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Qween Jean

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Activist and costume designer
Qween Jean
Jean in 2021
BornHaiti
Alma materUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Tisch School of the Arts
OccupationCostume designer
Known forLGBT activism
MovementBlack liberation, trans liberation, police abolition

Qween Jean is a costume designer and LGBT+ rights activist based in New York City.

Early life

Jean was born in Haiti before moving with her family to Miami, Florida. Growing up, she struggled with gender dysphoria and read queer stories, including books by James Baldwin, for support. She learned how to sew from her grandmother, who was a dressmaker.

Education

She attended Florida School of the Arts at St. Johns River State College before transferring to University of North Carolina where she obtained a bachelor's degree in Business Communications. In 2016, she graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts with a master's degree in Design and went on to have a career as a costume designer.

Activism

Black trans liberation protests

In June 2020, following the murders of Black transgender woman Nina Pop, and Black transgender man Tony McDade, and the lack of coverage of the murders in the media, Jean co-founded the Black trans liberation protests in New York City with Joela-Abiona Rivera.

Gay City News states the protests' purpose was to "underscore the importance of trans rights and condemn the ongoing killings of transgender people." The protests took place every Thursday outside the Stonewall Inn, in Washington State Park, and through the streets of the city. Them wrote, "As the fight for safety and inclusion continues, Jean utilizes marches as a means of building coalitions, dismantling bigotry, and creating spaces for joy and celebration."

The protests and Jean are the subjects of the photo book, Revolution Is Love: A Year of Black Trans Liberation.

Black Trans Liberation's mission is to end homelessness within the trans population by equipping transgender people with resources to succeed.

Events

On July 9, 2020, Jean spoke at a protest demanding abolition of the police and decriminalization of sex work.

On January 18, 2021, Jean led a trans liberation protest where the crowd was attacked and beaten by the NYPD. Jean said of the event, "The entire march was attacked and beaten by the NYPD. Literally, where trans women were being attacked by the police, their wigs getting ripped off, being dragged on the concrete. There is a parallel to the 1969 liberation fight."

On June 13, 2021, Jean led the second Brooklyn Liberation March, which focused on the empowerment of transgender youth. The event supported organizations such as, "the Gworls, an organization that raises money to assist Black transgender people with housing; the Black Excellence Collective; Trans Lifeline; and Magic City Acceptance Center, a space for LGBTQ children in Birmingham, Alabama."

On June 24, 2021, Jean's conversation with Avram Finkelstein, a founding member of the AIDS art collective Gran Fury, was published in Interview.

On August 28, 2021, Jean participated in the March On For Voting Rights in Washington D.C.

On September 8, 2021, Jean led a rally in support of Abimbola Adelaja, a former Marine, who was attacked for being gay in a Bushwick bodega.

On June 26, 2022, Jean and other activists interrupted the New York City Pride Parade in honor of Donnell Rochester, an 18-year-old murdered by police in Baltimore. Jean stated at the event, "Pride was a protest. Stonewall is the history and legacy of injustice. We are reclaiming our time today. We are reclaiming queer space today. We are reclaiming trans bodies today."

On August 24, 2022, Jean hosted a rally for Marsha P. Johnson’s 77th birthday in Washington Square Park. The same week, Jean co-hosted the third annual Celebration of Black Trans Women Cookout.

On May 31, 2023, Jean was arrested by the NYPD at a protest of anti-trans laws and violence. Activist Adam Eli shared footage of Jean's arrest and stated, "There is no question that the police targeted Qween and that this was their plan for the night. As soon as Qween was arrested the police presence at least halved."

Gay City News reported that Jean was among the leaders of the 2023 Queer Liberation March in New York, an anti-corporate alternative to the NYC Pride March. That day, she stated:

I believe in Black trans liberation. I believe in Black trans power…When trans people unite, whenever we gather, it has no chance but to be magical, because as we can look around and see, our community has come out today. They not only look glorious, they look so divine. This is how we show up in our full armor.

Artistry

In 2020, Jean was honored in Black Women on Broadway's Inaugural Awards Ceremony for her costume designs.

The same year, she designed costumes for Shakespeare Theatre Company’s The Amen Corner.

In 2021, Jean was named an Artist-in-Residence at Museum of Modern Art PS1 and curated the exhibit Black Trans Liberation: Memoriam and Deliverance.

In 2021, a portrait of Jean taken by photographer, Christian Thane, was featured in the Queens Museum exhibit, Live Pridefully: Love and Resilience within Pandemics. In 2022, another portrait, taken by Camila Falquez, was featured in the exhibit, Gods That Walk Among Us, at the Hannah Traore Gallery in NYC. Jean was on the cover of Cero Magazine and featured in Logo for their "30 Changemakers" series.

In 2022, Jean designed the costumes for Theatre for a New Audience's production, Wedding Band: A Love/Hate Story in Black and White, and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Costume Design of a Play.

On June 25, 2022, Jean co-hosted The Big Mix – LGBTQIA+ Pride with Idina Menzel. Jean had a cameo on And Just Like That...

In 2023, she designed the costumes for The New Group's production, The Seagull/Woodstock, NY. Jean was honored at the 2023 Obie Awards for her costume design.

In 2023, Jean joined Theatre Communications Group's board of directors.

External links

Qween Jean Costume Design

‘Exposure Doesn’t Pay the Rent’ an Interview With Activist Qween Jean

Life After Gun Violence

Revolution Is Love: A Year of Black Trans Liberation

See also

References

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