DBQ Magazine Q1 2019

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

50

FEROCIOUS FOLKS TO FOLLOW

REINVENT

FREEDOM A MANIFESTO

BY BRIDGEFORTH

THE STATE OF THE

RAINBOW

BY NATHAN JAMES

THE FASHION

ISSUE, Duh!

‘A YEAR WITHOUT YOU’

BY JULIAN WALKER

An artist must be free to choose what he does, certainly, but he must also never be afraid to do what he might choose. — LANGSTON HUGHS

KNOW FROM WHERE YOU COME

DAVID BRIDGEFORTH QUARTERLY 1ST QUARTER / 2019 Volume 9 Issue 1

CONTENTS

FOLLOW US DBQMAG.COM

REINVENT FREEDOM A MANIFESTO PG 74.

@DBQMAG @BRIDGEFORTH @DAVEBRIDGEFORTH THE LOVE LIST LAVISH JUNKIE STARTS PG 20.

THE READ PG 11.

THE FUTURE OF FASHION — 50 FEROCIOUS FOLKS FOLLOW PG 24.

DBQ MAGAZINE DAVID A. BRIDGEFORTH JR. Publisher / Editor in Chief ————————————————————————— Copy Editor HAYWARD AARON Political Editor NATHAN JAMES Cover Photographer ANGIE VASQUEZ

FASHION COVER DAVID BRIDGEFORTH WEARING: TOP - RICK OWENS PANTS - ZARA CARDIGAN - STELLA MCCARTNEY FUR - TOPSHOP JEWELRY - ERICKSON BEAMON PHOTO: ANGIE VASQUEZ

DBQ Magazine is an internationally followed print & digital quarterly LGBTQ lifestyle publication based in Harlem, New York and available digitally at DBQMAG.COM For advertisement, editorials, sponsorships, or bookings contact Jacqui Tanner at DBQMAGAZINE@GMAIL.COM or visit us at DBQMAG.COM

DBQ MAGAZINE CONTRIBUTORS

COVER STYLIST POSH MCKOY

POLIOTICAL AGENDA NATHAN JAMES Nathan James is a prolific author, journalist, playwright, and radio personality. Nathan is a Contributing Writer for NBCNews/NBC OUT, Political Editor at DBQ Magazine, and the Executive Editor of GBM News.

As a Conde Nast trained celebrity, editorial & personal stylist, POSH McKoy has rose to his career in just over a year. With humble beginnings from North Carolina, Posh McKoy attended North Carolina Central University as a Magna Cum Laude Graduate with degrees in Mass Communication & Spanish. After moving to NY as a luxury stylist at Saks Headquarters, he earned an internship with Vogue Magazine. Upon completing his internship, he ventured to celebrity styling, where Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman), was his first client. After a tremendous first year assisting with Drew Barrymore, Migos, Tamar Braxton, Bryson Tiller, Giselle Bundchen, and many other celebrities, he began his personal business of styling; to date, his primary clients are Wilhelmina Models, & Naomi Campbell. In his tender 1.5 years of styling, he projects to increase his clientele, along with creating his own styling firm.

COVER PHOTOGRAPHER ANGIE VASQUEZ

Angie Vasquez is a national photographer who has captured celebrities and distinguished figures.

Her most recent photos include comedian Tiffany Haddish, recording artist Cardi B, and the legendary group En Vogue. Angie is also known for documenting major events including the 2018 Women's March while holding down the fort as the resident photographer for The Escape Artist Collective.

THE LOVE LIST THE READ

1

2

3

19 TITLES WRITTEN

BY US

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

THE LOVE LIST THE READ

1

NO ASHES IN THE FIRE DARNELL L. MOORE

2

SURPASSING CERTAINTY JANET MOCK

3

GUCCI AND GOLD SHOD SANTIAGO

4

THE BLACK UNICORN AUDRE LORDE

5

THAT’S WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR PATRICK L. RILEY

6

SILENCE WILL NOT PROTECT YOU AUDRE LORDE

8

THE WAYS OF WHITE FOLKS LANGSTON HUGHES

9

I CAN’T DATE JESUS MICHAEL ARCENEAUX

10

12

LADIES WHO LUNCH & LOVE NATHAN HALE WILLIAM

13

LOVE ALCHEMY AMARI ICE

16

METAMORPHOSIS OF A HEART: THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT GREG WILSON

