numbers flip for both of Obama’s elections. It was almost a bigger deal when he was reelected.

I anticipate the same piercing anxiety this election day as both of those, maybe worse.

I’m terrified If she doesn’t win and kind of nervous about what happens next If she does. But I’ve adopted this die on your feet opposed to living on your knees mentality and I’ve learned that I’m way better at fighting for what I believe than allowing the worst to just happen. We have campaigned, we have done voter drives and we created T.R.A.I.I. If they take us out, we’re gonna get carried out fighting. Now It’s your turn.

VOTE. Show up. It matters and our lives depend on It. Don’t let them convince you It doesn’t matter. Win or lose, you let your voice be HEARD. Go Kamala, Go!

#WeAreNotGoingBack

Tamara Sanaa Leigh Editor-In-Chief

GET ALL THE BLACK & BROWN, QUEER & TRANS CULTURE & CONTENT YOU LOVE STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX AND SAVE 60% 12MO FOR ONLY $29.99!

HTTPS://ISSUU.COM/STORE/PUBLISHERS/ BLAQUEOUTMAG/SUBSCRIBE

BlaqueOUT columnists & contributors Javannah J. Davis (she/her) resides in Rochester, NY where she has worked in healthcare for 19 years, is a self-published author, Founder/President of W.A.V.E Women Inc & CEO/Owner of Linjé Enterprises LLC. Javannah is passionate about healing, self-love, self actualization & helping others to live the best of their lives in a healthy way.

E.L. Winston of Fayetteville, NC (He,Him, His) Trans Community Advocate, CoFounder of Lambda Gamma Omega Nu Fraternity. Just your everyday introspective old man and 1 half of Team Winston

Ashanti S. Taylor-Alexander (she/her) is a life educated poet who believes in riding each wave of this world to the fullest. She is passionate about writing poems people can truly feel. Have a subject throw it at her and she'll make a master piece! Founder of Pulse Poetry Magazine.

Tina Marie Jones (she/her/hers) Founder of Uncover, LLC, mother of 4, activist, motivator, and columnist.

Lade Breez (He/Her/Them) is an award winning 3x published author, publisher, philanthropist, humanitarian, motivational speaker, life coach, event host, youth tutor, artist developer & spoken word artist. Owner & founder of Express Me Poetry Business Services & Events, & Educated Blessyns LLC, improving this world one stage at a time.

ExpressMePoetry.com

Roni Winston aka The Mrs. aka Pastor Roni (She/Her/Hers) Fayettevlle, NC. Minister, educator, entrepreneur, couples' coach, writer, mom, and grandma. Half . of Team Winston.

Immani Love, (she/her) A Lesbian Erotic Poet, Author, Ordained Minister, Freelance Writer, Real Estate Agent, and overall witty, seductress with the voice of a Siren. An educated Vixen in sunny St. Pete, Florida.

Mel Howard (he/him) Resides in Newport News, Virginia where he worked in finance industry for over 5years, is a columnists for BlaqueOUT Magazine and Founder/President of THRIVING TRANSMEN OF COLOR. Mel is passionate about community, self acceptance and forgiveness.

Courtney L (she/her) designer, developer, business owner, who loves to travel. When she is not doing that she loves to write poetry, a bit of a nerd, spend time with family and friends and help people learn technology. She lives in Los Angeles, with her dog.

Victoria Von Blaque, NYC (she/her/hers) A seductive, alluring, Black non-binary Trans femme. An Influential speaker on Equity, Inclusion, & LGBTQ competency. Author of Titty-Confessions.

GET REGISTERED HTTPS://WWW.VOTE.ORG/

CHECK MY REGISTRATION STATUS

HTTPS://WWW.NASS.ORG/CAN-I-VOTE

WHAT IS ON MY BALLOT? HTTPS://WWW.VOTE411.ORG/BALLOT LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CANDIDATES IN LOCAL, STATE AND NATIONAL RACES

HTTPS://WWW.VOTE411.ORG ANTI-EQUALITY CANDIDATES

HTTPS://WWW.HRC.ORG/RESOURCES/2024-REPUBLICAN-CANDIDATES

ANTI-LGBTQIA+ ISSUES ON THE BALLOT HTTPS://BALLOTPEDIA.ORG/LGBT_ISSUES_ON_THE_BALLOT NATIONAL LGBTQ TASKFORCE: HTTPS://WWW.THETASKFORCE.ORG/PROGRAMS/QUEERINGDEMOCRACY/QUEER-THE-VOTE/

HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN: HTTPS://WWW.HRC.ORG/CAMPAIGNS/HRC-VOTING-CENTER

GLAAD: HTTPS://GLAAD.ORG/VOTE/

PFLAG: HTTPS://PFLAG.ORG/PRESS/LOVEVOTES/

MAGAZINE

As someone who identifies as a Black, non-binary Transfemme, November holds a special significance for me; it’s Trans Awareness Month. This time of year serves as a poignant reminder for us to reflect on our Trans siblings who have been lost to violence. While I was online looking for updates about my siblings, I felt compelled to search for "November awareness" and see what would come up.

As you can see from the images, there’s a glaring absence of information about Trans people. This serves as a not-sogentle reminder that, although this topic is incredibly important to me, the wider world often doesn’t acknowledge or care about our struggles. This is partly why, when a sibling is taken from us, their stories rarely receive coverage. When they do, we often face misgendering, deadnaming, and narratives that imply it was our fault. I’m not particularly into politics, except for issues that resonate with me, but with Trans Awareness Month coinciding with election season, it feels like the perfect opportunity to highlight our erasure simply because we dare to live our truth. If we’re not visible now, and if we have to resort to niche Google searches to find anything about us, just imagine the consequences if Project 2025 becomes a reality and our identities are reduced to mere pornographic material. We shouldn’t have to exist in the shadows, accepting subpar healthcare, jobs, and housing opportunities.

TiTTYVictoria Von Blaque

I think of Vanity Williams, known as Vixen on Twitter Spaces, who supported me during a dark time in my life while I was living in Atlanta. Though our schedules never allowed us to meet in person, she was always kind and encouraging to everyone in the room. She had a unique way of commanding attention while being gentle. Even though I didn’t know her extremely well, her death hit me hard.

She was someone I had meaningful conversations with, shared laughs with, and had serious moments with. She dreamed of being a nurse after serving in the Air Force and wanted to open a medi-spa. It’s heartbreaking that this beautiful young woman was taken from us; as this incident shows, we’re not even safe in our own homes. I’m grateful that they at least apprehended someone in her case, but it serves as a reminder of how many of our siblings’ murderers remain at large.

Outside our community, this issue hardly gets a mention, yet people often criticize us for engaging in sex work.

While everyone is eager to discuss the presidential election—which is important, and I hope you make informed decisions—we must also pay attention to what local governments are doing. In many cases, especially concerning Black and Brown QTBIPOC communities, they tend to skirt around the issues that matter to us while doing nothing to support us. I encourage everyone to research the candidates in your districts and make informed choices. I’m tired of having Trans Day of Remembrance. I’m exhausted from hearing about relatives, siblings, and friends who were taken from this world far too soon. Rest in power, Vanity, and all the other siblings we’ve lost to ignorance, Transphobia, misogynoir, gun violence, and internalized hatred.

If you truly consider yourself an ally, coconspirator, or accomplice, don’t just show your support in front of us. Check in with your family and friends to ensure the message spreads because we are dying, often too soon. If you don’t stand up for what’s right, you may find there won’t be any Trans people left to admire. The work is now!

TiTTYVictoria Von Blaque

THE OLD MAN'S CORNER E.L. WINSTON Ask yourself, ‘where we would be if Rosa Parks wasn't tired of giving up her seat or if Malcolm never heeded the call of Islam’? What if the Stonewall Riot never happened? All of these moments define us.

Listen, we are literally in a fight for our lives in 4 days.

Americans will be making one of the most important decisions any American can make: Who will run our country? If you are Black, Brown, a woman, and/or part of the LGBTQIA community, it is imperative that we have our voices heard loud and clear. Do not listen to people who tell you that our voices don't matter and that our votes don't count. If that was the case, they wouldn’t try so hard to make it harder for us to do so. People died to give you the right to decide who you want to speak for you, so don't just piss that right away.

As we get ready to honor those we’ve lost on Trans Day of Remembrance, let us not forget that for the 25th year in a row we are saying the names of Black and Brown Trans people being

unalived.

