Young, Gifted, Black & Queer—Meet Kay

I love every part of who I am: a Black young adult, a gifted child, and a queer force to be reckoned with. I can’t help who I am and because of that, I choose to love all the parts of me that have built the person I have become. 

To start, I am Black. I always thought it was the most obvious feature of mine, but apparently not. For most of my life, I have been questioned by others if I am fully Black. I’d hear comments and questions wondering where I get my “spice” (assuming I’m Hispanic) or my “Asian” eyes or how I’m able to speak so eloquently (assuming I’m mixed with a white parent who could guide me). That never made loving my Blackness harder, but it definitely confused me. How come it wasn’t okay to be just Black? Well it’s more than okay— it’s a blessing. I’m an accumulation of herbal medicine the first Black Americans learned from their ancestors so recently disconnected from the motherland, a variety of spices able to turn the simplest of meals into a feast fit for queens which I am descended from, spiritual practices that connect me to the earth whose soil was once nurtured by Black hands, and the deepness of melanin that has never been washed or diluted. 

And yes, I’m young and gifted, but my intelligence was always discredited. In 2018, I had just moved to a different county,coming from an environment where there weren’t different learning levels for each grade.I wasn’t asked to take a placement test when transferring schools and I was placed in classes below my IQ level. Some teachers just didn’t believe me when I expressed that I needed more out of their classes. I knew my brain worked better than assignments that told me otherwise. This resulted in me “learning” information I had already received and I fell behind the rest of my peers. Suddenly, halfway through the school year, my new school had realized their error and I was accelerated to classes roughly a grade level above mine. Almost immediately, I was pushed into learning content I wasn’t familiar with and it tested me. Would I indeed be able to succeed when given the opportunity? Fortunately, I enjoy intellectual challenges, so I worked hard and kept my head low. Overwhelming? Yes. Worth it? Definitely. There wouldn’t be this version of me if I hadn’t taken full advantage of my opportunity and chose to succeed. 

Now, I do dual enrollment with my local community college and have the opportunity to get my associate’s degree and high school diploma at the not-so-ripe age of 17. Some people ask me, “how did you do it?” The answer is simple: I just did it. The work, the extra credit, the bulk of group assignments even though I didn’t want to, the retakes, placement tests several times over, all of it. It seems unbelievable, but I was able to accomplish it without letting anyone’s doubts affect me or my abilities. 

Finally, I’m queer. I’d come to the realization that I wasn’t straight back in the 4th grade and, more recently, I’ve learned my purpose in life is to love. My queerness has been degraded, contorted, and disrespected, but I choose to embrace it with all the love I’m able to foster. Who I give my love to and how I do so is only meant to be understood by me and everyone who can reciprocate that love. Let me explain!

I’m meant to love passionately, helplessly, joyously, effortlessly, and softly. I have a love that goes beyond where my romantic attraction lies. My love seeps into my soul, my mind, my personality, my friends, my family, my every being. My love isn’t exclusive to a certain group of people, rather it’s made for everyone who is worthy of my affection. Attraction does mean a lot when it comes to love, but I want a love beyond the superficial, deep and true.

Ah, to be young, gifted, Black and queer. How I love it all.

– Kay, 17, is a member of the 2024-2025 class of Youth Voices ambassadors.