October is Black History Month in the UK, and LGBTQ+ history month in the US. I normally publish much longer lists about each of these holidays for US Black History Month (February) and Pride Month (June), respectively, but I still wanted to do something to commemorate this October. Because of that, I came up with a list of some of the absolutely incredible Black queer people that I follow and love. It would be impossible for me to think of everyone, so make sure to give these people a follow and drop your favorite black queer singers/actors/writers/influencers in the comments section!
Singers
Janelle Monáe
Monáe is also an actor, but I opted to put her in this category because I feel like she is more well known for her music. Feel free to correct me on this!! She’s also absolutely drop dread gorgeous.
Megan Thee Stallion
Megan Thee Stallion was vague about her sexuality until recently, but now she’s out and proud and ready to say that she is just as attracted to women as she is to men.
Willow Smith
I love Willow Smith so much. Lately the Red Table Talk ads have been all over my TikTok and her wisdom and facial expressions are unmatched. Plus, her song with Machine Gun Kelley is a bop and I will not be taking criticism at this time.
Lil Nas X
Lil Nas broke into the music scene with what I’m sure many people thought would be a one hit wonder song, but it’s clear that he’s here to stay. He also has a great social media personality so he’s worth the follow.
Kehlani
I absolutely love Kehlani. Her music is unfailingly great, she’s hot, and if you haven’t listened to her music before, you should stream it asap
Frank Ocean
Frank Ocean is known as one of the most amazing singer/songwriters of all time. His music is so incredibly powerful and he knows how to make you cry and also dance.
Dreya Mac
If you were on TikTok recently, you’ve probably heard Own Brand Freestyle, Dreya Mac’s most famous song. The rapper has a great personality, is super fun on TikTok, and makes songs that stay stuck in my head all day.
Tinashe
I admittedly don’t know much about Tinashe, but she has a killer instagram presence and her music is great
Jessica Betts
Betts is a singer/songwriter who is potentially better known for her surprise wedding one month ago to actress Nicey Nash.
Actors
Aisha Dee
I fell in love with Aisha Dee after watching her play Kit in The Bold Type. She’s such a talented actress and if you haven’t seen something she’s in yet, you should get on it.
Rosanny Zayas
Zayas is best known for her role as Sophie in The L Word: Generation Q. The reboot actually hired queer actors of color to play the role of queer actors of color this time! Zayas plays an incredible (if controversial) character and I’m excited to see where she goes next.
Jasmin Savoy Brown
I decided to put Jasmin Savoy Brown into the actors category because I know her best from Yellowjackets, but she’s also a singer in her own right, along with hosting the Most podcast!
Samira Wiley
Wiley is a star in Orange is the New Black and The Handmaid’s Tale, although I haven’t watched the latter yet. She also started dating one of the writers on the OITNB set.
MJ Rodriguez
MJ Rodriguez is the star of Pose, but as I was making this list I found out that she’s also a singer! How I’ve managed to follow her on Instagram for years and not know this, I’m not sure, but she’s yet another versatile addition to the list.
Indya Moore
Moore is another Pose star- potentially my favorite discovered actress after watching the series. She’s so gorgeous and so talented and an absolute joy to watch on the screen.
Billy Porter
Billy Porter is an absolute unrivaled icon. He’s so powerfully himself in every aspect of his life, and he’s most certainly blazed the way for many other younger queer people and black people to rise up in the industry.
Amandla Stenberg
You may have seen Stenberg in the news recently for her “fight” with NYT reviewer Lena Wilson after Wilson got unnecessarily angry at Stenberg for making a joke in her DMs. Amandla is proudly out and gay, a movie star, and able to roll her eyes at random forced drama– a triple threat.
Niecy Nash
I regret to admit that I had no idea who Niecy Nash was until she announced that she married a woman last month, thus placing her firmly on my radar and making me aware of what an icon she is.
Tessa Thompson
I’m kind of obsessed with Tessa Thompson because of how incredibly she poses on the red carpet. She’s an amazing actor and she always looks hot!
Keke Palmer
Keke Palmer is a Disney channel star that grew up and managed to transcend her childhood roots in the network through a combination of incredible acting and singing skill and a great internet personality.