Unfortunately,

often

by

family

and

acquaintances, are these occurrences random or carried out by strangers and you still think our voices don't need to be heard?

For change to happen one must start with the belief that it is possible. It will never be easy because those who hold power over those who don't aren't just going to give it away. There is a fight that takes place to be seen and heard in a system built to oppress us. It is our responsibility to work to dismantle any system created to take away our rights or that says we are less deserving of rights as any other set of people.

As sure as there is trauma in our DNA, there is also resilience and creativity and most of all grit. It is in the moment of adversity that you find out what you are truly made of and we've come to that moment. I’m not telling you how to vote, but I am telling you to vote. The days of letting things happen to you are gone. We must be the captains of our own fate, the protectors of our own freedoms. No one is coming to save us; we must save ourselves.

If you are scared to go to the polls by yourself, get your friends together and y’all have a voting party, get informed on who's on the ballot and if they align with your needs and beliefs. After all, these people, if elected, are supposed to have your best interest at heart. If you're not educated on how the voting system works, please educate yourself on that as well so you can make informed decisions.

Google is your best friend. So now that we've had this talk I want you to do an old man a favor and GO VOTE!

A Straight Trans-Masc Man & A Queer CisWoman LIVE! talking about life, love, relationships, politics & all the tea , y a d ...for Sun mber Nove 17th 3rd &5PM

@

a E T E N’ T. E w/

T

he On t OUT / e u Blaq ne FB i z a Mag Page

INTRODUCING T.R.A.I.I.

November 2024, Blaque/OUT Magazine introduces the Trans Remembrance Archive and Information Index. This Geographic Information System, developed by GIS Scholars, Inc., a non-profit comprised of youth and a talented team of advisors, utilizes data collection and complex mapping with a goal of reducing poverty and crime in the inner-city neighborhoods of Rochester, NY and beyond. With the financial backing of philanthropist Eileen Amy Ryan, GIS was able to expand that mapping technology to include the entire United States and catalog years worth of homicides of individuals of the Trans, GNC, and Non-Binary experiences. This free, publicly accessible tool can be utilized to demonstrate the deep need for intervention, better identify patterns and locations of the highest frequency of incidences as well as hopefully help to secure funding for the people on the ground, doing the work to end this epidemic of transmissia and violence.

TAMARA LEIGH

For as long as I can remember, I’ve spent the fall planning, coordinating and facilitating Trans Day of Remembrance events. If you’ve done that work, it feels like an incredible honor to be able to pay tribute to beautiful souls stolen from us all too soon.

Standing in that place, surrounded by family, saying their names has power. It too is incredibly heavy, indescribably sad and terrifying. You almost always know someone personally.

If not, you always know someone who did and the incredibly real understanding that anyone could be next, that it could have been anyone in the room and someone may not make it back to that room the next year is palpable.

As a cis woman, in every event I’ve planned, I try to make sure that Black and Brown Trans voices are heard first and loudest and I try to take on the work that can be the most emotionally taxing so others don’t have to.

That usually includes spending most of November looking up the names and pictures of the lost to share them, to list them, to catalog them, to post them, to say them, to print them. The names and faces follow me every day then forward. I will always remember when Mel Groves’ friend told me that he was more than 39 and that the media and organizations had reduced his life to the 39th victim of murder of a Trans person in 2021, so from

then on I was careful to note the number but not make each person only a number in Mel’s memory. I will always remember that Kitty Monroe had four little dogs she loved named after foreign cities. I will remember sitting at Jenny DeLeon’s funeral messing with the yellow trench coat I had on, only understanding every few words because the service was almost all in Spanish. But I’ll also remember the service, outside by the water, we planned for her and the people showing up from all over the Bay and how grateful her sister was that there was a ceremony that remembered her as who she was, who she chose to be. I’ll carry every profile with me always but that never felt like enough.

A few years ago, I met a passionate man named Joseph Becker while working on a project in Rochester, NY. Experts from many different fields were brought in to consult: on the city, racial unrest, redlining, gun violence, youth, victimology, crime prevention, mental health, Black culture, community organizations etc. I was tasked to center equity and the LGBTQ community in this large project for that city that sought to quantify, address and make recommendations around the gun violence that had been plaguing the city. Joseph was working with an org called GIS Scholars, Inc. which trained youth to learn and utilize geospatial technology.

