DeWayne Prince Mikoto Vol. 1

It's 2019 and the world seems to be in a state of chaos. The Black community - heterosexually and LGBTQ+ - have been hit hard. Police brutality, the killing of Black trans people, acts of white domestic terrorism and more have become our everyday.

Black Boy Bluez was created to shift the chaos into something beautiful. Spread through out every feature, we highlight amazing stories, lived experiences, and truths throughout the Black LGBTQ+ community. As we grow and evolve we want to highlight creators who are using their passions to change not just the world, but the communities they serve.

This first issue features a dynamic young man who is breaking fashion ground. He exudes the theme: living in truth. Enjoy his story, his life and our first feature.

Welcome to Black Boy Bluez.

There are a few men in the world - that I knowthat have the confidence, courage, and badassery to walk out the house dressed to the letter in things reminiscent of Hello Kitty!, Sailor Moon, or other Japanese inspired fashion trends

One of those people is DeWayne a k a "Prince Mikoto "

I met Prince Mikoto back when I taught 8th grade I immediately knew something was different about him, and in the same breath we nerded out over Japanese anime. I eventually left teaching, and our contact virtually ended. That was until I found his Instagram handle and new found name a few year later.

PRIN CE MIK OTO

Now at 19-years-old and in his second year of college, my former student has evolved into a trend setter, and inspiration for people in Flint and beyond

Our interview finds him thinking about life, his inspirations, being Black and gay, and living in his truth Black Boy Bluez presents the first of many inspiring and amazing people. This is a snippet of his story.

Interviewed by: Xzavier V. Simon

Photographs by: DeWayne Prince Mikoto

It's been 6-7 years since I've seen you. What's been up since then?

It's really been that long? Time really flies [laughs] With the grace of some divine being, I finished high school! I learned a lot about myself during that time, met some good and not so great people, and learned countless lessons. Now in my second year of college, I'm still figuring out what I want to do and where I want to go in life.

I know you as DeWayne, but I don't know Prince Mikoto. What's the story behind the name?

Mikoto came to me one day when I was thinking about Japanese names [for myself]. I started playing with Hiragana characters, then boom Mikoto was made. Prince comes from popular anime girl archetypes, one being a "himedere" which is a girl who essentially acts like a princess In my mind it clicked that I should go as a prince

I love the imagery of castles, crowns, and carriages Marth from the Fire Emblem series is a prince, and he's my main in Super Smash Bros., so I'm sure he influenced my decision also. Coincidentally I'm sharing

the name with the singer Prince, who was known for pushing boundaries and being androgynous. That heavily reflects what kind of person I am Your Instagram is amazing. It's vibrant, colorful, and unique. What's influenced your fashion sense, and how did you gain the confidence and courage to dress like thisespecially in Flint, Michigan?

Thank you! I appreciate it I definitely have to cite Japan as one of my main, if not my biggest inspirations of how I dress I primarily wear a Japanese fashion style called "Fairy Kei, " which uses pastel colors mixed with 80-90's pop culture nostalgia. Being able to reconnect with these things truly just feels right for me

In terms of me dressing alternatively, it took me a long while to get to this point and I still have a long way to go In the beginning stages, I pushed myself to do it despite the backlash. I came to realize that my individuality and self-expression are important and outweighs any negatives.

I'm motivated by the idea that I really have one life

and I"d rather not waste it doing things just to appease others or doing things I don't want to do.

How have friends and family reacted to your journey?

I was met with a lot of opposition from family There were comments like, "are you really going out dressed like that?" and "what are you wearing?" come my way at first. But my friends on the other hand have been extremely supportive of me no matter what leg of my journey I've been on Fortunately, most of my family just sees this as a part of me that's not gonna change now

Tell me a little about coming into awareness of your sexuality? How did that process go?

I feel like my attraction to guys was always apparent in some way I feel as if it was just natural or instinctive to me As I grew up in society, I learned that liking the same sex was seen as abnormal and wasn't widely accepted at all I believe that's why I struggled with my sexuality growing up. It's almost as if you were to come into the world blinking and now the world is trying to tell you to stop and that it's wrong to do it for whatever reason.

How has dating and relationships been for you?

In summary a hot mess! [laughs] I've only ever been in one relationship and that was when I was 13 I've never been on a real date yet. Everyone tells me that my time for that will come, and that I'll find the one when I'm not looking. So, I'll pretend not to look for awhile.

Nothing turns me off more than a guy who's immature or insecure I've done a lot of work within myself to be where I am I believe I deserve someone who's on the same level as me Guys who are condfident and geniunely kind always win me over Being an anime fan does earn you some bonus points though. [laughs]

To think you were a former student of mines [laughs]. But, we clicked over our love for Asian culture. When did you first begin to fall in love with Japanese anime and culture?

Although I have been exposed to anime like YuGi-Oh, and went through a huge Pokemon card and Tamagotchi collecting phase, I would say my love

for anime was made official in 6th grade. I met my bestfriend who recommended some anime to watch on Netflix That was the first time I remember searching for anime to watch and I fell in love Since then I haven't looked back

The Magical girl genre truly captured my heart and that's why I imagine Mikoto Prince to be a magical boy of sorts. [laughs] If it weren't for anime I wouldn't have found Japanese fashion, media and pop culture It opened the window to Japanese culture, and to not only learn the language but to live [there] someday

How do you spend your free time?

