Qween Jean

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Qween Jean
Jean in 2021
Born
Haiti
Alma materUniversity of South Carolina
Tisch School of the Arts
OccupationCostume designer
Known forLGBT activism
MovementBlack liberation, trans liberation, police abolition

Qween Jean is a Black transgender costume designer and LGBT+ rights activist based in New York City.[1]

Early life[edit]

Jean was born in Haiti before moving with her family to Miami, Florida. Growing up, she struggled with gender dysphoria and read queer stories, including books by James Baldwin, for support. She learned how to sew from her grandmother, who was a dressmaker.[2]

Education[edit]

She attended Florida School of the Arts at St. Johns River State College before transferring to University of North Carolina where she obtained a bachelor's degree in Business Communications.[3] In 2016, she graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a master's degree in Design and went on to have a career as a costume designer.[4]

Activism[edit]

Black trans liberation protests[edit]

In June 2020, following the murders of Black transgender woman, Nina Pop,[5] and Black transgender man, Tony McDade,[6] and the lack of coverage of the murders in the media, Jean co-founded the Black trans liberation protests in New York City with Joela-Abiona Rivera.[7][8][9]

Gay City News states the protests' purpose was to "underscore the importance of trans rights and condemn the ongoing killings of transgender people." The protests took place every Thursday outside the Stonewall Inn, in Washington State Park, and through the streets of the city.[4] Them wrote, "As the fight for safety and inclusion continues, Jean utilizes marches as a means of building coalitions, dismantling bigotry, and creating spaces for joy and celebration."[10]

The protests and Jean are the subjects of the photo book,[11] Revolution Is Love: A Year of Black Trans Liberation.[12][13][14]

Black Trans Liberation's mission is to end homelessness within the trans population by equipping transgender people with resources to succeed.[15][16]

Events[edit]

On July 9, 2020, Jean spoke at a protest demanding abolition of the police and decriminalization of sex work.[17]

On January 18, 2021, Jean led a trans liberation protest where the crowd was attacked and beaten by the NYPD.[18] Jean said of the event, "The entire march was attacked and beaten by the NYPD. Literally, where trans women were being attacked by the police, their wigs getting ripped off, being dragged on the concrete. There is a parallel to the 1969 liberation fight."[4]

On June 13, 2021, Jean led the second Brooklyn Liberation March, which focused on the empowerment of transgender youth. The event supported organizations such as, "the Gworls, an organization that raises money to assist Black transgender people with housing; the Black Excellence Collective; Trans Lifeline; and Magic City Acceptance Center, a space for LGBTQ children in Birmingham, Alabama."[19]

On June 24, 2021, Jean's conversation with Avram Finkelstein, a founding member of the AIDS art collective Gran Fury, was published in Interview.[20]

On August 28, 2021, Jean participated in the March On For Voting Rights in Washington D.C.[21]

On September 8, 2021, Jean led a rally in support of Abimbola Adelaja, a former Marine, who was attacked for being gay in a Bushwick bodega.[22][23]

On June 26, 2022, Jean and other activists interrupted the New York City Pride Parade in honor of Donnell Rochester, an 18-year-old murdered by police in Baltimore. Jean stated at the event, "Pride was a protest. Stonewall is the history and legacy of injustice. We are reclaiming our time today. We are reclaiming queer space today. We are reclaiming trans bodies today."[24]

On August 24, 2022, Jean hosted a rally for Marsha P. Johnson’s 77th birthday in Washington Square Park.[25] The same week, Jean co-hosted the third annual Celebration of Black Trans Women Cookout.[26]

On May 31, 2023, Jean was arrested by the NYPD at a protest of anti-trans laws and violence.[27][28] Activist Adam Eli shared footage of Jean's arrest and stated, "There is no question that the police targeted Qween and that this was their plan for the night. As soon as Qween was arrested the police presence at least halved."[29][30]

Gay City News reported that Jean was among the leaders of the 2023 Queer Liberation March in New York, an anti-corporate alternative to the NYC Pride March. That day, she stated:

