Justice Smith opened up as a queer on his Instagram account while writing about the Black Lives Matter movement. He said if queer voices are not added to the movement, then it is anti-black. "As a black queer man myself, I was disappointed to see certain people eager to say Black Lives Matter, but hold their tongue when Trans/Queer was added," he wrote.
The Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom star, who attended the protest over George Floyd's death in New Orleans, said they chanted black trans lives matter, black queer lives matter and all black lives matter during the protest. He said if the "revolution" does not include black queer voices, it is anti-black.
Smith was referring to the death of Tony McDade, a trans-man who was shot dead by Florida police on May 27. He said: "It is in our conditioning to get as close to whiteness, straightness, maleness as we can because that's where the power is. And if we appeal to it, maybe it'll give us a slice. But the revolution is not about appeal. It is about demanding what should have been given to us from the beginning."
Fight is Far From Over: Smith
California-born Smith's father is an African-American and his mother is of European descent. Smith said in his Instagram post that he was in a relationship with actor Nicholas L Ashe and thanked him for being his rock and guiding light.
Referring to the crimes against blacks and not enough voices speaking on behalf of queers, Smith said: "I know that on the other side of this is change, though the fight is far from over." He was also referring to his fight against society and its perceptions in terms of his love for Ashe.
Smith's recent works include Pokémon Detective Pikachu, where he played Tim Goodman, a former Pokémon trainer and insurance agent looking for his missing father. This year he starred in the movie All the Bright Places opposite Elle Fanning. His movie The Voyeurs, an erotic thriller, also starring Sydney Sweeney, is in post-production stage. He will also be seen as Frank Webb in the 2021 movie Jurassic World: Dominion.
