(If you are new here) Sleeping Beauty is a photo-series aimed towards creating dialogue surrounding toxic masculinity and humanizing the Black man. When I say Black men I mean Black men who are heterosexual, who are gay, who are trans, Muslim, Christian, disabled, I hold space for all of them. When I say Black men I don’t just mean African American but also Afro Caribbean folks, African folks, etc. My focus is to center Black men, if you are following this series I encourage you to be present with that understanding.
As I Continue the ongoing process of trying to address the circumstances of violence and harm thats happening in our community often in the name of maleness and masculinity. I’m learning how to subvert that idea and amplify the qualities and traits that do not do that (for example being vulnerable and expressing ideas with other masculine people over a beverage)
Full transparency, I might say something that's problematic or rub people the wrong way, I invite you to address my behaviors, ideas, and choices and not the core of me. It’s a difference between saying someone is transphobic VS the ideas that they presented are transphobic. I’d appreciate it if people give me the grace and the space to understand that I am not my behavior, ideas, and choices, however I am responsible for them and their impact. This creates space to continue the work with curiosity, and with kindness centered as much as possible for these difficult and challenging times. This post was inspired by resources I’m constantly engaging with over at @_beamorg