Brainchild of Thomas Cuyler, they layered In socio-economic factors to create advanced mapping systems that charted locations of shootings, victims, victimology and allowed you to search each incident, and layer year to year.

The visual was a phenomenal tool to better identify neighborhoods and people most at risk.

In 2024, I contacted Joseph to ask if I collected and categorized all of the available data for Trans victims of homicide in the US, if GIS Scholars, Inc. could create something similar for me. That was how the Blaque/OUT T.R.A.I.I. (Trans Remembrance Archive and Information Index), pronounced “try”, was born.

Planning the events, telling the stories, being a voice is important but it felt like it was time for Blaque/OUT to do something more, to maybe prevent some of these fatalities instead of just reporting on them. It is our hope that this tool can be utilized to not just be a vehicle to remember (which in itself is so important) but as a tool to help organizations secure funding, as a way to better demonstrate to

representatives and politicians the importance of addressing violence visited upon Trans folks in their areas and for investigators to be better able to see and establish patterns of who and where we are dying in their jurisdictions.

Each year when we read the names it is sobering. Seeing each and every person for years and years plotted on a map and the ability to read each story takes your breath away. This year for TDOR, we won’t just say 2024 names, we hope to bring you every single one we can research for over half of a decade. If it saves just one life, it is more than worth it.

So what does the data tell us?

Human Rights Campaign, amongst other organizations have been researching, compiling and analyzing this data for over a decade. Read their most recent report, The Epidemic of Violence Against the Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Community in the United States from 2023. Sadly, a year later, very few of the statistics they report have changed. Black Trans Women are overwhelmingly the victims. Women of color, always the most at risk. They are overwhelmingly young, 30 and under. They are from a cross section of states with Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania reporting the highest incidents. In general, “blue” states that have passed some Trans Protection legislation, report fewer murders of Trans folks highlighting the incredible need for these protections. “Red” states with active Anti-Trans legislation trend higher in the murders of Trans community members

showing the impact of that rhetoric. But even “safe haven”, “blue” states like California and New York still show notable incidents per capita, meaning legislation is only one of the fights towards changing the pattern of violence. Access, affordable and safe housing, poverty, employability and Anti-public sentiment make violence against our Trans brothers and sisters a national and international issue, not just a regional one. The violence itself takes all forms but victims are overwhelmingly experiencing gun violence, in a country that seems unwilling and unable to pass gun control bills to save lives.

This data isn’t new. It exists and activists, organizations and community members have been screaming it from the rooftops year after year. HRC logged a tragic record breaking year in 2020 and again in 2021. One person lost to violence is too many, but in 2022 and 2023 the numbers started to trend down to rates not seen since pre-2018 numbers. The motivation to start this project came early in 2024 when that felt like it perhaps was changing. As of October 2024, Blaque/OUT cataloged 31 people with two months left in the year and December statistically being the third most dangerous month of the year for Trans community members means 2024 may surpass 2023 meaning the numbers are once again going up instead of down.

The information isn’t new. Those of us living in and working with the LGBTQIA+ community know it all too well. The T.R.A.I.I. system is and it is our hope that it may become one more tool to keep our names alive and help to make our communities safer with a visual representation of the data

that haunts so many of us. It will be open to the public and free to use for any individual or organization out here doing the work. #WeKeepUsSafe Thank you to E.L. Winston and Tee Douglas for your work on this project. Thank you to Joseph Becker, Aness Jaff, Thomas Cuyler and the GIS Scholars, Inc. team.

Thank you to Eileen Amy Ryan for your financial support in this project and all you do to make the world a better place for us all.

Thank you.

Adrian Price, Intelligence and Foreign Disclosure Analyst and Public Administration Doctoral Student and Educator, and magazine contributor Angelique Davis for pouring over the data and creating the Data Analysis that brought both this project and article to life.

