The video below details some of the racist attempts to purge black people from positions of authority and to erase the racist history of attacks on black people over time. The video also explains how tRump ordered the agencies of his government to remove black hoildays from the list of free entry days at national parks and instead replaced them with his birthday. This is simply the whitewashing of history, the removing of evidence of the massive racism / damage done to black people in the past, and the purification of the US as a white ethnostate. Just look how tRump refers to black journolists. Hugs
This was predicted as what was going to happen every where these bathroom laws are put in place. Because it all comes down to enforcing cis gender steriotypes which a large part of the public doesn’t fit into neatly. Some women are more masculine looking / acting than the sexiest males can accept, and some men are more feminine looking / acting than some people figure “real” men are like. The fact is very few fit the stereotypes pushed by TV / media. This is especially true of younger people who did not buy into the old craze of buff muscular men and slinky sexy women. They accept their bodies and enjoy who they are. The fake concern for women that hate groups like TERFs and religious groups pushing their version of church doctrine on everyone else is simply bigotry being disguised. These bathroom laws help no one, protect no one, and harm a lot of cis and trans people. Hugs
Since I started reading here at Scottie’s, I’ve thought especially of Bayard Rustin during Black History month. I learned of him (aside from him being at the side of Rev. MLK Jr.) from The Nation magazine back in the early 1990s. Mr. Rustin finally got a movie in 2023, and I’ve wondered about other representation within. There is a veritable trove of information, so here is some of that. Enjoy with your favorite beverage. -A.
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Voice of the day
God does not require us to achieve any of the good tasks that humanity must pursue. What God requires of us is that we not stop trying. – Bayard Rustin
it’s important to note the amount of BIPOC Queer History that has been an integral part of American history but has unfortunately been largely erased. Queer history surrounding people of color is deeply interwoven with American history, revealing critical insights into the nation’s progress in civil rights, social justice, and cultural evolution. To understand American history fully, it’s essential to acknowledge how Black queer individuals have shaped and influenced pivotal movements, art, and thought in the U.S. Despite facing intersectional challenges related to both race and sexual orientation, Black queer Americans have persistently fought for visibility, acceptance, and equality, contributing a legacy that has strengthened America’s commitment to inclusion and diversity.
Black queer history includes significant contributions to American arts and culture. From the Harlem Renaissance to contemporary music and fashion, Black queer individuals have played central roles in defining American aesthetics and storytelling. The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s, for example, was driven by several Black queer artists, including poets like Langston Hughes and novelists like Richard Bruce Nugent, whose works celebrated Black identity while also subtly addressing queer themes. These artists expanded narratives around Black life in America, blending the experiences of race and sexuality into a singular, expressive voice.
The contributions of Black queer Americans to political activism are also inseparable from American history, especially when considering the origins of LGBTQ+ advocacy. These activists confronted police harassment and societal prejudice, laying the groundwork for the LGBTQ+ rights movement in the U.S. (snip-click through to see the stories)
African American literary critic and professor Henry Louis Gates once reflected that the Harlem Renaissance was “surely as gay as it was Black, not that it was exclusively either of these.” Gates’s comments point to the often-overlooked place of the Harlem Renaissance within queer history.
The Harlem Renaissance, a literary and cultural flowering centered in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood that lasted from roughly the early 1920s through the mid-1930s, marked a turning point in African American culture. Developments from Zora Neale Hurston’s folklore-influenced fiction to Duke Ellington’s colorful orchestrations reflected an assertive and forward-thinking Black identity that philosopher Alain Locke dubbed “The New Negro.”
Black queer artists and intellectuals were among the most influential contributors to this cultural movement. Like other queer people in early twentieth century America, they were usually forced to conceal their sexualities and gender identities. Many leading figures of the period, including Countee Cullen, Bessie Smith, and Alain Locke, are believed to have pursued same-sex relationships in their private lives, even as they maintained public personas that were more acceptable to mainstream audiences. From a modern vantage point, the work of these artists and their peers is part of the foundation of modern Black LGBTQ art.
Top row l to r: Gladys Bentley, ca. 1940. 2013.46.25.82; Countee Cullen by Carl Van Vechten, 1941. Courtesy Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division; Alain Locke by Winold Reiss, 1925. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Ethel Waters as Carmen by Carl Van Vechten, 1934. 2010.42.4 Bottom row l to r: Bessie Smith from Delegate magazine, 1975. Gift of Anne B. Patrick and the family of Hilda E. Stokely. 2012.167.9; Jimmie Daniels, early 1930s. Gift of Paul Bodden in memory of Thad McGar and James “Jimmie” Daniels. TA2020.19.3.1; Alberta Hunter, date unknown. Gift of Paul Bodden in memory of Thad McGar and James “Jimmie” Daniels. A2020.19.1.2
(snip-do click through to see. There is a wealth of history: writers, blueswomen, entertainers. There is even a video they cannot play due to restrictions, and then yet more historical information.)