I believe in Black trans liberation. I believe in Black trans power…When trans people unite, whenever we gather, it has no chance but to be magical, because as we can look around and see, our community has come out today. They not only look glorious, they look so divine. This is how we show up in our full armor.[31]

Artistry[edit]

In 2020, Jean was honored in Black Women on Broadway's Inaugural Awards Ceremony for her costume designs.[32][33]

The same year, she designed costumes for Shakespeare Theatre Company’s The Amen Corner.[2]

In 2021, Jean was named an Artist-in-Residence at Museum of Modern Art PS1 and curated the exhibit Black Trans Liberation: Memoriam and Deliverance.[34][3]

In 2021, a portrait of Jean taken by photographer, Christian Thane, was featured in the Queens Museum exhibit, Live Pridefully: Love and Resilience within Pandemics.[3] In 2022, another portrait, taken by Camila Falquez, was featured in the exhibit, Gods That Walk Among Us, at the Hannah Traore Gallery in NYC.[35][36][37] Jean was on the cover of Cero Magazine and featured in Logo for their "30 Changemakers" series.[38][39]

In 2022, Jean designed the costumes for Theatre for a New Audience's production, Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design of a Play.[40][41]

On June 25, 2022, Jean co-hosted The Big Mix – LGBTQIA+ Pride with Idina Menzel.[42] Jean had a cameo on And Just Like That...[43]

In 2023, she designed the costumes for The New Group's production, The Seagull/Woodstock, NY.[44] Jean was honored at the 2023 Obie Awards for her costume design.[45][46]

In 2023, Jean joined Theatre Communications Group's board of directors.[47]

External links[edit]

