Sex In The Black Renaissance: EXPEN$IVE
Queering the Body
Sexual proclamation, liberation, and ownership
Sensuality is identified as "the ability to enjoy all our senses: smell, touch, taste, sight, and hearing." It is often referred to in connection with another person, but what about self-sensuality? We can be sensual by ourselves and to ourselves. Your sensual self is a vital tool for one's well-being, self-confidence, and liberation. There is power in the ownership of that divine essence. In this age of social media and content creation, the power has shifted to the individual — sexual proclamation.
Marlon Riggs once wrote, "Silence kills the soul; it diminishes its possibilities to rise and fly and explore. Silence withers what makes you human. The soul shrinks until it is nothing." There is power in the narration of our stories. We have come to a place where our stories do not have to exist in an insular vacuum; they are not siloed. They are roaring and unchained — liberation.
"We are all born naked, and the rest is drag." But without the fixings, finery, and mug, do we love what is left? If you ask any male-identifying or presenting person, that answer is often very layered and nuanced, nine times out of ten. Toxic beauty standards have done their fair share of terror on the queer collective, but there is power in reclaiming the narrative — ownership.
As queer folx, we are made up of the fabric of our ancestors, the stories of now, and the promises of tomorrow. Through the accounts and affirmations of beautiful souls like Coran Newsome and Daniel Martinez-Hill, I have come to grasp embracing these three pillars: sexual proclamation, liberation, and ownership. I have fears, criticism, and acts of self doubt in relation to the body and self. Yet I am subliminally finding ways to love myself more than ever.
Here, Coran and Daniel tell us their perspectives about the intersections of sexual proclamation, liberation, and ownership.
Sexual Proclamation
Coran mentions, “Embody what it is to not only own your sexuality but to own who you are as a whole”.
“Sexuality without sensuality is so lifeless, barren, and colorless.” stated Daniel.
Ownership
Coran stated, “I have the means and tools to fulfill my happiness. Our ancestors did not always have those tools.” He added, "So, I feel honored to feel as if I have them.”
"Black queer bodies should not have to be superhuman just to exist. Black queer bodies are the mother fucking shit and always will be.” Daniel stated.
Whether your body is thin, thick, tall or short and regardless of how you choose to embrace femininity and masculinity, we all have our accounts, testimonies, and stories towards self-liberation. It is worth nothing that Coran and Daniel are queering the body, inspiring us all to be just as expressive and liberated.
Liberation
As Coran puts it, “To embody what it is to not only own your sexuality but to own who you are as a whole. The beautiful, the dark, the ugly it ALL — it is a very liberating feeling.”
Daniel explains, “I was sexually assaulted as a young kid, knowingly and even without knowing. This sexual liberation allowed me to regain my power the way I did not before. My sexuality was defined by others until I took it back and gave it my voice.” He continued, “We can do the work to expand the meaning of what "beauty" is.”
Creative Director and Stylist: Melquan Ganzy
Photographer: Anthony Buford
Writer: Shelton Boyd-Griffith
Talent: Coran Newsome and Daniel Hill
Fashion Assistant: Dyer “Dior” Sharp
Featured Brands: Luar, Rog, Sasha Petina, Third Crown, Khiry, Johnny Nelson