Throughout February, in honor of Black History Month, we’ve been busy on Stonewall’s Instagram highlighting some of the lesser-known figures in queer Black history. These bold individuals lead with bravery and authenticity, moved the needle on LGBTQ liberation and racial justice, and paved the way for future generations. Each one of these icons should be a household name! Read on to learn some of the hidden history of our intertwining and ongoing struggles for equality.
Frances Thompson – Trans Rights Pioneer
Believed to be the first transgender woman to testify before the United States Congress, Frances Thompson was born into slavery in 1840. Living as a free woman by the age of 26, Thompson was an advocate for bodily autonomy, an anti-rape activist, and she played a pivotal role in getting the US government to enact legislation protecting the civil rights of newly emancipated Black people.
Thompson’s bold legacy lives on today as we continue fighting for self-determination, dignity, and justice for queer and trans people. Her story serves as a reminder that queer and trans people have always been here, and we always will be. Always.
One of the most pivotal – yet often forgotten – figures of the Civil Rights Movement, Pauli Murray was a Black, queer, feminist lawyer who dedicated a lifetime to challenging preconceived notions of race, gender, sexuality, and religion. Murray pioneered many of the non-violent protest tactics of the Jim Crow era, and authored legal arguments that played a pivotal role in outlawing systemic racism and sexism.
Many of Murray’s contributions to the Civil Rights Movement were erased from the broader narrative as same-gender relationships and gender nonconformity disrupted the respectability expectations of the era. Many historians believe that if the language existed at the time, Murray may have identified as a trans man.
Later in life, Murray became an Episcopal priest, and was eventually canonized as a saint – a queer saint!
After the death of his father in 1927, Norris B. Herndon assumed the role of president of Atlanta Life Insurance, turning the company into one of the most successful Black-owned business in the US. Using his wealth and influence to support the Civil Rights Movement, Herndon was a critical funder of Civil Rights efforts, and regularly gave generously to support MLK, Jr., HBCUs, the NAACP, and more. He even allowed key Civil Rights activist to use his offices for training purposes.
While he never publicly identified as gay or bi, many in his inner circle were aware of his relationships with men throughout his life.
Herndon’s legacy serves as a reminder of the important role that Black queer individuals have played in shaping American history.
Ma Rainey, also known as the “Mother of the Blues,” was a pioneering blues singer and one of the first openly bisexual performers in the early 20th century. Her music often expressed themes of sexual freedom and gender identity that challenged prevailing attitudes of her time.
Rainey’s songs such as “Prove It on Me Blues” and “Sissy Blues” were widely considered to be bold and unapologetic expressions of her bisexuality, and her performances often featured drag queens and other gender-nonconforming artists.
Rainey’s visibility and outspokenness about her sexuality, at a time when queerness was widely stigmatized, helped pave the way for later LGBTQ performers and activists. Today, she is celebrated as an icon of queer representation in music history.
Marlon Riggs was a pioneering filmmaker and activist whose work focused on issues of race, sexuality, and identity, seeking to challenge and subvert stereotypes of LGBTQ and Black people.
In the early 1990s, Riggs’ films, including “Tongues Untied” and “Color Adjustment,” explored the experiences of Black gay men and the intersectionality of race and sexuality. His work helped to broaden mainstream awareness and understanding of LGBTQ and Black lives, and his films were highly influential in advancing Black and queer representation in media. Riggs also worked with organizations like the National LGBTQ Task Force and ACT UP to fight for the rights of LGBTQ people and folks living with HIV/AIDS.
Riggs’ legacy continues to inspire and inform the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ liberation and racial justice.
American history of resistance is a history of Black LGBTQ+ people. Advancements in civil rights and greater visibility of the LGBTQ+ community overall can be attributed to the efforts of Black LGBTQ+ folks; so much of what is popular and beloved in music, fashion, culture, and even language is because of the innovations and traditions of the Black queer diaspora. All of this is born out of the need to survive oppressive and violent conditions, distinguish themselves from their white LGBTQ+ counterparts who often enjoyed greater privilege.
When there are efforts to censor Black queer history in classrooms, to prevent trans folks from changing their gender markers or using the bathrooms they prefer, we must resist. Resistance of erasure is resistance to oppression.