Qween Jean Costume Design

‘Exposure Doesn’t Pay the Rent’ an Interview With Activist Qween Jean

Life After Gun Violence

Revolution Is Love: A Year of Black Trans Liberation

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "QWEEN JEAN". GAYLETTER. 2021-09-08. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  2. ^ a b Folliard, Patrick (2020-10-01). "'This is the time when artists go to work'". Washington Blade. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  3. ^ a b c "Live Pridefully Qween Jean". Caribbean Equality Project. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  4. ^ a b c Bellamy-Walker, Tat (2021-02-17). "Qween Jean Brings "Artivism" to Stonewall Protests". Gay City News. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  5. ^ Tracy, Matt (2020-05-07). "Black Transgender Woman Murdered in Missouri". Gay City News. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  6. ^ Tracy, Matt (2020-05-29). "Police Kill Black Transgender Man in Florida". Gay City News. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  7. ^ "Home of the Brave". Harper's BAZAAR. 2022-05-25. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  8. ^ Barna, Ben (2021-06-18). "Ryan McGinley and Qween Jean Take You Inside the Brooklyn Liberation Protest". Interview Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  9. ^ Tracy, Matt (2020-07-26). "Vibrant Trans Liberation March Follows Powerful Speeches". Gay City News. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  10. ^ "Qween Jean Is the Electrifying Activist Fighting for Black Trans Liberation". Them. 2021-06-30. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  11. ^ Lee, Denny (2022-11-27). "What Ziwe and LaQuan Smith Wore to Club Moda". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  12. ^ Jean, Qween; Rivera, Joela; Street, Mikelle; Willis, Raquel; Ahmed, Ramie; Baptiste, Lucy; Budi, eds. (2022). Revolution is love: a year of black trans liberation (1st ed.). New York, NY: Aperture. ISBN 978-1-59711-530-8.
  13. ^ "A New Photo Book Captures the Power of Black Trans Liberation". Them. 2022-12-09. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  14. ^ Dazed (2022-10-24). "The story behind 2020's revolutionary Stonewall Protests". Dazed. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  15. ^ Floyd-Carroll, Iman (2021-05-12). "Black Trans Liberation: An Evening at the Stonewall Protests in New York City". Peninsula Press. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  16. ^ "11 Organizations and Fundraisers to Support Right Now". Them. 2022-12-23. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  17. ^ Tracy, Matt (2020-07-13). "Sex Workers Rally Against Police Brutality at Stonewall – Gay City News". gaycitynews.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  18. ^ Tracy, Matt (2021-01-19). "NYPD Goes After Protesters on MLK Day". gaycitynews.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  19. ^ Tracy, Matt (2021-06-14). "Brooklyn Liberation March Brings Attention to Trans Youth". gaycitynews.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  20. ^ Gillen, Nancy (2021-06-24). "Avram Finkelstein and Qween Jean Look Back on a Lifetime of Organizing". Interview Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  21. ^ "Perspective | Black trans women face a unique threat rooted in centuries of history". Washington Post. 2022-03-19. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  22. ^ Brendlen, Kirstyn (2021-09-10). "Bushwick rallies against hate after anti-gay attack". Brooklyn Paper. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  23. ^ "Protestors March Against Anti-LGBTQ Hate Crimes in Brooklyn". Paper. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14.
  24. ^ Moses, Dean (2022-06-26). "Protesters rain on the NYC Pride Parade in memory of Donnell Rochester | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  25. ^ Messino, Gaby. "A Black Trans Liberation Rally Honors the Life of Marsha P. Johnson". www.otdowntown.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  26. ^ "Black Trans Women Deserve to Be at the Cookout, Too". Them. 2022-09-01. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  27. ^ Holtermann, Gabriele (2023-06-01). "Prominent transgender activist Qween Jean arrested in Greenwich Village during 'Trans Revolution' march | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  28. ^ "The NYPD Kicked Off Pride Month By Arresting a Black Trans Activist". Them. 2023-06-01. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  29. ^ Villarreal, Daniel (2023-06-10). "The NYPD's Pride-themed vehicle may feature an anti-cop slogan". LGBTQ Nation. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  30. ^ "March for Trans Rights in NYC". New York Daily News. 2023-06-01. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  31. ^ Tracy, Matt (2023-06-26). "Trans and queer rights take center stage at intersectional Queer Liberation March". gaycitynews.com. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
  32. ^ Jackson, Angelique (2022-06-01). "Black Women on Broadway Announces Inaugural Awards Ceremony (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  33. ^ MaGee, Ny (2022-06-03). "Black Women on Broadway Announce Inaugural Awards Ceremony on June 6 in NYC". EURweb. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  34. ^ "June 12–August 16, 2021 Black Trans Liberation: Memoriam and Deliverance". The Museum of Modern Art. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  35. ^ "Photographer Camila Falquez creates new paradigms of beauty, power & liberation". i-d.vice.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  36. ^ Waddoups, Ryan (2022-06-12). "The Queer Community Comes Together to Celebrate Camila Falquez". SURFACE. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  37. ^ "Photographer Camila Falquez Captures the Gods That Walk Among Us". ELLE. 2022-06-15. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  38. ^ "CERO01 — Joela Rivera and Qween Jean". Cero Magazine. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
  39. ^ "Meet the LOGO30: Qween Jean "It Is My Right to Hold Space," Says the Stonewall Protests Organizer". Archived from the original on 2023-06-14.
  40. ^ Putnam, Leah (2022). "Reviews: What Did Critics Think of TFANA's Wedding Band?". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13.
  41. ^ "Drama Desk And Outer Critics Circle Awards Nominations Announced". Live Design. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13.
  42. ^ "Little Island Announces Complete Cast For The Big Mix". City Life Org. 2022-06-10. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  43. ^ "Sara Ramírez on 'And Just Like That' and TV's buzziest queer character". NBC News. 2022-06-01. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  44. ^ "Enter the Rehearsal Room for The Seagull/Woodstock, NY With New Photos". Playbill. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13.
  45. ^ "2023 OBIE Awards on the Red Carpet — Photo Journal". www.theatrely.com. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  46. ^ "Congratulations to Design Alumni OBIE Winners!". tisch.nyu.edu. Archived from the original on 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
  47. ^ "TCG Announces New Board Trustees and Structure". AMERICAN THEATRE. 2023-02-21. Archived from the original on 2023-06-14. Retrieved 2023-06-13.
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