THE TECHNOLOGY The geospatial technology that supports the T.R.A.I.I. Is truly fascinating and was created to reduce poverty and crime. The GIS Scholars have utilized It for countless different applications and joined with Blaque/OUT to create a tool to be used to reduce and one day eliminate the violence that plagues the Trans community. Blaque/OUT Magazine’s E.L. Winston sat down with Thomas Cuyler, Joseph Becker and newly appointed Director, Aness Jaff to learn more about the technology behind the tool. The T.R.A.I.I. Is only In Its infancy. GIS has plans to explore and expand the functionality and information that It holds to include personal stories, hate crimes, further analysis of Individual communities who report higher frequencies of incidents and beyond. If you are a part of an organization interested In helping us explore the tool and what It can do, reach out to tamaraleigh@blaqueout.com. Watch to learn more about the technology behind the T.R.A.I.I.

Honee Moffitt Daniels

Redd, (Barbie)

Kassim Omar

Dylan Gurley

Pauly Likens

Vanity Williams

Monique Brooks

Liara Tsai

Tai’Vion Lathan

Kenji Spurgeon

Jazlynn Johnson

Shannon Boswell

Yella (Robert) Clark Jr

Michelle Henry

Brandon "Tayy Dior" Thomas

Reyna Hernandez

BOOK therapy B O O K

R E V I E W S

B Y

E L

W I N S T O N

KB Brookins’ memoir left me feeling seen and understood. His openness about the journey to and through transition was sometimes hard to read but also inspiring and uplifting in other instances. This is the kind of book we need more of as Black Trans men. It isn't often that we see ourselves reflected in books or movies, etc . I think it's important for the young men coming up that these types of works are out there, for them to see themselves, to see that this authentic life is possible.

This memoir was written very differently than any memoir I've read. It's a combination of storytelling and poems. It took some getting used to but this style of writing fit perfectly into this memoir and kept me engaged the whole way through. In the chapter “How I Learned to Love My Chest” KB talks about his first time in a binder and, I swear, I felt like I was reading my own experience. The poem, “Texas An Exodus” speaks to the concerns of being Trans in Texas. The vulnerability of finding self love and acceptance in this book is so raw, so deeply moving and relatable. This is a much needed story of Blackness, Queerness and masculinity that should be the source of conversation around a lot of tables.

Once we arrived at the KB’s journey through church hurt and what that looked like for a Black Queer person was hard to read being a man of faith. It breaks my heart to see the damage that the Black church has and still continues to do to our young folks. My hope is that the more books like these that speak that pain out loud we will be able to have real discussions about that harm. Then, create safe healing spaces around those conversations. Also, KB dives into and talks about this toxic masculinity culture that has to be talked about. It brings up the question of why we fall into that as Trans and masculine queer folks and how do we move on from it.

Overall, this book was an awesome read. It is an experience. You should really do yourself a favor and read this book.

book therapy

W I T H

E . L .

&

T H E

T E R R Y

J .

B O O K

B A N G E R Z

B O O K

C L U B

B E N T O N - W A L K E R

SITTING DOWN WITH KB BROOKINS TO TALK ABOUT HIS MEMOIR, PRETTY WAS AN AMAZING DISCUSSION ABOUT SELF-LOVE AND DISCOVERY THAT YOU MOST CERTAINLY DO NOT WANT TO MISS. SO PULL UP A SEAT AND HANG OUT WITH US FOR A BIT, I PROMISE IT’S GOING BE A GREAT CONVERSATION.

book therapy

book therapy W I T H

E . L .

&

T H E

B O O K

B A N G E R Z

B O O K

C L U B

JOIN US FOR CONVERSATION ABOUT OUR BOOK OF THE MONTH ON THE 15TH OF EVERY MONTH ON FB & IG LIVE @BLAQUEOUTMAG & @BOOKTHERAPYWITHEL

nov 15th 7pm

HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR WINSTON ABOUT THE BOOK? EMAIL: ELWINSTONBLAQUEOUT@GMAIL.COM

Living In The interview‌ Light‌‌ W/JAVANNAH DAVIS

DOMINIQUE

MORGAN

O

ne of my favorite stories when I was little was The 3 Little Pigs. It was the story of triumph for the little guys against the Big Bad Wolf that spoke to me. When I read the story, the Leo actress in me would read with different voices for the pigs and the Wolf and of course all the required sound effects of the huffing and puffing to make the story as realistic as possible. I never understood why the pigs would even consider the houses with straw or sticks when a brick house was available! I mean yeah, they might have been slacking but at the end of the day, those little pigs were safe inside that sturdy, strong, new brick building. Huffing and puffing be damned, nothing was shaking that house!

