Queens Mural Showcases
Black Trans Leaders
The mural’s creator, Glori Tuitt (right), hopes to shed light on Black trans femme leaders
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
The Queens Museum
rolled out a mural this
fall that shines a light on
Black trans femme activists
and artists leading social justice
movements in New York City.
The mural, dubbed “Black,
Trans, & Alive (Qweens Song),”
stretches across the side of the
Queens Museum at New York City
Building, Meridian Road in Corona,
Queens. The artwork, unveiled
on October 1, depicts some of the
stars in the city’s activist scene,
including GLITS founder Ceyenne
Doroshow; the founders of the
Stonewall Protests, Qween Jean
and Joela Rivera; and Aaron Philip,
a transgender model and grand
marshal of the 2021 Pride March.
The artwork is part of a series from
Not a Monolith, a public art project
that seeks to showcase the diversity
of the Black community. The mural
also features journalist and trans
advocate Raquel Willis and artist
Joshua Allen. In a press release,
the Queens Museum said they are
providing free educational programming
alongside the artwork.
Glori Tuitt, an illustrator, painter,
and Black woman of trans experience,
created the mural to highlight
Black trans femme historical
fi gures who are bringing attention
to issues facing the community.
ART
RONALD WEAVER II
The BTFA Collective, a trans art
organization, and GLITS Inc., an
LGBTQ advocacy group, also threw
their weight behind the project.
Qween Jean, one of the activists
featured in the mural, told Gay
City News she was stunned when
she fi rst saw the artwork. The
mural shows Jean donning a yellow
dress and butterfl y clips — a
nod to one of several iconic looks
she sported during a protest this
year denouncing the actions of the
NYPD and calling for an end to
racism and white supremacy.
“It’s refreshing, honestly, to be
able to have imagery and a moment
of celebration that is not attached to
pain, trauma, or death,” Jean said
regarding the mural. “As we take big
breaths, and we should also be able
to have and see it refl ected in our history…
our present and our future.”
The mural, opening for the publi
in the spring, comes at a time of
growing visibility and disproportionately
high levels of violence facing
Black trans people, especially
Black trans women in the US. Jean
said it’s inspiring to see paintings
of Black trans bodies.
“We are alive, and we are not just
a statistic, we are not just an afterthought,
we are not the painful, traumatic
experiences that we have actually
overcome,” she said. “Being able
to bear witness to Glori’s masterpiece
is truly, truly breathtaking.”
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