Today we’d like to introduce you to JD Jones.
Hi JD, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
Queerport started back in 2019 but its roots could really be traced back to 2014. I have always had a passion for community, especially our LGBTQIA+ community, and one thing I noticed among many of our pride events and LGBTQ-centered events was a lack of diversity. Many of these events seemed to cater to allies and really didn’t feel representative of the queer culture in northwest Louisiana. They also seemed to be very white-centric, with the majority being cis white men.
I identify as non-binary and have been involved with our city for many years in different facets. The need for this was there, but it would take a commitment of curation. That is, in fact, what these other organizations had really missed before – curating vendors, thoughtfully selecting entertainment, and truly making sure that fringe members of the queer community felt seen.
In doing this, we made more than just a commitment. One of our reasons for starting Queerport was to build a strong and unified, leftist, queer community that could be comfortable growing together while upsetting the status quo, organizing, and making art with people who are fiercely supportive without judgement or input from cis-hets or the Gay Establishment.
In 2019 myself and a few others launched Queerport, a grassroots, community-funded organization aimed at giving queer folks in our area (and region) a platform via events and our blog, queerport.org. Our main event each year is held in the fall and is 100% created by and for queer people. Every vendor, every artist, and every entertainer is a part of our LGBTQIA+ community.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It has not, though that’s not surprising. After all, being queer in the south can suck!
We were the first organization to emerge that really embraced an “inclusive exclusive” status, and that became a talking point among other LGBTQ activists and allies. Because we decided to create something solely for us, we had to forge our own path. This had never really been done before and that meant cutting out some of what had come before us.
During the time that we emerged, other organizations and activists began to step up and out, too. We viewed how they were conducting themselves and it just felt like no one was getting it right. Cops were being invited out to protests and events. Allies were still being centered as if their voice mattered more than ours. Capitalism seemed to be rampant.
We are the exact opposite of that.
We had to ask hard questions because we centered our community rather than the idea of needing to make money. We wanted to align ourselves with business owners and entities that actually supported us instead of voting against us behind closed doors. We wanted to know where our money was going (where our community’s money was going). This, in turn, made us reroute a lot.
Then the pandemic happened in 2020 and we felt very lost. We had months’ worth of events scheduled and had to pause. This made us focus more heavily on our online presence, and when we would normally have our yearly event, decided to take to the internet with it. We have since created a Global Artist Directory and a Health & Wellness Directory that queer folks can access at any time.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have always been creative, but I never really looked at myself as a creative until I opened my own business in 2013, Vessel Vintage. As a vintage clothing purveyor, I took part in local pop-ups, fashion shows, and photography endeavors. I used my friends as models and pushed my friends who did drag to be the face of my business. At the same time, I started holding more events centered around shopping experience and networking.
I stepped away from selling clothing in January 2022 to pursue other things, including working with our drag community to host and plan shows, as well as Queerport. When I’m not hitting the streets for my community, I work full-time as a social media director for a local marketing company.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Best? Our queer community and history. It’s not hard for me to say that now because I’m super proud of how we’ve evolved. I’ve always been enamored with our history and learning about spaces, places, and things we had in the ’50s, ’80s, 2000s – it’s been brilliant. Yes, we have a bar here that’s been an LGBTQ bar since the 1950s! There aren’t a lot of texts that carry our history, but I’m working to make sure it’s somehow preserved.
Least? The negativity from people who live here who have no sense of community. In my early 20s, I used to be blind to what was available here, but it’s all about connecting with the right (and different!) people. I’ve learned over the years just how colorful and vibrant Shreveport is, mainly due to the people.
Contact Info:
- Website: queerport.org
- Instagram: queerport
- Facebook: queerport
- Twitter: queerport
Image Credits
Queerport
