Actor Justice Smith has come out as queer while urging people to get out and protest amid the Black Lives Matter movement. In a powerful Instagram post following the tragic death of George Floyd, the 24-year-old, who fans may recognize from Pokemon: Pikachu Detective and All the Bright Places, opened up about his sexuality.
“@nckash and I protested today in New Orleans. We chanted, ‘Black Trans Lives Matter,’ ‘Black Queer Lives Matter,’ and, ‘All Black Lives Matter.’ As a black queer man myself, I was disappointed to see certain people eager to say Black Lives Matter, but hold their tongue when Trans/Queer was added,” he captioned some shots of himself and his boyfriend, Nicholas Ashe, protesting together and kissing. “I want to reiterate this sentiment: if your revolution does not include Black Queer voices, it is anti-black. If your revolution is okay with letting black trans people like Tony McDade slip through the cracks in order to solely liberate black cishet men, it is anti-black. You are trying to push yourself through the door of a system designed against you, and then shut the door behind you. It is in our conditioning to get as close to whiteness, straightness, maleness as we can because that’s where the power is. And if we appeal to it, maybe it’ll give us a slice. But the revolution is not about appeal. It is about demanding what should have been given to us from the beginning. What should have been given to black, queer, and trans individuals from the beginning. Which is the right to exist. To live and prosper in public. Without fear of persecution or threat of violence.”
“There is so much tragedy on the timeline these last couple of days so I added some photos of me and Nic to show some #blackboyjoy #blacklove #blackqueerlove,” he continued. “You’ve been my rock and guiding light through all of this and I love you so much. I know that on the other side of this Is change, though the fight is far from over.”
As fans know, many celebrities have spoken out and taken to the streets to protest following George’s unjust passing. The 46-year-old, unarmed black man died in Minneapolis, MN, on May 25, after a police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. The white officer — Derek Chauvin — did not move even as George repeatedly said “I can’t breathe,” as heard in a video captured by bystanders. The officer has since been arrested and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, while fellow officers Thomas K. Lane, Tou Thao and J. Alexander Kueng — who were also present at the time of the incident — were charged with aiding and abetting murder.
Justice isn’t the only star to come out recently. On June 3, 2020, actress Lili Reinhart came out as bisexual while sharing information about the West Hollywood LGBTQ+ march.
“Although I’ve never announced it publicly before, I am a proud bisexual woman,” the Riverdale star wrote at the time. “I will be joining this protest today. Come join.”
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