Queer style took center stage Thursday at the opening of New York Fashion Week, as more than 1,000 people lined the Court of Beaux Arts at the Brooklyn Museum to celebrate dapperQ magazine’s seventh annual fashion show.
Gay hip hop artist Cakes Da Killa kicked off the fashion party with a musical performance that included dancers in box braids and beads on the runway. The event, known for its “shameless fashion,” boosted a roster of models of all genders, sizes and ages.
The show also featured eight LGBTQ fashion designers, including Hester Sunshine, runner-up on Project Runway Season 17; Mickey Freeman, of FreeMen by Mickey; and Transguy Supply.
This year’s theme, Bloom, aimed to use fashion to highlight the ways LGBTQ people find joy and thrive even amid a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation, including attacks on trans youth in sports and care health.
Earlier this year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the Don’t Say Gay bill into law, which restricts discussions of sexuality and gender identity in the classroom. Meanwhile, in Texas, officials began investigating parents of transgender youth.
Anita Dolce Vita, owner of queer style magazine dapperQ, said the show is a statement against efforts to limit the rights of LGBTQ people across the US.
“We are a direct challenge to that,” Dolce Vita said, referring to the spate of anti-LGBTQ laws. “Standing in our truths and showing up as our most authentic selves is beautiful, but it’s also dangerous. So creating this space is so important because it’s a safe space.”
Devin-Norelle, a black transmasculine model with Stuzo Clothing, a brand created by designer Stoney Michelli Love, covered the runway with the words “protect trans kids” written in marker on their arms.
“It’s sad because the mental health of these children is at risk,” Devin-Norelle said of bans on gender-affirmation care. “I think about all the friends I’ve lost to suicide because they weren’t respected, because they were targeted. … when you attack trans kids, you attack us.”
Julian Gavino, a 26-year-old trans model with disabilities from Philadelphia, said he wanted to be a role model for others who don’t see themselves in the fashion industry.
“As a queer person with a disability, I’m not usually represented on the track,” said Gavino, who uses a wheelchair. “I do this for my younger self and for other young people who might be out there and think ‘nobody looks like me’ because I used to think ‘nobody looked like me’ too.”
‘Like a family reunion’
The event’s return to the track this month marks the first show since the start of the pandemic. LGBTQ designers and models, including B. Hawk Snipes, said they were excited to see the queer fashion community again after a two-year hiatus.
“This is like a family reunion,” said Freeman, a celebrity designer and fashion designer, wearing a red feathered jacket and sunglasses. “We rarely have such events compared to the usual ones. So it’s always good, whenever we get an opportunity to celebrate.”
Snipes, who uses the pronouns “they” and “she,” has been walking the show for about four years. LGBTQ designers and models, Snipes said, should be seen across the spectrum of the industry.
“We deserve to have the attention on us,” they said, adding that after the two-year break “it feels good to be among the community and family.”
Kiwi contestant The Kweirdo, 32, from Brooklyn, New York, echoed that the fashion industry often lacks spaces that include gender fashion.
“It’s a great way to show gender expression without having to explain who you are, where you’re from,” said Kweirdo, who uses the pronouns “they” and “them.” “It’s a big deal because we don’t have things like that.”
Jari Jones, a model, actor and activist, made waves in 2020 as a trans model for Calvin Klein and has walked in previous dapperQ shows. But this time she was back as a spectator, cheering on her friends and colleagues in the front row. Jones called on supporters to financially support organizations that put queer and trans models in the spotlight.
“If you’re an ally, the funds show,” she said. “When we start to see more representation of ourselves, other people start to humanize us — that’s how we change laws, that’s how we change society.”
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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
