Johnson built the foundation of the queer liberation movement. And many remain ignorant to the fact that trans women of colour such as Marsha P. Osmel Guerra Maynes, executive director of the queer resource centre Qmunity, sees white queer people using ‘yas queen’ as part of a larger pattern of ignoring the contributions and struggles of queer Black people and queer people of colour.įor example, he said, many white people have adopted the saying, while simultaneously failing to speak up when they hear a racist remark. While they held differing opinions on whether it’s ever OK for non-Black people to use the term, they all said it’s particularly upsetting when people use it without knowing it originated from Black women and queer Black culture. The Star interviewed four LGBTQ+ Black people who are leaders in community organizing and the arts. This festival wants to reinvigorate the identity of Vancouver’s Black community “As a Black person, when I hear white people say things like that it makes me feel wildly uncomfortable, and honestly it makes them look so stupid,” she said.Īn artist trying to make ends meet, Aganaba recalls her young white colleagues bandying about the phrase at the cannabis dispensary where she worked last year.

The phrase, which is a rallying cry of encouragement among Black women and queer people of colour, originates from Black vogue and drag scenes, and was likely first used by Black trans women.īut as with many other aspects of Black culture, the white mainstream has glommed onto it, without knowing its origin, causing frustration among many queer Black people.įor Vancouver musician Tonye Aganaba, hearing white people say ‘yas queen’ is equally jarring as being called the N-word. VANCOUVER-‘Yas Queen,’ if you haven’t heard it by now, maybe you’re out of touch with the youth, maybe you don’t exchange gifs on social media very often, and you’ve probably never seen an episode of Rupaul’s Drag Race.

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