Justice Smith, the star of Detective Pikachu, has come out as queer while voicing their support for the Black Lives Matter movement. The actor posted several photos to Instagram to illustrate the call for action he’s making for fans. As a queer black actor, Smith is calling for the LGBTQ+ community to be included in the movement.
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Taking to social media, Smith posted a video he took at a protest in New Orleans championing the Black Lives Matter movement. The actor attended the protest with fellow actor and partner Nicholas Ashe who Smith describes as his “guiding light.”
“We chanted ‘Black Trans Lives Matter’ ‘Black Queer Lives Matter’ ‘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,” the actor wrote.
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“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 #TonyMcDade slip through the cracks in order to solely liberate black cishet men, it is anti-black.”
Continuing, Smith went on to rally followers about the necessity of LGBTQ+ comeuppance during the Black Lives Matter movement.
“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,” he shared.
Over on social media, Smith has been applauded for his passionate appeal for the Black Lives Matter protests and the black LGBTQ+ community. As Ashe and he continue to advocate for the community, Pokemon fans are eager to help out the trainer as plenty of others join them on their mission.
