Queer Joy Interview #8: Al Whitaker
Al (He/They) and I talked on 7/11/24 in Tyler, TX about southern hospitality and being a 3rd generation jewelry maker.
“Queer joy is twofold. The first aspect of that being resistance, the ability to be happy in spite of and it’s proof that we are continuing to move forward. That would be like individuals who kiss each other in front of protesters, people who attend protests, people who exist out loud and proud, regardless of other people's opinions and views.
But there is also a Queer joy in what I can only describe as the mundane, the ability to exist in a space without fear and worry. [Queerness] is not something to be ashamed of. Just the ability to talk, exist, to be, without having to be political. There's so much negative, and it's up to us to be able to balance that negative with the positive.
The first picture that I thought of for Queer joy was June 3rd of 2023, I finally made the jump to buy the brow mascara for men. I added it, and I was like, “I kind of really like this, I'm gonna take a goofy picture. I have officially evolved into the goofy gay guy.” That is all I could ask for, that is all I could ask to be.
Another example of Queer joy is when my partner (Bunny) and I went to the Witches’ Ball in December 2023. I surprised my partner by paying for a professional photographer there. It's become our motif because I did it again at their birthday. It just makes me giddy which is a form of queer joy, but it brings me happiness too.
Sometimes I get asked why I didn't change my name more from my dead name, I'm named after both of my grandmothers. [My dad’s mom] has since passed but we were close, and so I always wear my pearl necklace that has been in our family for centuries and that I had to remake recently.
I was going to have it restrung and then I realized even if I fix it, it sits at a length that's uncomfortable for me. I instead made it into something that is mine and so I added two millimeter moonstones and labradorites in between the stones, and some black tourmaline on the back to tie it all together.
I was excited to talk about that being an analogy for who I am. I took what was given to me and made it mine. I took the names of these strong women in my life, because I can have those strong feminine roles in my life without them having to define my existence.”
-Al Whitaker (He/They)