This Black History Month, take a moment to learn about and honor the Black LGBTQ+ movements and people who have resisted throughout history.
The Cakewalk
What we know as the art of drag and ballroom today is born out of Black queer resistance to enslavement. The cakewalk, a dance performed by enslaved people, was meant to secretly mock plantation owners who frequently galavanted and gloated their expensive clothes. Their enslavers awarded the dancers cakes, unaware they were being blankly parodied. Later during the abolition period, “cakewalks” organized by the formerly enslaved served as a celebration of freedom and continued mockery of the enslavers, featuring attendees in extravagant costumes.
There is one particular person we can thank for the art of drag, and that is William Dorsey Swann, known now as the first drag queen. Swann, who was born into enslavement and survived to emancipation, was inspired by the “queens” of Washington D.C.’s Emancipation Day parades. He developed a form of dance for “glad rags,” also known as masquerade balls, and hosted cross-dressing balls for the community, many of which were raided by police.
This combination of dance performance and visual expression as a form of resistance survives in modern-day ballroom culture, famously depicted in the documentary film “Paris Is Burning.” Categories like “Executive Realness” serve as an opportunity for young Black queer folks — often denied positions of prominence in white society — to both mock the practices of the privileged and pretend to enjoy those privileges.
In the film, artist Dorian Corey notes: “Black people have a hard time getting anywhere. And those that do are usually straight. In a ballroom, you can be anything you want. You’re not really an executive, but you’re looking like an executive. And therefore you’re showing the straight world that ‘I can be an executive. If I had the opportunity, I could be one because I can look like one.’”
Bayard Rustin and the Civil Rights Movement
Many of us know about the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but not as many know about Bayard Rustin, an “angelic troublemaker,” his mentor and collaborator during the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s. Rustin was in fact the primary organizer of the historic March on Washington in 1936, perhaps the most famous civil rights protest of all time. Rustin was also openly gay, and spent much of his life dealing with political and legal persecution because of it (recently depicted in the 2023 film “Rustin”).
Sorry this is late. I have been sick for three days. Just really worn and tired. But I will try to get more sleep and stop stressing and hopefully will feel better soon. I made a large baked ziti yesterday and I made pictures and videos so I will post them soon. Hugs
“F.Y.I.—he’s not ready to laugh at the cliché of violent authoritarianism in a failing kingdom.”
Making no profits has given this ethical failure and unassimilated racist immigrant the possibility to become a trillionaire through massive taxpayer-funded subsidies and outrageous tax cuts.
UNITED STATES – CIRCA 1969: Photo of Fifth Dimension, c.1969, California, Los Angeles, Fifth DimensionL-R: Ron Townson, Florence LaRueBilly Davis, Jr., Lamonte McLemore, Marilyn McCoo. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
We’re not going to lie, 2025 was a tough year, as we lost many of the Black legends we knew and loved. Now, as 2026 gets underway, we must say goodbye to even more of those who had such a tremendous impact on the culture. Although they are gone, they will never be forgotten.
(snip-brief celebratory obits/photos on the page. A few of them have been posted here, lat year. While you peruse our losses, enjoy this next one from The Root, too! I would listen to Luther Vandross sing the phone book.)
LOS ANGELES – 1995: Singer Luther Vandross poses for a portrait in 1995 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry Langdon/Getty Images)
Although Kendrick Lamar and SZA walked away with the 2026 Grammy for Record of the Year for their song “luther”—which sampled the 1982 Luther Vandross hit “If This World Were Mine”—the late iconic singer still somehow became one of the hottest topics of the night.
This was thanks in large part to Cher’s hilarious and accidental flub, announcing Vandross as the winner instead Lamar. But still it made for a good reason to talk about the legendary singer and his musical contributions. It also got us thinking about our favorite Luther Vandross songs and so we’d figure what better way to wax poetic about them than by putting together our top favorite tracks of his for the best of the best playlist!
Fair warning though: this list will make you move and groove so make room wherever you are!
Amid the Trump administration’s ongoing attempts to erase queer and trans history, a University of California Berkeley professor’s students are working to right these wrongs — through Wikipedia edits.
Over the past decade, students in ethnic studies, gender and women’s studies, and performance studies professor María Rodríguez’s courses have edited and even created Wikipedia articles about LGBTQ+ history, with an emphasis on queer and trans people of color. The assignment currently replaces a final paper in three of her classes: “Documenting Marginal Lives,” “Queer of Color Cultural Production,” and “Queer of Color Critique.”
