We All Deserve An Uncle Johnny: Why We Need To Continue To Honor Our Black Queer Elders
After learning of Beyoncé dedicating this album to her dearly departed Uncle Johnny, a Black, queer man, I became emotional.
Before Beyoncé officially debuted her seventh studio album Renaissance, I expected to be dazzled. I mean, c’mon — it’s Beyoncé. I expected to hear genre-defying music that makes me want to dance, sing and display every other emotion that denotes pure joy.
While all of this did happen, something else did, too. After learning of Beyoncé dedicating this album to her dearly departed Uncle Johnny, a Black, queer man, I became emotional. All too often do we feel the ramifications that result from the erasure of our Black, queer relatives and their contributions, and here we have Beyoncé doing the exact opposite.
Creating stellar music is one thing, but highlighting and paying homage to those who’ve come before us to pave the way is a feat on its own. What stands out the most to me is Beyoncé’s insistence on honoring not only the legacy of Black LGBTQ+ voices in music but those in her very own family.