Ironically, this article starts with a celebrity news hook. In February, rapper and poet Noname explained her refusal to feature on the soundtrack of the film ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’, about activist and Black Panther Party leader, Fred Hampton. Pointing out that the film missed out on Hampton’s anti-imperialist politics, as well as the […]
Last weekend, a group of drunk, white men passed me on the quiet end of a road in Shoreditch. “Afro head,” one of them shouted as we passed each other. My first thought was fury. A disproportionate, unadulterated rage and an urge to jump at him, pulling his own hair from his scalp in a […]
For being Pride month we want to highlight some fundraisers, so we’ve put together a list of individuals and organisations who are currently raising funds, whether it be for a better life for themselves or for our community. Please share and donate if you can. *Please note all words and photos below are that of […]
As a queer Muslim woman of colour witnessing a raging pandemic and racial reckoning, I’ve frequently been left wanting when it comes to stories of heroism. Finding characters who are even remotely like me (queer and/or BIPOC) is difficult. Finding heroes who fit this bill is even harder. I noticed that so many of these […]
Religion has been a tool used in the oppression of LGBTQ+ people around the world. From Christianity to Islam, we read and hear of the atrocities committed against queer people simply because they do not conform to heteronormativity. In the past few years, young people have left organised religion because of the anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. While […]
This May, AZ celebrates our sixth Birthday. For over half a decade we’ve been amplifying the voices of LGBTQPOC and creating content that doesn’t just validate but exalts the range of lived experiences within our often-silenced communities. We want to celebrate this achievement with the people who made it all possible, you guys, our incredible […]
TW: Suicidal ideation/addiction Maylis Djikalou is an extraordinary individual with an incredible story. She’s the type of person that you could listen to talk for hours on end because she has such a unique perspective on the world which comes from her lived experience. Originally from Côte d’Ivoire she migrated to the UK with her […]
I recently imagined what my ideal [safe] place would look like. Who would be allowed in? What would make it mine? But if ever there was a sound to drift down the corridor, welcoming me into my space, reminding me that I’m home? It would be Arlo Parks. Parks, born in West London is already […]
Introduction By Dean Atta I’m delighted to introduce poems by Day Eve M Komet, Candy Campbell The Maroon Doll, Iesha Small and Rhyne Chambers from a workshop I ran for AZ Mag on 25th February 2021 called ‘Which Flag to Wave?’ As a queer, Black British person of dual heritage, I identify with many different […]
Last Wednesday, Rhammel Afflick released this article detailing why he left his post as Pride in London’s Director of Communications in February. He writes: “As one of the most senior Black volunteers at Pride, I felt it was incumbent on me to make sure that the most marginalised communities were represented in our work. Calling […]
