Today we’d like to introduce you to Darius Caffey.
Hi Darius, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
When I think of the start of my story, it honestly began with the confidence to believe in myself. I was entering a new chapter of my life – learning new things, taking new risks, advocating for my own needs – and I felt challenged. I had finally gotten to a place where I could see myself thriving and growing closer to the life I dreamed of living. Yet, it kind of scared me. Not to keep living, but how I was living. I knew what I wanted to do at the moment; I knew what I thought I wanted to do short term. However, I didn’t think about what I could commit myself to – and that was believing in me. It’s easy to believe in things, others, and your passion projects or dreams. But believing in our whole selves? That’s a little harder.
It probably didn’t help that this was amid a global pandemic, but I wondered why not now? Why don’t I believe in my whole self? I’m this raw, talented, intelligent, creative, and fun person. Why am I not embracing and intentionally sharpening my skills to become my best self? It sounds crazy, right? So I started. I put the imposter syndrome to the side and decided to commit myself to believe in me every day, no matter what. I was still figuring out who I was, what I wanted, and where I saw myself. However, I had to learn that the only way I would get to be that person I envisioned, or who I was destined to be, was to believe in myself unapologetically. And after that, everything else just started to come to life in front of me.
From ideas to resources, encouragement, awareness, and assistance. I began to find all the things I needed to support me on this journey, which continued to help me believe. Living my life for me unapologetically has brought me more than I could have ever imagined. It’s taught me to take the bad with the good and learn from it. Everything is a lesson. It’s what I share in the communities I’m part of and what I stand by in everything I do. Learning that my story is only a part of what has brought me to where I am today taught me to keep believing. I had to start with me. I had to commit to me and believe that everything else would fall into place. So, I started with my story.
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?
I would say the biggest struggle has been figuring out a way to fund this platform. However, knowing that you’re working towards the bigger picture makes it all worthwhile. And I say that only because I’m still learning how to do what I envision myself doing. I’ve already begun to see different versions of myself, or who I want to be, in different people I admire. So, I know it’s possible. I’m just on my own journey to get there.
My goals with this are simple 1) figure out how to continue increasing awareness of resources and 2) increase funding opportunities amongst our people around the world,
We’ve been running a beta version of The Closet Unlocked for over two years, proving that conversations, stories, and contributions about Black LGBTQIA+ people can make a long-term difference in improving the community member’s sense of belonging. Yet, we know there’s still much more left to be thought of, researched, and discussed. While focusing on sustainability, we’re committed to developing innovative and creative strategies to distribute culturally competent resources to larger public audiences. A small group of the population understands how to support Queer communities adequately — and we want to help close that gap.
We can help reduce the struggles and barriers impacting our people by investing more time, presence, and resources (specifically monetary) toward supporting the Black Queer, Trans, and Nonbinary communities.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
We are a social impact media platform amplifying the voices and experiences of Black Queer, Trans, and Non-binary people. Through collective impact, we highlight positive moments of the LGBTQIA+ and Same-Gender Loving (SGL) communities.
We also encourage everyone who identifies at the intersections of Blackness and Queerness to submit to our anonymous ‘Closet Moments’ anthology collection to promote inclusion and foster a deeper sense of belonging amongst the community. The submission form can be found at theclosetunlocked.com.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
What lessons didn’t the crisis teaches us is a better question. But, speaking generally, it’s taught me a few important things:
* Learn what your capacity is (personally, professionally, socially, emotionally, whatever) and grow with it
* Force yourself to try something new or different, often
* And, learn how to be your own version of patient — both with yourself and others
In a lot of ways, the pandemic is still teaching us things. And essentially teaching us a new way to live. It’s challenged us to stretch our capability’s — physically, mentally, socially, and financially — forcing us to do things out of our norms. And to me, that continues to be the most interesting lesson.
Pricing:
- $1 – Tier 1 (Patreon)
- $4 – Tier 2 (Patreon)
- $10 – Tier 3 (Patreon)
Contact Info:
- Website: theclosetunlocked.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/closetunlockd
- Facebook: facebook.com/closetunlockd
- Twitter: twitter.com/closetunlockd
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPJBUim05AKrEIqXwDCcHQw
Image Credits
@dcaffgotem @closetunlockd @triple777collective