I love sleeping! [laughs] Honestly, I love shopping a lot. I also like spending time hanging out with my friends and going out to arcardes You can find me near the crane games and the Dance Dance Revolution cabinet for sure Spending time watching YouTube videos and browsing the internet are also things I enjoy

Being a Black man is an interesting journey, but adding the LGBTQ part paints a peculiar life.

Have you managed to find balance and comfort in being both Black and gay?

For me, personally yes, I have I'm a firm believer that being gay isn't just one look. Being gay and Black doesn't have one look either. There's countless different ways that can appear and everyone's story is so unique. It does hurt me to see individuals in the Black community who I think should have my back and support me throw bible verse in my face or judge me for who I love

I can't say it doesn't hurt But I'm happy knowing that I'm living the way I want and not running away from myself or the life I want to live. Instead I'm facing who I am head on and expressing myself how I feel. Having the strength and ability to do that is something I'm grateful for

How do you, if at all, label or identify yourself?

I feel like it's about perspective. Most people would consider how I dress to be more feminine because a lot of what I wear is targeted and made for girls or women.

Personally, I just like what I like. To me, things like the color pink is not limited to girls. It's just a shade of red technically. I hate how society is so caught up with things like this

People often associate masculinity with qualities like courage and strength, but look at me and tell me I'm super feminine I believe that it takes a hell of a lot of courage and strength to be who you are, especially if you're going against society's standard.

It does take a hell of a lot of courage to do what you do, and be confident. But do you ever get scared?

I do get scared. Sometimes I'm fearful of something bad happening because of the way I dress or act. I also fear death and losing the people I hold cloest to me. I feel like fear is what makes me who I am and drives me to be the best version of myself here in the world

So, I guess I wouldn't say I hate being fearful, I just believe it's okay if we're all scared of something sometimes

I see sometimes on social media that you post things that are political or things

" related to social commentary. How important is it to you to be aware of social issues, and standing up for what you believe in?

Speaking and standing up for what I believe in is something that I hold in the forefront of whatever I do. With my platform I hope to inspire everyone to express their individuality, selfexpression, and to live the best life they possibly can [I want to] shed light on some of the social issues that plague our society to not only spark conversations, but also to effect change I believe things can change when people aren't afraid to speak up and be known People bank on others to be scared to speak up. There's no way I'm gonna let them win.

[laughs] Look at all that passion and fire. What's your take on the state of the Black LGBTQ community and general LGBTQ issues?

Whew, we've come a long way It's so much better than what I was before I was even in the world and that makes me very happy. There's people that have done so much for our community and some of them aren't even here to see the world they helped create It's important that we as a community stay eternally grateful for their efforts

With that being said, there's still so much work ahead of us It's time for our community to come together and continue to make it better for the poeple who will grow up in it after us. There's no reason we should be fighting or discriminating within our own community We need to get right, get on track, and continue to elevate!

Preach pastor Mikoto! [laughs} Black Queer people have been on the leading edge of fashion and other trends long before us. I'm curious though, who are your role models or just people in general that inspire you?

There's so many people who have inspired me throughout my life. One person that comes to mind right away is internet personality Miles Jai. Watching his YouTube videos as a young teenager truly inspired me and showed me that being a "kawaii" guy of color was something that could be done My mom and grandma continue to be positive role models and forces in my life that I can't even begin to explain. The list honestly is endless and I could never list them all. Don't think for a second I would forget to mention you though. [laughs]

[laughs] Awwww. Arigatou!! I appreciate it. But isn't it cool we're Black, and also able to add other cultures into our lives? What are some of the similarities and differences you've noticed across cultures? I think it's really awesome! I believe being Black and having the ablity to add other cultures into my life is really wonderful! Being in international related classes in college really gives me opportunities to explore many different cultures.

I've noticed that people

who are from other cultures, who speak a different language than me, or have a different way of thinking than me, surprisingly have similar things [in common] despite us being different in many many ways

Back in my day, now I feel old [laughs], being a nerd and watching anime was a sort of taboo thing. Do you consider yourself to be a nerd, geek, or anything like that?

[laughs] Honestly, I'm probably all of it under the sun. Whether you call it a Weeaboo, Otaku, or nerd, I have no shame in any of those categories. I love all of them.

So now that you're in college and doing your own thing, what are your dreams and aspirations?

I'm honestly not exactly sure. I know that one day I would love to work for a Japanese fashion brand. If I had my pick at the moment, I would say this brand called 6% DOKIDOKI. I'm so in love with the concept of the brand and the work they produce. I think I'd be a good fit there.

I want to visit and live in Japan someday, more specifically Harajuku.

I also dream of traveling more often and experiencing more of what our world has to offer.

We're at the end of our time. To those that may look at you, read this interview and feel inspired or given permission to be free, what words of wisdom can you offer?

Please be yourself. There's no one just like you on this planet. You're a unique individual and I hope you see just how special and amazing you are Don't change for anyone but yourself Don't let this world rob you of what makes you special, because it definitely will try Also know your worth You're to much of a gem to let anyone treat you any less. You deserse much more than that.

I'm super proud of you and everything you've done. Thank you so much for agreeing to do this. Any last words?

Wow! I hope those reading this enjoyed it! I hope I inspired them to love and appreciate themselves. I want to thank you all for reading my article and for supporting Black Boy Bluez.

"I HOPE TO INSPIRE EVERYONE TO EXPRESS THEIR INDIVIDUALITY, SELFEXPRESSION, AND TO LIVE THEIR BEST LIFE."