17

GIOVANNI’S ROOM JAMES BALDWIN

14

18

INVISIBLE LIFE E. LYNN HARRIS

19 TITLES WRITTEN

BY US

7

11

YOUR IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK JAMES BALDWIN

GURU RUPAUL

B-BOY BLUES JAMES EARL HARDY

15

THEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD ZORA NEAL HURSTON

IN SEARCH OF PRETTY YOUNG BLACK MEN

19

WORKING IT RUPAUL

STANLEY BENNETT CLAY

KNOW FROM WHERE YOU COME When an individual is protesting society's refusal to acknowledge his dignity as a human being, his very act of protest confers dignity on him. —BAYARD RUSTIN

QA

ASK THE DOCTOR

&

1. The top three trends for men in cosmetic surgery are: a. Brazilian Butt Lift b. Eyelid Lifts c. Pectoral Implants 2. Are there non surgical procedures for penis enlargement?

There are numerous non-surgical approaches to penile enlargement. Injection of the penis with Juvederm combined with Platelet Rich Plasma is highly effective. Stem Cell treatment has also show benefits in this area. Both Stem Cell or the Platelet Rich Plasma are used in conjunction with daily stretching using any number of commercially available penis pumps.

3. How safe is gender reassignment surgery? Is this popular in NYC?

Christopher Lynn Johnson, MD, MSc, FACS Diplomate American Board of Plastic Surgery Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon WWW.CLJOHNSONMD.COM

Gender reassignment has come a long way over the past few decades. Gender reassignment training has improved within the field of plastic surgery. Fellowships with specific and exclusive training in gender reassignment are now available. The risk of major complications is similar to that of other surgeries in this area: bleeding , infection, nerve damage, scarring etc. Fistulas, or connections between the vagina and the bladder or rectum can happen with female to male reassignment. Creating a voluminous vagina is a surgical challenge that is left to the experts in this field.

4. Explain why black-market plastic surgery should never be consider and what are some alternatives for costly cosmetic procedures?

Black market plastic surgery (and I include trips to the Dominican Republic in this group) should be avoided. More often than not, the products used (e.g. industrial grade silicone) are not approved for treatments in humans. Complications are very common and the usual standards of care are greatly diminished. We recommend that cosmetic surgery be undertaken by board certified plastic surgeons.

5. Is it safe to have multiple procedures done at simultaneously i.e breast augmentation and tummy tucks?

In our practice, we believe that patient should not have more than 4-6 hours of elective cosmetic surgery.

The risks from prolonged anesthesia is related to the length of surgery.

6. The most sought after surgeries in our practice are: a. Brazilian Butt Lift b. Rhinoplasty c. Breast Reduction/ Lift e. Eyelid Lift f. Liposuction g. Tummy tuck

THE LOVE LIST MUSIC

1. SUM OF MY MUSIC JUSSIE SMOLLETT

PLAYLIST

BY US

2. ROLLING LOUD BOBBY LYTE 3. HERE’S TO LIFE GUY ANTHONY

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

4. ELEVATE TY-MITCH 5. BEASTMODE MILAN CHRISTOPHER 6. SOMETHING ELSE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT ARQUEZ 7. YOUR TIME XAY XO 8. 24/7LOVE THEOFFICIALKEN 9. DAYS IN THE MIDWEST QUENITIN MARCELLIS 10. DO YOU WANNA FUNK? SYLVESTER

It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognize, accept, and celebrate those differences. — AUDRE LORDE

KNOW FROM WHERE YOU COME

THE READ -11-

this journey hasn't been an easy one, but i've found joy within my pain. feeling like second best, spending more time stressed. looking in the mirror each morning, yup this is my best yet. i've had so much to gain in the midst of this stress. i invite you into my year deprived of what i longed for. these poems will pilot you across the healing process, which leads into a journey of self-love. broken into four chapters, each termed after the four seasons of the year, beginning with fall. sit with me as we journey the growth of regaining our power, pushing through pain and removing those from blame. "believe you have the ability today and every hour to walk in your purpose" - Julian J Walker (actor - Being Mary Jane, Blackbird, Saints & Sinners) this book opens with the following passage, "i'm not going to make myself for you this time, spent a year trying to figure out what it meant to me, years of wondering what love meant to me, was i the question while all fingers piercing towards it, the sensations that gushed from my soul couldn't be contained much longer, you basically became my fall...."