A few weeks ago I met a Big, Bad, Wolf but I was much more prepared than those little pigs as far as I was concerned. I didn’t bother with a straw house or a house made of sticks. My home is solid, brand new brick, and to top it off, it’s 4 stories high so that Wolf would have to huff and puff pretty hard to blow my house down. He was menacing, I’ll give him that. He started out trash talking for a few days before he approached me, talking about how Big and Bad he was and how he was gonna blow my house down.

Not gonna lie, he had a lot of other little pigs in the area scared and they left their homes just in case he was as Big and Bad as he proclaimed. But I wasn’t going anywhere. He could huff and puff all he wanted but he was NOT gonna blow my house down. When he arrived, he was every bit as scary as he said he was. He huffed and puffed for hours! The eerie howling shook the windows making me think at any moment they would break. He huffed and puffed at my 4 story building like he was cooling off his food and ready to eat us little piggies for a midnight snack.

I’LL HUFF AND I’LL PUFF IMMANI LOVE

It was a long night and as the day began to break, that Big Bad Wolf had finally run out of wind and his huffing and puffing finally subsided to just still air. The sun came out, the birds returned and began to sing as if signaling the final credits of a horror movie. That Big Bad Wolf, Hurricane Milton, had finally left our home and my family and I were safe and sound inside our brick house.

Over the last few weeks, Florida has been hit with two devastating hurricanes, Helene and Milton, that shook our little paradise to its core. Two Big Bad Wolves that Huffed and Puffed and blew many houses down. Massive destruction from rain, flooding, and of course lots of wind. Families have lost everything they own, long standing landmarks have been destroyed, and people are now trying to rebuild their lives.

There are many organizations trying to help those who have lost in these disasters and we appreciate those of you who choose to donate to help with these efforts. As a member of a local organization that strives to help POC Lesbian Women, I encourage you to consider donating to Tampa Bay Black Lesbians, Inc. We have been doing our best to help our community with food, clothes, and needed items to rebuild their homes and every dollar of financial support helps. Please visit https://tampabayblacklesbians.org to donate. We want to make this a story of triumph for the little guys against the Big Bad Wolves that Huffed and Puffed and blew their houses down.

Featured Cover Artist AJ

Brown Howdy, I’m Augustus—everyone calls me AJ. I am a creative. Making music, writing, designing, dancing and crafting are a few of my favorite things. I’m a Cancer, Libra Rising, Virgo Moon. Emotionally complex, analytical to the 10th and and innocent freak.

I’m an entrepreneur and the founder of AJ B CREATIVE | Creative Studio, where I offer a range of services including audio production, graphic design, video editing, and writing. My passion lies in helping ideas come to life in fresh, impactful ways. Check out my work at www.ajbcreative.space or follow me on Instagram @aj_b_creative.

Beyond work, I’m fueled by travel and adventure—my furthest journey so far was to Chiang Mai, Thailand, and my dream is to explore West Africa. Nature and animals are my favorites. Dogs and cats love me.

Birds and squirrels sing when I play my djembe.

I also create self-produced tracks you can groove to, available on all streaming platforms under AJ B CREATIVE. Say hello! I love meeting new people. You can reach me at theajbcreative@gmail.com *I am in the final stages of publishing my first book of poetry. I’ll send you the link when you email me. It’s good. I’m a good writer.

Loves lives In Us....

Love lives in us, the Winstons…and we want to share a little bit of it with you. Falling is an accident. It happens when we find ourselves on uneven ground or we trip over something that we didn’t notice was there. It can leave us bruised, battered, and even broken. It is not something we enjoy, but for some reason, when it comes to love we expect to fall rather than walk into it with our heads high and our eyes open. Just like we try to be aware of our surroundings so that we don’t fall on our butts, shouldn’t we be just as cognizant of the person we are connected to?

The Mrs. Recently, a friend asked me when I knew Winston was my person. Oh how, I smiled to go back to that memory…but wasn’t it that other moment too? Or what about that other time?

See, the reality is that there were so many little things that created those moments and are still creating those moments for me. He makes my heart pitter patter after 10 years of hearing that voice, that laugh, and those same quirky behaviors.

