Recent data shows that between 15 to 26 million people in America participated in demonstrations following the death of George Floyd, making Black Lives Matter one of the largest movements in history. Conor Clark spoke to Kaiden Ford, activist and New York resident, about the importance of opposing racism as loudly as possible
QX recently shared a photo of you at a Black Lives Matter protest. Can you tell us about what your experiences protesting have been?
Overwhelmingly positive. The energy and commitment on the protests I’ve been to has been incredibly inspiring. People are empowered to do something about racism once and for all, and we won’t stop until we have. No Justice, no peace!
One of the signs you were recently seen holding states that ‘if your queerness isn’t anti-racist you aren’t queer’. Can you elaborate on what this means to you?
I think it’s pretty self-explanatory. Being queer is about more than just who you sleep with or what you wear. It’s an attitude, it’s a way of being that values individuality over following the herd. It also means that you see and call out bullshit. You can’t expect to be respected for your individuality if you are judging others by the colour of their skin.
Racism is actively alive in the LGBT*Q+ community and a lot of people choose to ignore it, but I decided to take the other approach and use my body/sexual appeal to bring more awareness. I refuse to be ignored. I’m black and queer and that’s sexy as fuck.
How important do you think it is to protest?
Protest is essential! When the status quo refuses to show the intelligence, humility and compassion to examine their beliefs and their systems – systems which have excluded and discriminated against people like me for decades – what else would a rational person do other than protest? Anything else means that you are happy with living in a racist society. That you support it. Protest also comes in many forms. Marching is only one of them.
We need to stand up to racism whenever you encounter it (regardless of whether you are directly affected by it or not). Racists on the other hand sit by and let it happen. Again, and again, and again…
What has the atmosphere in New York been like?
History is repeating itself and NYC is angry, she’s roaring! Fighting for our lives is in our blood, blood which has been shed on the streets time and time again. The blood of my black and Hispanic. Stonewall was a riot and we aren’t finished yet!
Have you noticed any changes since the recent protests began?
I have noticed more of a sense of community, familiar faces on the marches. And more and more people are becoming aware of the issues. We have become a politicized generation not by choice, but by necessity. And we ready to do the hard work and clear up the mess that previous generations have failed us by not clearing up themselves.
How prominent do you think racism is within the LGBTQ+ community?
Like COVID, racism a virus that is alive and living in society, and being LGBT*Q+ doesn’t give you immunity. That said, I’d like to think that there are less racist individuals in the LGBT*Q+ community, but I know from my own experience that there absolutely are racists amongst us. Sometimes that takes the form of objectifying me and people like me, other times it comes in the form of exclusion – social and economic. I don’t take any form of discrimination. And I will never be limited by someone else’s view of me. Why should I? I tackle that crap head on. But why should I and others victims of racism be the ones who have to deal with it?
Do you think the Black Lives Matter movement and the ongoing battle for LGBTQ+ rights are intertwined at all?
Yes but they are also separate issues. For far too many white people in our community think the fight ended with same sex marriage. But there are still to this day black trans women being raped and killed in frightening numbers. How can people sit back and congratulate themselves on achieving ‘equality’ when that shit is still happening?
If someone isn’t able to attend a protest, is there anything else they can do to support the Black Lives Matter movement?
A protest doesn’t only start and end in the street, there’s are many other factors that need to happen that can be done safely from your home – emailing your local government, clouding your social media with educational posts, starting a conversation with friends and family to educate them, donate to the many organisations fighting against racism.
You can follow Kaiden Ford on Instagram @iamkaidenford.