Photos by Strxke, Exp Imaging IG: @struck_1000

JULIAN WALKER ORDER ‘A YEAR WITHOUT YOU’

BY JULIAN WALKER ON AMAZON. FOR MORE: JULIANJWALKER.COM

THE READ

THE READ

THE READ

THE READ

THE READ

Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place. — ZORA NEAL HURSTON

KNOW FROM WHERE YOU COME




POLITICAL AGENDA

THE STATE OF THE RAINBOW

BY NATHAN JAMES

POLITICAL AGENDA

By Nathan James Here we are in 2019, the momentous 50th anniversary of the iconic Stonewall Rebellion that began the modern LGBTQ rights movement. The pitched battles between LGBTQ people and the NYPD that set things in motion on that humid, longago summer night led us inexorably to where we are as a community today. Among the resisters present at the Stonewall Inn when agents of the State Liquor Authority (SLA) and the city’s Vice Squad burst through the doors, were Black drag queen Marsha P. Johnson, Black lesbian Storme DeLarverie, and trans Latina Sylvia Rivera, whose exploits have largely been whitewashed out of the Rebellion’s history. These pioneers and their contemporaries changed the way the world saw the LGBT community, and, reciprocally, how the LGBTQ community looked at itself. It is apropos, therefore, to once again take stock of the state of our beloved rainbow, half a century on, and perhaps glean for ourselves how we’ve fared on our journey, and whether we are still moving forward today.

Of course, the turbulence of the Sixties is now part of a fading record; the spirit that shaped the counterculture era of protest has given way, as all eras do, to the divagations of other . Vietnam was replaced by Watergate, the Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis slipped off as a darker time —the AIDS holocaust—arrived and gave rise to GMHC and ACT UP. The annual Pride March through NYC, and its West Coast counterpart in San Francisco, morphed from political statements to outright street parties (and to corporate sales pitch festivals in recent years), and new generations of the rainbow’s children gave to our popular culture new arts and terms of art. It works both literary and salacious, sexual orientation, gender identity, living and loving in one’s reality of person and purpose, entered the lexicon of our discourse.

Fifty years: two scores and ten, a whole tapestry of time’s own making, we took over the ballroom, boarded Noah’s Arc, spoke the L word aloud, made our metamorphic transition, and bisected the sensual divide. Even as those young rebels of Stonewall—a delightful, multihued cross-section of the queer city—grew up and took their places within the Establishment, some going back into the closet as they did so, others, undaunted, blossomed in all their flamboyance before the world. The Velvet Mafia gave us a soundtrack while

Paris burned, and we strode on, even as many of us fell at the hands of an uncaring, even hostile society.

Now we are here, in that future the younglings of 1969 saw only in their dreams. We look around, and we see miracles: marriage equality, the end of Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell, gay gover nors and Congresspeople, anchormen and talk-show hostesses. We rejoice in our entry to the mainstream, where Orange Is The New Black and out actors build empires. We’ve taken countless steps forward as we’ve grown up and out, but the rainbow is still surrounded by storm clouds, and they gather even as we celebrate the sunshine.

Transgender troops, granted entrée into our fighting forces in their truth wearing our country’s uniform, have seen that honor cruelly taken back from them, while our leadership, instead of promoting understanding and acceptance, continues to encourage hatred instead. We’ve seen violence against us rise to new levels of horror, indeed even the most visible and famous of us are not immune to attacks of the most heinous nature.

These are the thunderbolts that still resound even as we see our precious rainbow peeking through the rain and fog.

