TheGrio presents ‘Black & Proud,’ with Gia Love

“I’m not here for the rainbow. I’m here to make sure that we have equity [and] to make sure that we’re not being killed in the streets,” Love tells theGrio.

Gia Love (she/her) uses her platform to incorporate positive and meaningful change. The model, activist, and community organizer is determined to make the world a more inclusive and safe place for the LGBTQ+ community.  

“I’m a Black trans woman. Sisterhood has been…one of the cornerstones of my overall health and well-being,” the native New Yorker told theGrio. “I’m not here for the rainbow. I’m here to make sure that we have equity, to make sure that we’re not being killed in the streets, and make sure that people can exist in the way that they want to exist.”

Community is a major part of what drives Love’s pride and how she displays it. Her love for community was formed in the ballroom scene, which was chronicled in the Teddy Award-winning documentary “Kiki.” The idea of pride for her means leaning into her community to help bring a better sense of awareness and understanding. 

“When I think of pride, I think about being a young kid and everything in my life and my experiences taught me that I wasn’t good enough, ” said Love. “But I always had something inside of me that kind of pulled the sense of pride out of me.”

For Love, being Black and proud is making sure there is a seat at the table for trans people. In her activism work, she serves as the director of community engagement for Black Trans Femmes in the Arts Collective (BTFA). 

“I’m making sure…that we can really see and feel the liberation that we talk about often,” she said. “The liberation that has been inside of me since I was a kid [and] the liberation I fought for even when I didn’t know anyone like me.”

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