Rodríguez’s Wikipedia assignments take place in partnership with Wiki Education, a nonprofit that works with university professors in the United States and Canada. The professors’ students add content to course-related Wikipedia articles, which, according to the organization’s website, helps them gain skills like “media literacy, writing and research development, and critical thinking,” while simultaneously filling Wikipedia “content gaps.”
“Wikipedia is a public-facing project — it’s the largest encyclopedia in the world,” Rodríguez told UC Berkeley News in a December interview. “In a political moment where these histories are actively being erased from public view, having students work on a platform like Wikipedia becomes even more important.”
According to The Daily Californian, as of January 26, Rodríguez’s students have contributed over 300,000 edits and 3,000 citations to Wikipedia. At the time of writing, their work has garnered a whopping 96 million-plus views. Her students’ topics run the gamut, touching upon local history like the resonance of queer life in San Francisco’s Chinatown, as well as more international focus areas (for instance: worldwide sex worker movements).
As Rodríguez explained to UC Berkeley News, her students’ edits often help address the disparities between the amount of Wikipedia information about white, Anglo LGBTQ+ populations versus LGBTQ+ populations of color.
“It becomes particularly important to document these subcultures within these communities,” she said. “Because it’s not just queer Latinas — it’s queer goth Latinas, it’s queer comics of color, it’s African American slaying, right? It’s very specific topics that might really vary by region, by historical moment, and of course at different places around the world. Those topics, in Wikipedia and in real life, remain really under-studied and really under-researched.”
These contributions carry a newfound weight during the second Trump administration, in which officials have repeatedly attempted to erase references to queer and trans history. In February 2025, National Park Service websites removed the word “transgender” from multiple pages for historical programs and monuments, as well as references to trans figures such as Marsha P. Johnson. Meanwhile, in June, an unnamed Defense Department official told Military.com that Trump timed an order to remove LGBTQ+ icon Harvey Milk’s name from a military ship to coincide with Pride Month.
“Right now, the Trump administration is trying to erase the very existence of transgender people, so having information about those histories, as well as present challenges facing queer and trans communities, is particularly urgent,” Rodríguez told The Daily Californian via email. “Queer and trans people have always been here, and adding that information to the world’s largest open access encyclopedia is one way to make sure that these stories remain available.”
One of the intended consequences of President Trump’s politicization of the Justice Department is to leave behind a weakened, overwhelmed, decimated organization that simply can’t do its job.
They’re hollowing out the DOJ by purging nonpartisan career attorneys, making life intolerable for those who remain, and replacing them with loyalists sucks the capacity out of the organization. It can’t handle as many cases, isn’t capable of tackling ambitious ones, and the quality of the lawyering suffers in all cases.
This is all coming home to roost in a very visible way in Minnesota, where the lawless Operation Metro Surge has produced hundreds of habeas cases filed by wrongfully detained immigrants. The chief federal judge in Minnesota, speaking for an overwhelmed judiciary, has already publicly castigated the Trump administration for not preparing for the flood of cases that its mass deportation operation in the state was bound to generate. (Chris Geidner explains the ins and outs of why we’re seeing so many cases.)
Meanwhile, the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office has been crippled by mass resignations, including some of its most senior career attorneys. That has left the remaining DOJ attorneys in Minnesota inundated with more cases than they can keep up with. But I’m not sure that does justice to what’s been happening. It’s quite a bit worse than that.
The quality of lawyering has eroded to such a point that government lawyers have been unable to keep up with the court orders demanding that detainees be released. As a result, detainees have lingered in confinement even after courts have ordered their release.
Last week, as the Star Tribune first reported, Ana Voss, a career DOJer who was the chief of the civil division in the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office, submitted an astonishing court filing in which she admitted that her office had not followed a judicial order to release a detainee because they hadn’t seen the email.
“I did not timely read these orders,” Voss reportedly said in the court filing. “I understand that is inexcusable.”
But it doesn’t appear to be a case of incompetence or willful disregard. As Voss explained in the filing: “It has become apparent to me that I am not able to effectively triage and review every order which is not an acceptable practice for me or the United States.”
Numerous reports have suggested that mass resignations in the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office are not due solely to the failure to investigate the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti. My suspicion is that the hell-on-wheels inundation of immigration cases is another contributing factor.
More evidence of that emerged yesterday, when Julie Le, an attorney for the government, essentially melted down in court, as FOX9’s Paul Blume reported :
“I wish you would just hold me in contempt of court so I can get 24 hours of sleep,” Le said. “The system sucks, this job sucks, I am trying with every breath I have to get you what I need.”