Far abroad, but in our consciousness, too, are our brothers and sisters in places like Chechnya and Nigeria and Brazil, who live in peril because homophobia and transphobia are policies of the state. Their anguished souls cry out to be read into the record, and though we cringe in so doing, we speak their names as well.

Fifty years. We have done wonders, we of Stonewall and Ailey and Baldwin, we of Black Pride and Trans Pride and pride in our dreams made real.

I first walked the streets of my beloved Village as a high school kid, frightened of what would happen to me if my parents found out what feelings were stirring in my adolescent mind and spirit. The march of the LGBT community was also my march —albeit not without struggle—as I, too, became part of the fabric of our growing story, until now I look back on it from the other end. The state of our rainbow, I think, is still fabulous, but not without its challenges, which we and the coming generations will rise to meet with the loud, unabashed courage we’ve always had. I can’t wait to step off into the next half-century…and beyond!

THE LOVE LIST LAVISH JUNKIE -20-

GUCCI GUCCI WISH LIST GUCCI MEN'S PIGLET WOOL CARDIGAN RED $ 1,700

MEN'S JACKET WITH NY YANKEES™ PATCH BLUE $ 2,200

GG AND STRIPES KNIT SWEATER BLUE $ 1,350 GUCCI WOOL LONG SWEATER $ 3,2000

FLASHTREK HIGH-TOP SNEAKER WITH WOOL BLACK $ 1,390

BOOTS RUNWAY PATENT LEATHER BOOT RED $ 1,250

PRINCETOWN FLUORESCENT SLIPPER FUCHSIA $ 995

GG DIAMOND WOOL COAT BLACK $ 3,980

MUST HAVE! REVERSIBLE LEATHER BELT WITH DOUBLE G BUCKLE BLACK $ 550

EMBROIDERED CANVAS BASEBALL HAT BLACK $ 460

GUCCI SIGNATURE LEATHER DUFFLE BLACK $ 2,950 REVERSIBLE GG WOOL PONCHO BEIGE $ 1,200

THE LOVE LIST LAVISH JUNKIE

SAINT LAURENT WISH LIST HOODED SWEATSHIRT WITH SAINT LAURENT IN WORN BLACK $850

"SAINT LAURENT SL HOODIE IN VELOURS ANIMAL PRINT" HOODIE DÉVORÉ $890 $990 FUR ALPACA PEA COAT $12,900

DOUBLE-BREASTED WOOL JACKET WITH BRAIDING $3,990

CITY BACKPACK IN CALFSKIN $1,650

PEAKED LAPEL TUXEDO JACKET IN VELOURS SAINT LAURENT $2,790

MUST HAVE! FINN BOOT IN LACQUERED AYERS $1,695

TEDDY BACKPACK IN LAMBSKIN $1,150

MILES BOOT IN PYTHON $1,995

LEOPARD PRINT FOX FUR COAT $ 16,000

THE LOVE LIST LAVISH JUNKIE

OFF-WHITE OFF-W WISH LIST BLACK FIELD JACKET OFF-WHITE C/O BROWNS FIELD JACKET OUTWEAR $ 1,476 OUTWEAR $ 1,960

WHITE CREWNECK SWEATSHIRTS $ 575

CAMOUFLAGE SWEATSHIRT SWEATSHIRTS $ 690

"THE DOUBLE-OFF" CREWNECK SWEATSHIRT SWEATSHIRTS $ 575

GREY HOODIE HOODED SWEATSHIRT $ 920

BLACK CREWNECK SWEATSHIRTS $850

MUST HAVE!

EMPTY GALLERY L/S TSHIRT T-SHIRT L/S $ 499

BLACK "OFF-COURT" 3.0 SNEAKERS SHOES $ 645

YELLOW MINI INDUSTRIAL BELT BELTS $ 190

BLACK HI TOP SNEAKERS SHOES $ 705

Gay people are the sweetest, kindest, most artistic, warmest and most thoughtful people in the world. And since the beginning of time all they've ever been is kicked. — LITTLE RICHARD

KNOW FROM WHERE YOU COME

IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW THE FUTURE OF FASHION ISN’T STRAIGHT AND WHITE; ‘IT GOES NOT WHERE THE PATH MAY LEAD, BUT WHERE THERE IS NO PATH AND

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

LEAVES A TRAIL,’ IN THE

HENRY DAVID THOREAU. THIS DOESN’T WORDS OF

MEAN THAT STRAIGHT AND WHITE AREN’T A PART OF FASHION, THEY ARE WITH SUCH OVERWHELMING SOVEREIGNTY.

