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About us

BQIC is a grassroots community organization in Central Ohio that works towards the liberation of Black LGBTQIA+ people from all walks of life through direct action, community organizing, education on our issues, and creating spaces to uplift our voices.

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We had a lot of fun during our first Virtual Member Meeting yesterday! We had the chance to talk about the upcoming Virtual Black Power Book Club and SPEAK UP on the 14th, the @freethemall614 coalition work we’re doing to release incarcerated people in Franklin County, updates on planning @columbuscommunitypride, but most importantly we talked about how all of us are managing to stay afloat in the midst of a global pandemic! We’re sticking to our regular schedule, so we look forward to seeing all y’all again on April 19 from 2:00-4:00! We invite all Black LGBTQ+ people in Central Ohio to join us for the next meeting! We might have to be physically distant, but we can still get organized and build community with each other! If you’d like to receive updates, DM us or email us at blackqueercolumbus@gmail.com to be added to our listserv for Black queer and trans people 🤍

Today is Trans Day of Visibility, and we are sending so much love to our trans family during these bleak and uncertain times! As a collective run by and for Black queer and trans people, we want to uplift our trans siblings’ innate magic, beauty, shine, and realness on this day meant to celebrate us! Now more than ever, people need to commit to the ensuring and enriching the lives of trans people around the world, especially Black trans women and trans women of color. Visibility alone won’t save us, we demand freedom! You can donate to support Black trans-led work and our emergency fund at bqic.net/donate Pictures from our November 2019 March for Black Trans Women and #GalleryHopTakeover. First pair of pictures: Arykah Carter Second pair of pictures: Paul Becker Third pair of pictures: Ralph Orr . . . #TDOV #transdayofvisibility #BQIC #BlackLivesMatter #BlackTransLivesMatter

Thank you to everyone who came out to our monthly Spoken Word/Open Mic last night! As always, we were blown away by all the Black talent in the room 😍 Big ups to our two features Tyra (@_tyramail_) and Lightwork (@canimuseyou) for slaying the mic!! Lots of love to MC Young Tempy (@tempj) for loving the night along, to DJ Honey Brown (@sablefish_) for providing the sounds, and to Art Outside the Lines (@artoutsidethelines) for having hosted our spoken word for such a long time. See y’all in April for the next installment of SPEAK UP!

The BIG public meeting for folks to get involved with volunteering for Columbus Community Pride will be Wednesday March 18th at 6:00 - 8:00 PM @ the Northside Library Branch! Columbus Community Pride is a grassroots pride celebration that challenges state violence and that centers queer, trans, and intersex people color. This pride is led and organized by Black, Indigenous, and POC LGBTQIA+ folks. We welcome all those wanting to volunteer and uplift the need to provide spaces without police, without rainbow capitalism, and without the exploitation of Black and Brown people. Many hands make light work, so come thru and get involved!!! We are broken up into six teams this year so there’s a lot to do, learn, and contribute! Come learn how to get involved! Team info is below for your pondering needs. Teams: Marketing/Communications/Digital - managing social media platforms for CP, digital amplification of CP, create digital content for CP. Money- Making - fundraising for CP through organizing and hosting fun and inclusive events focused on harm reduction and safety. Street Team/Outreach- outreach for CP by canvassing, talking to media, going to events and flyering or tabling. Logistics/Volunteers - booking all event spaces, vendors, speakers and accommodations. Booking accessibility accommodations and child care. Organizing volunteers for all CP events. Safety/Harm Reduction/Accessibility - organizing community safety team, medic squad, LOs. Organizing safety team trainings for events. Harm reduction and creating sensory spaces. Musicians/Artists: booking musicians/artists for art events and CP festival, set up equipment, and pay performers. Access info: Northside Library is a multilevel building that is wheelchair accessible. There is an elevator, and there are gendered wheelchair accessible restrooms. This space is not guaranteed scent-free. Northside Library is on the COTA line. Please let us know if you need any accommodations like ASL, childcare, transportation, etc. <3

UPDATE: The 3/12 peer group is canceled to lessen the risk of passing along communicable illnesses, like coronavirus and the flu. We’ll update the next time a BQIC member is signed up to facilitate! . Calling all gender rebels! Our co-founder Dkéama Alexis (@ecstasyandruin) will be facilitating OCTOPUS LLC’s March Non-binary Support Group on Thursday March 12th from 7:00-9:00 PM at Summit on 16th United Methodist Church!! Attendance is only open to those members of the transgender community and/or the community who identify as Nonbinary or Nonbinary questioning. This would include anyone under the Nonbinary umbrella including but not limited to those who identify as: genderqueer, gender nonconforming, demigender, genderfluid, bigender, and agender. (Binary trans people are allowed to attend but this space will center non-binary trans people/narratives/experiences first and foremost.) OCTOPUS LLC Non-binary peer groups happen the second Thursday of every month @ 6:00-8:00 PM @ Summit on 16th, and they are always facilitated by a non-binary/genderqueer member of the community.

Hey y’all, our monthly double header of Black Power Book Club (7:00-8:00 PM) and Speak Up (8:00-10:00 PM) are coming your way again on March 10th at Art Outside the Lines! Suggested donation for entry to Spoken Word is $5, there will also be snacks and drinks available for suggested donations. Young Tempy (@tempj) will be our MC, DJ Honey Brown (@sablefish_ ) will be spinning sounds, and @mozaicohio will be providing free HIV testing! Here’s a chance to meet our featured Spoken Word performers before Tuesday, but definitely make sure you come out and hear them slay the mic! Lightwork’s Bio (@canimuseyou) I'm Lightwork. I am an artist, poet and finance student. I create for the representation and acknowledgment of the underrepresented. My drive stems from a childhood that lacked leaders and media presence of individuals that resembled myself. I would like everyone to know that I see you, if no one else does. Tyra's bio (@_tyramail_) Lesbian writer who can't stop writing about their ex boyfriends. They are nonbinary but identify as tired. Dreams of being surrounded by art in all its forms at all times. Invested in black and queer liberation without the confines of capitalism. Just trying to be a good mom. They/them. And of course, Black queer and trans folks are welcome to join us for Black Power Book Club beforehand from 7-8! This time, we’ll be discussing Chapters 3-4 of “Playing the Whore” by Melissa Gira Grant. DM us for a electronic copy of the book. Come thru even if you don’t finish the chapters! *Black Power Book Club is only for Black LGBTQIA+ people* Spoken Word flyer designed by @sokaleche 💛

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