I met him, fell for him, but we have survived this life together because I didn’t get stuck in the accident. It is the intentional care for my concerns, the incessant flirting, the willingness to hear my heart, and the maturity to continue growing that sustains us. I truly believe God created us for each other, but I don’t find it an accident that we are successful. We put in the work it requires to love and choose each other every day.

LOVE LIVES IN US...

The Winstons WINSTON AND THE MRS. (E.L. AND RONI)

Winston So I saw this video of this poet where the poet said “I want to be in love on purpose/I don't think I want to fall”. The whole poem spoke to me, but that part more than anything because every moment from the first moment with The Mrs. has been on purpose from doing little things to get her to smile to paying attention to the small stuff to know when she's in a mood and how to assist her through it. I learned to be a better listener on purpose so that I wouldn't miss the things she needed to express. I opened up about things I wouldn't have with most people so she could see my heart for her and be able to feel safe to show me hers.

I don't think I fell, I think I rose in love. Every moment of intentional decision making about each others’ concerns and feelings built us up, made us walk taller, moving differently than if we were only concerned with ourselves. We learned to tap in and do the work that has built this love into an infectious thing that you can’t help but want tap into. I’m blessed to get to love this woman on purpose everyday, to stand upin our love and grow together is the most amazing blessing I've ever been given.

Thoughts toLeave You If you trip and fall over something, you might get annoyed because someone left that thing in your way and it hindered you. Love should not hinder us. It should promote your growth and help you walk in your confidence.

If you are single, don’t look to fall in love.

Instead, look for a love that will provide a foundation for sure footing. If you already did that ‘fall’ in love thing and you’re feeling frustrated, take the lesson and now do something powerful with where you are. Get up, dust off the ‘accident’ and move with purpose because love has the opportunity to live within us.

LETS BREEZ THRU

DR. TELESA HART SHE/HER

By Lade Breez Let's Breez Thru Lawrenceville, Georgia, to kick it with The Harts! Dr. Telesa Hart opened her practice in the heart of the city to care for the mind, body and soul.

Breez: I'm so glad I am able to see the plan come together to open this beautiful practice, so for those who don't know, what industry do you currently work in?

Telesa: I am in healthcare. I’m a chiropractor, Ayurvedic practitioner, reiki master, and coach. When I’m not serving as a healer, I’m an actress, poet, and speaker.

Breez: Please tell us here at BlaqueOut Magazine, what is included in the businesses you run?

Telesa: I co-own a private practice in Lawrenceville, GA, with my wife, Samantha, called Hart Body + Soul Chiropractic & Wellness Center. We help busy, professional women on the brink of burnout or in the throes of burnout take control of their wellness journey and prioritize self care. In our practice, we don't treat symptoms, we focus on the whole person, mind, body, and spirit so that the body can do what it was designed to do, which is heal itself.

Breez: What inspired you to begin your entrepreneurial journey of healing within the LBGTQIA, and women’s community?

Telesa: In all transparency, I suffered burnout. At the time, I didn’t know what it was. I hit some very, very dangerous lows at a time when I should have felt on top of the world. I’m so ambitious and I was grinding so hard, I didn’t see that I was stuck in survival mode.

My nervous system was stuck in fight or flight. Now, I am passionate about empowering other women with the tools to recognize, identify, prevent and overcome burnout.

Breez: Who inspired/inspires you to stay consistent within medicine and the world of creativity?

Telesa: Creativity is an outlet for me. Every play or film I have been part of was a labor of love. My human design is one that thrives on creativity and art, so to deny that part of me would be the opposite of self love and detrimental to my mental health.

As for healthcare, I get the opportunity to change people’s lives every single day. That in itself is inspiring.

www.reallygreatsite.com

Breez: What is your most memorable accomplishment?

Telesa: Had you asked me this a couple months ago, I may have said getting married, I may have listed out my degrees - I have three- or I may have mentioned some accolade or award.

But now, my greatest accomplishment is becoming a grandmother.

My granddaughter, Summer, is my biggest flex. If she were to read this some day, I would want her to know that I pray for her everyday.

Every move I make is methodical and pragmatic, with her future and best interests as a top priority. I want her to know Black privilege. I want her to have a soft life. I want her to have everything I didn’t and everything I couldn’t provide for my own kids. I’ve never known a love like this. I’ve never known this level of selflessness. If nothing else is said when I die, let it be said that I loved me some Summer.