THE

FUTURE, HOWEVER, IS FULL OF MELANIN, COLORFULLY DIVERSE, AND CURVY BY NATURE.

WE CHANNEL

TRAUMA AND BLISS INTO OUR FASHION SHOWCASING WHATEVER WE WANT TO WHICH IS WHY IT’S AN INTIMATE PERSONAL EXPRESSION OF WHO YOU ARE OR WHO YOU WANT TO BE.

STYLE IS AN ADVANCED

COLLECTION OF TASTE ARCHIVED THOROUGHLY.

SWAG, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAS TO BE MADE FROM SCRATCH. AT THIS POINT, I HAVE NO CLUE WHETHER THESE FOLKS ON THIS LIST ARE ALL QUEER OR

LGBTQIA,

OR HOW THEY GET DOWN UNDER THE SHEETS. I DO HOWEVER KNOW THAT THESE

50 FOLKS POINT THE

WAY HIGHER, THEIR ABILITY TO EXPRESS THEIR CREATIVE GENIUS IS INSPIRING WHETHER THEIR TASTE IS INFORMED BY THEIR STRUGGLES, HOPES OR DREAMS, THESE STYLISTS, CREATIVE DIRECTORS, FASHION EDITOR, SWAGGED OUT BLOGGERS, AND STYLECRUSH PERSONALITIES ALL

IT. TAKE NOTE, KNOW THE FUTURE OF FASHION, FIFTY FEROCIOUS FOLKS TO FOLLOW. HAVE

AND FOLLOW

DAVE is in a Balmain blazer, Off White belt & Zara pants.




THE FUTURE OF FASHION

JAMISON HARRIS @JAMISONOHT JONTA HARRIS @JONTAOHT FASHION MODELS / STYLE CRUSH LA




THE FUTURE OF FASHION

LEE HARDNETT @LEESAINTLAURENT WARDROBE STYLIST ATL




THE FUTURE OF FASHION

CALVIN OPALEYE @CALVINOPALEYE CELEBRITY FASHION STYLIST LONDON/LA




THE FUTURE OF FASHION

HAVEN CHRISTOPHER @THYHAVEN WARDROBE STYLIST / PERSONAL SHOPPER NYC




THE FUTURE OF FASHION

ANDRE LEON TALLEY @ANDRELTALLEY FASHION LEGEND / EDITOR NYC




THE FUTURE OF FASHION

SOLOMON LAWRENCE @SOLOMONLAWRENCE DESIGNER LA




THE FUTURE OF FASHION

TY HUNTER @TYTRYONE FASHION DIRECTOR NYC




THE FUTURE OF FASHION

EJ JOHNSON @EJJOHNSON_ REALITY TV STAR / STYLE CRUSH LA




THE FUTURE OF FASHION

SHAUN ROSS @SHAUNDROSS FASHION MODEL LA




THE FUTURE OF FASHION

EJ KING @EJKING21 CELEBRITY FASHION STYLIST / DESIGNER LA

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

BRYON JAVAR @BYRONJAVAR CELEBRITY FASHION STYLIST / CREATIVE DIRECTOR LA

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

JERMAINE RICHARDS @RICHIE_RICH_FOR_LIFE CREATIVE DIRECTOR NYC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

DIANDRE TRISTAN @DIANDRETRISTAN CELEBRITY FASHION STYLIST / DESIGNER NYC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

ATIBA NEWSOME @ATIBANEWSOME CELEBRITY FASHION STYLIST / CREATIVE DIRECTOR NYC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

LAW ROACH @LUXURYLAW CELEBRITY FASHION STYLIST / IMAGE ARCHITECT LA

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

CARLOS MERRIWEATHER @LOS_LANGELO FASHION DESIGNER ATL

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

STEVIEBOI @STEVIEBOI FASHION DESIGNER NYC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

STONEE GOODMAN @MISTACHIC FASHION DESIGNER LA

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

BRUCE @SIRBRUCLING DESIGNER / STYLIST NYC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

