GAY TIMES Magazine

15 October 2021

Our cover star Syd is a crucial voice in music. As a queer Black woman, her recent (and incredibly addictive) new songs have centred her experiences unapologetically. Syd started her career in Odd Future, an American music collective that also included Tyler, The Creator and Frank Ocean amongst its members. They have subsequently explored themes of male queerness in their music, breaking new ground within the world of hip-hop and paving the way for some of the most exciting new talent we are seeing climb the charts today. Syd is now repping it – as she recently put it in her own words – “for the gay Black girls”. She speaks candidly about how a former relationship has influenced her new record, while acknowledging the new roster of queer talent coming through. “I’ve noticed a push in the gay agenda and I’m happy to see people like Lil Nas X doing it because it’s true to him, and we know that it’s true to him,” she tells us. Elsewhere in this issue we have an exploration of pronouns and their importance; a call for the world’s biggest film franchise, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, to have greater LGBTQ+ representation; an investigation into why queer people love horror movies so much; and an interview with Drag Race Holland’s first ever trans contestant to be crowned the winner. Queer culture is what connects as a community. Through stories, performance and art, we gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and each other. In a world where we are at risk of feeling ever more divided, coming together to celebrate our commonalities and our differences feels essential. That’s why having more than a million of you on Instagram experience it each and every day with us means so much.