Robin Roberts
I didn’t even realize Robin Roberts was gay until recently, but apparently she is! A staple in so many people’s homes growing up, Roberts is also married to Amber Laign
Lena Waithe
Waithe’s casual masculine look is rare to find in Hollywood, especially on the level of success that she is on. Plus, based on her Instagram stories, she’s a big WNBA fan (or more specifically, a Courtney Williams fan) which raises her 134902843 points in my estimation immediately.
Laverne Cox
I absolutely adore Laverne Cox. From the minute I met her watching Orange is the New Black, she has been such a badass icon, and she’s no less badass in real life.
Wanda Sykes
Sykes’ fun, easygoing personality makes me want to be friends with her immediately.
Queen Latifah
Queen Latifah is an icon in general, and she happens to be a queer icon! She is so versatile and talented and I love everything she is in.
Javicia Leslie
Batwoman!! The only true Batwoman in my eyes. I was devastated for this show to end entirely because of how much I enjoyed watching Javicia Leslie on screen, and listening to her on the Most podcast just made me love her even more.
Writers
Akwaeke Emezi
I cannot emphasize enough how much I loved Emezi’s book, You Made a Fool of Death With Your Beauty. It was one of my favorites, and I have PET and The Death of Vivek Oji on my TBR.
Michael Arceneaux
I read You Can’t Date Jesus, Arceneaux’s memoir, and I loved his candor and related to much of his experience with religion.
Janet Mock
I think technically Mock would likely describe herself as a director. However, she has also written two books, including Redefining Realness, a memoir about her early life, and since that’s how I came to know of her, that’s the category I’m placing her in.
Mia McKenzie
McKenzie wrote Skye Falling and is best known for her book Black Girl Dangerous, a book with the same name as her popular website.
Bryan Washington
You probably already know Bryan Washington as the author of Memorial, which became an international bestseller.
Arlan Hamilton
Arlan Hamilton is a powerful woman in the business world who took the extra step of writing about what she learned, which is something that I’m always looking for as someone hoping to succeed at my job.
Influencers & Reality TV Stars
RuPaul
I’m sure you already know about RuPaul and his Drag Race TV show, but he is included here for the sake of completeness.
Karamo Brown
I recently watched an old episode of The Real World and was shocked by how much Brown’s public persona has changed since the early 2000s. He’s truly come into himself and is now an incredible host on Queer Eye
Basit
I had to throw in one person from my favorite TV season of all time, Are You the One: Bisexual Edition so that if the AYTO casting directors read this they’ll do another one. Basit is super cool, their fashion sense is iconic, and they were the levelheaded one on their season.
Amber’s Closet
Amber was fundamental to my early Youtube days in high school, and her content has managed to grow with me in a way that I’m still not bored of it. From brutally honest advice to open conversations about sex and relationships, her frank, kind personality has made her a lasting youtube success.
Arrows
Arrows is yet another Youtuber who I’ve followed from my own early-gay stage into now. I feel like I grew with Arrows as he discovered himself and then showed that self to us on Youtube.
Crissa Jackson
Crissa Jackson is the Harlem Globetrotter turned influencer who was on a recent season of The Circle. She didn’t last long, and I wish I could have seen more of her antics.
Stevie Shari
Stevie is not only a Youtuber, she’s also an AMERICA NINJA WARRIOR which is one of the most badass things that anyone can do.
Ezee
Ezee’s vlogs are some of the most chaotic and yet calming things on the internet right now. Her energy is just right to make my brain happy.
Blossom C Brown
Blossom C Brown does it all. She’s an astrologer, activist, and life coach. Following her on Instagram honestly isn’t enough and I hope to one day meet her in person
Jade Fox
Jade Fox’s advice and hot takes make her sit down videos some of the best on the entire platform. Her and her girlfriend are adorable, her fits are style goals, and overall she’s a great person to follow.
Chey
Chey and her girlfriend travel all the time, and their channel is true couple goals. Scrolling her instagram never fails to give me dozens of new vacation ideas.
Write Through the Night 