LONNI GIOVANNI @LONGLIVELONNI MOREHOUSE STUDENT / STYLE CRUSH ATL

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

MISS LAWRENCE @MISSLAWRENCEATL FASHION QUEEN / ACTRESS ATL

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

AMIR CLANCY @AMIRCLANCY FASHION STYLIST NYC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

PARIS CHEA @PARISCHEA CELEBRITY FASHION STYLIST ATL

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

MEMSOR @MEMSOR CELEBRITY FASHION STYLIST WENDY WILLIAMS NYC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

LAQUAN SMITH @LAQUAN_SMITH DESIGNER

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

JABARIS @RETROKIIDD WARDROBE STYLIST / DESIGNER ATL

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

TROI ANTHONI @KINGTROI FASHION STYLIST LA

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

STEPHON MENDOZA @MINDOFMENDOZA STYLE INFLUENCER / DESIGNER NYC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

TY-RON MAYES @STYLISTTYRON MAYES CELEBRITY STYLIST / FASHION EDITOR

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

DIALLO MITCHELL @__MYSTYLIST FASHION MODEL LA

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

YADI @YADIGREY IMAGE CONSULTANT ATL

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

ANTOINE ANDERSON @ANTOINEANDERSON WARDROBE STYLIST DC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

H DIDDY @IAMHDIDDY INTERNATIONAL FASHION STYLIST NYC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

OBA CROSSWORD @SOCROSSWIRE FASHION BLOGGER CHI

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

MICAH DIXON @THEMICAHDIXON CREATIVE INFLUENCER ATL

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

KOLLIN CARTER @KOLLINCARTER FASHION STYLIST CARDI B

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

V. SMITH @V.MSMITH WARDROBE STYLIST NYC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

DENO @DENOJUSTDENO FASHION STYLIST LA

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

JOSHUA OMAR JOHNSON @JOSHUAOMARJOHNSON FASHION STYLIST TX

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

WAYMAN & MICAH @WAYMANANDMICAH FASHION STYLIST

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

QUE MARCELLIS @QUEMARCELLIS BLOGER /ARTIST / STYLIST OK

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

MICKEY FREEMAN @MICKEYBOOOOM FASHION DESIGNER / EDITOR NYC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

LEVION @CANTSTYLE STYLE CRUSH LA

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

SCOT LOUIE @SCOTLOUIE STYLIST NYC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

ERIC ARCHIBALD @ERICARCHIBALDSTYLIST CELEBRITY FASHION STYLIST / DESIGNER NYC

THE FUTURE OF FASHION

OLIVIER ROUSTEING @OLIVIER_ROUSTEING DESIGNER / CREATIVE DIRECTOR PARIS




THE FUTURE OF FASHION

MILAN CHRISTOPHER @MILANCHRISTOPHER RAPPER / STYLE CRUSH LA




THE FUTURE OF FASHION

GABRIEL GARMON @OFFICIALLYGABRIEL STYLIST NYC

When we're out there dancin' on the floor darlin' And I feel like I need some more And I feel your body close to mine And I move on love, it's about that time Make me feel, mighty real. — SYLVESTER JAMES

KNOW FROM WHERE YOU COME

WHAT I’VE COME TO KNOW

REINVENT FREEDOM A MANIFESTO

BY BRIDGEFORTH

I reserved the first of this year for me —a sabbatical of sorts to realign with the everlasting love that is all around me. I removed myself, I fasted, refrained from sharing myself with the world. The first month had disappeared seamlessly into my solitude, pleasantly, like a lingering orgasm, so personal and sweet.

Nothing in me wanted to return back to what I once knew, to the noise that fills all of the spaces on earth or to the world’s constant violent tugging at the purity living within my own heart. I was in a consistent state of surrender; letting go of the ever urgent need for attachment. The need to let others know, the need to express myself to anyone, the need to look outward instead of inward.

