Black Trans Femmes in the Arts Leader Jordyn Jay Interview
Jordyn Jay On Why Pride Month Is More Than A Party And How BTFA Is Empowering Black Trans Voices Through Art [Exclusive] - Page 2
Jordyn Jay firmly believes that one of the direct paths to liberation lies through the arts and culture, which is evident in her work with the Black Trans Femmes in the Arts Collective (BTFA).
As the founder of the organization, Jay is on a mission to ensure that the world understands just how much the Black trans community serves as a blueprint for many of the trends the world sees in pop culture and beyond.
“I was inspired while I was getting my master’s degree in art politics,” Jay told MadameNoire. “I was looking for a way to connect with my community. I was so sequestered as a master student, you know, it was such a demanding and rigorous program that I didn’t have time to connect with the community outside of NYU,” she continued. “At the time, I didn’t have a community of Black trans girls that attended NYU, so I kept in my classroom searching for that, through research, through talking with professors. I wanted to talk about the work of Black trans artists. I wanted to read about the work of Black trans artists, and nobody could point me in the right direction.”
The Inspiration Behind BTFA
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Her desire for connection led to her taking matters into her own hands, using her longing to get in touch with the landscape of artists who looked like her, and who were working and living and doing the work that she’s been passionate about since the beginning of time. She used all of this as a catalyst for hosting her very own meet up for Black trans fems that worked in the arts.
“From that very first meeting, it was so clear how needed the space was. There was a young trans girl who was just starting in her transition, and she said that seeing a flyer calling for Black trans femmes in the arts was the first time she felt safe to leave her apartment and come and be in a public space for three months,” Jay recalled. “There was an older trans woman in her 40s who had grown up in New York in the drag and ballroom scene who said that even she had never seen a space that was specifically for Black trans fems in the arts, and so they all really wanted this work to continue and to move forward, and we just started to organize.”
What External Validation Means For Trans Women Like Herself
Today, Jay’s work through BTFA has landed her the prestigious David Prize, which is awarded to 15 individuals across the New York City area to fund the ideas that they have to “make a better, brighter New York City.”
“I think the external validation is great,” said Jay of being named a 2025 David Prize finalist. “It means a lot to have my work spotlighted, and it’s important because it allows it to be seen on a broader platform. But for me, what’s most important is always the approval of the community and how I make people feel safe, seen, and empowered. It’s when young trans girls come up to me at a nightclub crying, saying, how happy they are to meet me and how much I mean to them and how much my work means to them.”
She added, “It’s when our artist in residence, Naomi Stewart, tells me that she ranks me as one of her inspirations, next to Solange and Kalila, like those things are what mean the most to me. I think that the David Prize recognition is important mostly because it allows other trans girls to see that they can achieve the same things. I always want to be a possibility model to let young trans people know that any dream you have, any vision you have, it is never too much. You can do more than even you imagine. I want them to keep pushing that.”
There’s Still Work To Do Beyond Pride Month
With June, also known as Pride Month, coming to an end, Jay also spoke to what she’d say to those who view the moment as a celebration without necessarily acknowledging the protests and continued fight behind it, specifically for Black trans people.
“I would say that their resolve is weak, that their commitment to community is weak, and that they’re not being prideful, because to be prideful means to uplift and protect those who are most vulnerable,” said Jay. “To celebrate those who paved the way for you to be able to throw a Pride party or do a Pride parade, and to make sure that this community is protected, resourced, and is spotlighted. I think that there’s a desire during Pride month to be validated by outside sources, to have the hottest celebrity perform at a Pride event, or have the biggest company sponsor your Pride event and make it just as big and grand as it can be. It takes away the actual value and work of uplifting our community and showing what we should be proud of.”
