Joan Jett Blakk

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| birth_name = Terence Alan Smith

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1957}}{{cite web |last1=Peppermint |title=Joan Jett Blakk: The drag queen who ran for president {{!}} American Masters {{!}} PBS |url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/joan-jett-blakk-the-drag-queen-who-ran-for-president/18355/ |website=American Masters |publisher=PBS |access-date=1 August 2024 |date=6 August 2021}}

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| occupation = {{hlist|activist|politician|drag queen}}

| years_active = 1974-present

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Terence Alan Smith, also known as Joan Jett Blakk, is an activist, political candidate, and drag queen from Detroit, Michigan. Smith is an African-American actor, writer, and political candidate. Smith, as Joan Jett Blakk, first came to national attention when running for president of the United States in 1992.{{Cite web|url=https://publish.illinois.edu/ihlc-blog/2018/06/15/joan-jett-blakk-drag-queen-for-president/|title=Joan Jett Blakk: Drag Queen for President – Illinois History & Lincoln Collections|date=15 June 2018 |language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-17}}

Career

Calling himself a blend of Divine, David Bowie and Grace Jones, Smith began performing in 1974.{{Cite web|url=https://www.them.us/story/joan-jett-blakk-drag-queen-president|title=The Drag Queen Who Ran For President in 1992|website=them.|date=20 April 2018|language=en|access-date=2019-04-17}}

In 1991, Smith, as Blakk, ran against Richard M. Daley for the office of mayor of Chicago, Illinois.Meyer, pp. 5-6 The campaign was chronicled in the 1991 video Drag in for Votes.{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2050100/|title=Terence Smith|website=IMDb|access-date=2019-04-17}} After qualifying for presidency on his 35th birthday, Smith announced a campaign for presidency in 1992 under the slogan "Lick Bush in '92!" and documented in the 1993 video of the same name. Smith also ran for president in 1996 with the slogan "Lick Slick Willie in '96!" In each of these campaigns Smith ran on the Queer Nation Party ticket.Glasrud, p. 13

Following the 1992 campaign, Smith moved to San Francisco, California and joined the African-American stage comedy troupe Pomo Afro Homos. He launched his talk show Late Nite with Joan Jett Blakk at Kiki Gallery under the production of Rick Jacobsen, and featuring Stephen Mounce as co-hostess Babette.{{Cite web|url=https://sfpl.org/mobile.xhtml.php?pg=2000137901&sl=1|title=Kiki Gallery :: SFPL :: San Francisco Public Library Mobile|website=sfpl.org|language=en|access-date=2018-09-20}} The talk show featured local and national persons of interest in the LGBTQ community. It became so successful it was moved to a larger venue to accommodate the sold out crowds.

In 1999, Smith, again as Blakk, announced his intention to run for mayor of San Francisco against incumbent Willie Brown.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rJEU4xYiWEEC&q=%22Joan+Jett+Blakk%22+AND+%22Terence+Smith%22&pg=PA183|title=Out and Proud in Chicago: An Overview of the City's Gay Community|last=Baim|first=Tracy|date=2009-03-01|publisher=Agate Publishing|isbn=9781572846432|language=en}}

Awards and media

In June 2019, a play based on Smith's 1992 presidential campaign, titled Ms. Blakk for President, written by Tarell Alvin McCraney and Tina Landau and starring McCraney in the title role, opened at Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago.{{Cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/article/steppenwolf-adds-tarell-alvin-mccraney-and-tina-landaus-ms-blakk-for-president-to-2019-season|title=Steppenwolf Adds Tarell Alvin McCraney and Tina Landau's Ms. Blakk for President to 2019 Season {{!}} Playbill|website=Playbill|date=13 September 2018|language=en|access-date=2018-09-17}}

In November 2019, Smith received the Queer Art Prize for Sustained Achievement for Joan Jett Blakk’s “memorable presidential campaign and for her powerful dedication to the lives of Black, LGBTQ+ communities across the nation.”

A short documentary featuring Smith premiered at SXSW in March 2021. In August 2021 director Whitney Skauge{{Cite web |title=WHITNEY SKAUGE |url=https://www.whitneyskauge.com/ |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=WHITNEY SKAUGE |language=en-US}} and Smith received the Outfest: Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival Special Programming Award: Freedom “for their collaboration on the short documentary The Beauty President, a reflection on the legacy of a young, Black, drag queen who, at the height of the AIDS crisis, brazenly ran against George H. W Bush for president on the Queer Nation Party Ticket in 1992.” In October 2021 the film premiered online with LA Times Studios.{{Cite web |last=Skauge |first=Whitney |date=2021-10-26 |title=The Beauty President |url=https://www.latimes.com/about/shortdocs/the-beauty-president-123 |access-date=2023-10-18 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}

References

Bibliography

Glasrud, Bruce A. (2010). African Americans and the Presidency: The Road to the White House. Taylor & Francis. {{ISBN|0-415-80391-8}}.
Meyer, Moe (1994). The Politics and Poetics of Camp. Psychology Press. {{ISBN|0-415-08248-X}}.

External links

[http://andrejkoymasky.com/liv/fam/bioj1/jett02.html Joan Jett Blakk biography]
{{IMDb name|2050100|Terence Smith}}
{{IMDb name|0085340|Joan Jett Blakk}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20080513073135/http://www.glbtq.com/sfeatures/interviewjjblakk.html 1992 interview with Joan Jett Blakk]
[http://www.dybbuk.com/mgp/people/joanjettblakk.html Joan Jett Blakk photo gallery circa 1991]
[http://mediaburn.org/video/joan-jet-blakk-queer-nations-candidate-for-president-1992/ Joan Jett Blakk: Queer Nation's Candidate for President, 1992] produced by Bill Stamets; preserved by Media Burn Independent Video Archive
[http://mediaburn.org/video/joan-jett-blakk-announces-candidacy/ [Joan Jett Blakk announces candidacy for president]] produced by Bill Stamets; preserved by Media Burn Independent Video Archive
[http://mediaburn.org/video/joan-jett-blakk-at-c-i-s-p-e-s-benefit/ [Joan Jett Blakk at C.I.S.P.E.S. Benefit]] produced by Bill Stamets; preserved by Media Burn Independent Video Archive