It’s quite remarkable how long it took me to die, to give up who I’ve been for who I can become. Two slow and painful years brought me to this place. This journey of vicissitudes, navigating through the overwhelming evidence of people and things deceased from my life to clear the palate for that which is to come.

Forty days removed, this year, I discovered a secret place within— my comfortable corner of space that was bred for healing. A safe spot ideal for evolving oneself, there I was able to see myself fully, detached from what I knew or believed I needed. I was able to become new. Here are some of the ideas that permeated freedom within my soul.

Turtleneck - TOPMAN Coat - Comme De Garรงon Pants - Public School Shoes - Gucci Jewelry - DylanLex

WHAT I’VE COME TO KNOW

REINVENT

FREEDOM A MANIFESTO

BY BRIDGEFORTH

in the harsh cold months at the beginning of the year, so I reimagined everything and moved the whole shindig to the opening of Summer. Instantly, my spirit stood up and smiled, it was electrifying. So, I didn’t stop there, I reimagined my whole magazine. I mean I do own it. I reinvented how I wanted to release DBQ each quarter. Not based on any other reason than what worked for me. I decided I would only print one issue a year, which would be ‘The LOUD 100’ in June and the other three seasons I would ‘break the internet’ with all digital magazines. The peace and alignment that was a result of surrendering to my imagination and following the beat of my own drum were so honoring to the person I have become and the work I intend to create.

Without the vision, the people perish. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. God told Moses, he could have all his eyes could see. The audacity to imagine, to dream, to paint a picture in your mind's eye is the beginning of your power. From there your abilities are engaged by your belief even though you only see the vision in your mind.

Feed your faith.

Reimagine everything.

Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions.

— Albert Einstein Whether you are clear about the power you have over your own life or not, it is evident that your life can go whichever way you imagine. Many times we envision things a certain way and somehow feel married to that way; that’s a falsehood called tradition. One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is to rethink, reimagine, and create a new updated vision for your life that works for you. Blink and reimagine everything until your view is the life you deserve.

The thinking that has brought you this far has created the problems that the same thinking can’t solve.

— Albert Einstein For five years I’ve started every year with DBQ Magazine’s The LOUD 100, a list honoring the year's most influential LGBTQ people of color. This year It just wasn’t working for me. I no longer wanted to celebrate

We live in a world that focuses on limitations versus possibilities, and most of us were born into notions that are poisonous to our potential, so much that by the time we are old enough to control the narrative of our lives, the most critical parts of our foundation are formed around demeaning lies. ‘Feed your faith and let your fears starve to death’ is a mantra my godfather, Les Brown, shared with me at 16. Weeds grow up in the cracks of sidewalks without any effort, order or attention; but to grow a garden that can feed you and bring beauty into your life, the ground must be cultivated, and you must pour life into it. Feeding your faith is choosing to believe in the possibilities of your vision despite it seeming like a distant dream. It is feeding the greatness that lives on the inside of you with the same fervor that Sandra Bullock kept her eyes closed along with boy and girl on the river in that thrilling movie, “Birdbox,” on Netflix.

Button Up - Thom Browne Blazer - Public School Pants - Phillip Lim

WHAT I’VE COME TO KNOW

REINVENT

FREEDOM A MANIFESTO

Many will read into this for its literal meanings, but the point is much more profound. We digest beliefs, ideas, and narratives as facts for our lives because of the perceived value of the pretty package or because it was given to us by someone who we believed loved us. Since that has always been enough disease and curses, have seeped into our bloodstream passing to the next generation venom eating away at the impulse to hope and dream.

It doesn’t matter who put the bleach in your coffee, who made the coffee, if the coffee was sent with love or not. Before you sip the coffee, stand guard at the door

BY BRIDGEFORTH

Transcend Your Trauma.

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.

— James Baldwin

Stand guard at the door.

I was 21 when Dr. Maya Angelou said something to me along the lines of ‘if you see a bottle with a skull and two bones, you know it’s poison, you pour that into an expensive crystal flute, it is still poison.’ Since then, nearly 10 years later her words and ideas have reached a much deeper level of understanding for me.