As Joyce Vance notes, Le is not a regular assistant U.S. attorney but a “special” AUSA. She is reported to have been working as a DHS attorney before being detailed to the Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office to help with the flood of immigration cases. Le had been assigned over more than 88 cases since December.
It’s easy to see this as attorneys getting what they deserve for participating in a corrupted system, but remember it’s the detainees who are languishing despite courts ordering their release. I’ve seen defiant DOJ political appointees in court telling judges to shove it. Le does not appear to be one of those kinds of attorneys:
“I am here to make sure the agency understands how important it is to comply with court orders,” said Le, who became visibly emotional during the court hearing.
Le was removed from the U.S. Attorney’s Office after her courtroom remarks, NBC News reports.
When chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz said last week that the Trump administration had violated 96 court orders in 78 cases since Jan. 1 in Minnesota alone, I first thought this was another Trump administration gambit to defy the judicial branch. And it may be, but it’s not as direct as the confrontations in the Alien Enemies Act and Abrego Garcia cases.
It seems increasingly clear the rampant noncompliance with court habeas orders happening in immigration cases now is not a problem of attorney ethics. It’s a symptom of structural, institutional collapse at the Department of Justice.
The Trump administration is tearing down U.S. Attorney’s offices and undermining Main Justice so that there simply aren’t the resources to even respond to the judicial branch. A burn it all down ethos. Catch me if you can.
Keep an Eye on This One …
U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson of Minneapolis ordered the pretrial release of two immigrants accused of assaulting an ICE agent who shot one of the men in an incident last month. But the men did not make it out of the courthouse before they were re-detained, by ICE, the Star Tribune reports.
Attorneys for Alfredo Aljorna and Julio Sosa-Celis were quickly back in court, filing a habeas petition seeking their release from ICE custody. Last night, chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz ordered the Trump administration not to remove the men from Minnesota and, if they already had, then to return them to Minnesota immediately.
Not to get overlooked: At the pretrial hearing, the mens’ attorneys introduced into evidence photos of the shooting scene that suggest the ICE agent shot through a closed door and undermine the government’s account what happened.
Quote of the Day
“In the last few weeks, our family took some consolation thinking that perhaps Nee’s death would bring about change in our country. And it has not.”—Luke Ganger, brother of Renee Good
Judge Protects Anti-ICE Protesters
U.S. District Judge Michael Simon issued a temporary restraining order barring federal agents from using tear gas and other crowd-control weapons against peaceful protesters and journalists outside an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon.
In his order, Simon was harshly critical of the Trump administration:
“the repeated shooting and teargassing of nonviolent protesters at the Portland ICE Building will likely keep recurring … Defendants’ violence is in no way isolated.”
“statements made by DHS officials and senior federal executives show that the culture of the agency and its employees is to celebrate violent responses over fair and diplomatic ones.”
“Rather than reprimanding DHS violence against protesters, senior officials have publicly condoned it.”
“There are clear instances of excessive force, including a use of force incident recorded by ICE’s own cameras and deemed “inappropriate” and “not reasonable” by a Federal Protective Service (“FPS”) Deputy Regional Director. Yet, the agents involved were not put on leave and do not appear to have been held accountable in any way.”
The video below has people recounting the gang thug brutality of ICE attacking and shooting people doing nothing wrong. ICE thugs were totally out of control and had no respect for civil rights or the lives of the people they attacked. The ICE thugs seemed to be jacked up in rage by some substance and enjoyed causing pain and being cruel. Hugs
The video below details how the ICE gang thugs were bragging about shooting innocent people. The thugs did not care how brutal they were with the woman but instead seemed to relish being allowed to be so brutal. Hugs
The video below details the conditions at the ICE concentration camp, including that a 2 month old baby is being held there. Hugs
Witness testimony at a congressional hearing. I will post clips of their testimonys from MS Now. But please watch this. These are US citizens who committed no crime but being of Hispanic ethnicity. The agent who shot one of the witnesses bragged about it. These descriptions are something we wouldn’t believe it couldn’t happen here, but they are under the fascist government of Stephen Miller. These gang thugs do not think of these people as humans. This is no different from the way Jewish people were treated in Nazi Germany. The thugs were laughing at the disabled woman with a brain injury. They were totally willing to let this woman die. Plus currently there is no way for these assaulted people to recover lost / damaged property and income, and when taken to the hospital for emergency care due to their being assulted / shot by ICE gang thugs the people assaulted have to pay the cost of their treatment, not ICE or the government! Hugs
Scottie's Playtime 