Breez: What was the greatest challenge you had becoming successful in planning the opening of your practice?

Telesa: The greatest challenge was getting our systems in place. A business is as strong or as weak as its systems.

Businesses that thrive, have proven, repeatable systems in place. Creating them from the ground up has definitely been a learning curve.

Breez: What advice would you give others in the same profession who are looking to get out there and try?

Telesa: My Daddy used to say, “Ain’t nothing to it, but to do it.” Identify your core values, identify the population that you want to serve, how and where you want to serve them and go from there. I created a fictional client avatar and every decision I made was based on her. My office is a direct reflection of her.

Breez: Have you faced any negative blowback as a person of color, and/or as an LGBTQIA+ individual?

Telesa: Of course it exists. It would be irresponsible and dangerous of me to paint a picture where it doesn’t.

However, because I have chosen not to shrink, I have chosen not to hide in the closet, I boldly and intentionally market myself specifically for humans of color who identify as women, I have drawn a line in the sand. To put it plainly, if you seek me out, you know what’s up.

Breez: What is your opinion on the current climate in the LGBTQIA community with so many states attempting to pass biased laws against the LGBTQIA community?

Telesa: In 2024, more than 2 dozen Trans and Gender nonconforming people died at the hands of violence. Most of them were Black and LatinX Trans women. Many states are pushing to pass laws that will nullify gay marriage. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “an injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.

Breez: What are your future goals in medicine and writing?

Telesa: My goal is to continue to build a thriving practice and to release my book by February 2025. I also hope to book more principal roles, more speaking roles, and work with some major producers and directors like Ava DuVernay, Lena Waithe, and Mara Brock Akil.

Breez: It has been such a joy conversing with you about your many talents! Before we end though, how can our audience reach you or follow your journey? And are you open for business?!

Telesa: Yes, we are open and taking new clients! Follow me on TikTok @Dr. Hart and on FB & IG @ Dr.TelesaHart.

Follow our growing wellness center on IG @HartBodySoulATL

the Cover series Proceeds to Benefit the Black & Brown, Queer & Trans Writers, Creatives, Photographers & Contributors of Blaque/OUT Magazine

COMING WINTER 2024 EMAIL TAMARALEIGH@BLAQUEOUTMAG.COM TO PREORDER

Whosoever Engages

k or snuggle in my bed with a good boo to n tha re mo g hin not fer pre I s Some day to shrink and trouble of the world. It is easier The Good Book to avoid the chaos take g produces nothingness. I have to lon too for ss gne hin not my but f, into mysel engage with st crawl out of my hide-y hole to that time to myself, but then I mu world ans doing something more for the me nt me age eng My . me und aro the world lay up for tters. Matthew 6:20 states, “ But because it is the only thing that ma where ther moth nor rust doth corrupt, and nei ere wh , ven hea in res asu tre s yourselve eternal al.” Whosoever engages is creating thieves do not break through nor ste blessings.

their many good people willing to sit in too are re the and us n upo is n The electio y, but the t it is better to stay out of the fra hide-y hole because they figure tha asures at matters. If we are to lay our tre wh not is ff stu the t tha us s tell scripture for the ce for the voiceless, the advocate in heaven, then it is to be the voi troyed chised. These things cannot be des ran enf dis the to er pow the and innocent, them away. or stolen unless we choose to give

the balance re are so many things hanging in This election is crucial because the nity, at about our neighbors, our commu wh but you act imp ctly dire not y that ma that have have been many periods in history and our future generations? There not fail with the results being dire. Let us g hin not do ple peo d goo n see y shamefull munity, the vote, the ability to serve our com in this time. We have the power of that to engage, but it is our engagement us s uire req It . ers oth for up w and to sho rd. keeps us hoping and moving forwa dience to on those things that we do in obe God’s Word is clear…we can only rely leave a legacy of God’s abundant l to ion act of ple peo Be . age eng Him, so their faith into action. ove. Whosoever engages is putting

- Pastor Ro

ni

BEST OF‌

2NOMINATIONS 024‌ https://bit.ly/ BOBestof24

GET MORE OF THE BLAQUE/OUT YOU KNOW & LOVE

@blaqueoutmagtv

WWW.BLAQUEOUT.COM

NEW YORK

@2023 BLAQUEOUT MAGAZINE