Poison is poison, you can sip it from the most exquisite crystal flute, and even your loved one could have poured it for you, if it’s poison, it’s poison. It’s your responsibility to stand guard at the door. The door is the gateway of your mouth, eyes, nose, and ears.

However, I’ve learned that we have been encouraged against our innate knowing which has disconnected us from loving and trusting ourselves.

Therefore, it is easy for us to feel the burning flesh as the poison pours down our throats and bask in the weight and beauty of the Swarovski crystal glass in our hand and tell ourselves all is well because Momma poured the drink. We’ve done this for so long we are desensitized and detached from truth, and I can't help but wonder how many glasses of poison my Momma drank because her Momma poured her the glass.

To engage your own trauma is an act of self-love. Our trauma determines many of our patterns of being and the scar tissue of the spirit is perpetuated in the cycle of our own lovelessness. We are made up of so many inherited grievances. False premises injected into our way of being like a birthright. We are baptized into lies about our own selves, the color of our skin, and even our fate with the gods because of our sexuality or gender expression. After years of conditioning, we can see the hatred sunken into our faces and the fears that weren’t ours, to begin with, because the world’s initial approach toward us illustrated that we were never good enough in their eyes. That the very society that willed our gifts and talents into their use and benefit wishes to rob us of the freedom that our gifts create.

Self-sabotage is a gift.

Every act of self-sabotage is a gift. It gages the poison in your system and gives color to the dysfunction in your way of being. It is a mirror of the fleeting belief in yourself, the gift has always been that you have and will always have the power to save yourself. No one is going to rescue you. It will be you who will save your life, eventually. So to transcend your trauma, you get to stop the bleeding of your self-inflicted wound.

The sooner you decide to corner yourself to save yourself, the blessedness of life begins. Forgiveness is a balm that regenerates, and when you dare to forgive yourself, you’ve declared political warfare.

Full Outfit - Junya Watanabe Jewelry- DylanLex

WHAT I’VE COME TO KNOW

REINVENT

FREEDOM

A MANIFESTO

BY BRIDGEFORTH

Examine your relationship with death.

Most of us are petrified of the subject and are confused with the purpose of death. I've come to understand that death is a part of the process of life, not an ending of it. It’s a point in time, like midnight during your beautiful 24-hour day. The purpose of death, however, is invaluable. It is the process by which anything is renewed. I’ve been dying for quite some time now, the journey of the valley low that enables us to ascend to the mountaintop. The leaves on trees die in its due season, and the trees embrace the surrender of the leaf to make room for the birth of fresh ones.

We all pass through death because the essence of what we are made of will always be. So hold on if you must, leave claw marks in everything as is ceases to be. Kick and scream, beg and plead, you will rise soon enough, joy comes in the mourning.

Self-love begins with a celebration of you.

When was the last time you celebrated yourself because you were worthy?

The practice of celebrating who, what, and where you are, initiates precedence of validation. It conjures up a culture of appreciation that follows you. It is the act of turning the faucet on all the way so that the water can run thru.

I’ve come to know that celebrating one's self is a daily meditation that manifests a river of overflowing love in one's life. The effort to make oneself first priority and to fill your own cup is good loving.

I use to think it was only me that wanted to be free, it was the true meditation of my heart, but I’ve come to know that everyone’s hope and dream end or begins with that seven letter word. A lot of us feel we have some of it, many of us have gripped it by the neck and shoved as much of it into our pockets. Busloads of us were born into it, mixing it with our privilege, stirring it into our tea in the morning. For far too many of us, freedom was a woman we never knew personally.

What I've come to know is however, you knew freedom and however much you have of it. Tear that shit up, drown it, burn that bitch at the stake because that has never been freedom. Take the soot, shape it into your wildest fantasies, mold it into your sincerest prayer and name it after you.

Freedom is not something that anybody can be given.

Freedom is something people take, and people are as free as they want to be. ―James Baldwin TWITTER:@DaveBridgeforth IG: @Bridgeforth

Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. — JAMES BALDWIN

KNOW FROM WHERE YOU COME

OUR GUIDE TO LGBT PRIDE

BE PROUD OF YOUR SELF!

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