Shea Diamond on Elevating Black Trans Voices
Shea Diamond
In this profile series, Revry is highlighting authentic contributors to the LGBTQ media and entertainment community. We ask questions to find out who they are and where they are going in the future. The questions remain the same but the answers tell their unique story. It’s time to explore and celebrate true representation beyond the limits of Hollywood.
Shea Diamond is a singer, songwriter, and transgender rights activist. With an R&B and soul sound, Shea ran away from home at 14 and spent 10 years in prison, where she found her voice as a songwriter and wrote the transgender anthem I AM HER. After being discovered by singing at a Trans Lives Matter rally in New York, Shea is now signed to a major record label and continues to release music and use her platform to elevate trans voices.
Shea Diamond performs in Revry’s HOUSE OF PRIDE brought to you by McDonald’s, a virtual celebration of the LGBTQ community featuring Shea, Laganja Estranja, Sam Tsui and House of Balmain and hosted by Manila Luzon, Ryan Mitchell and Shar Jossell.
What are you best known for?
I’d like to think singing on stage with the incomparable Cyndi Lauper or singing for the President or Vice President, Sadly enough I’m best for the CNN debate where I stated in my opinion it’s violent to continuously mispronounce someone’s name, Erasure, misgendering, dead-naming of Trans bodies are all violent. It was met with infamous cis straight rants/comments and numerous attacks being called entitled and even a black witch, all of which I prefer over having people that don’t understand how hard Trans people work to be the people they know they are or desire to be.
What is the first thing you produced?
I direct many of my own videos, I became Executive producer of THE GARDEN LEFT BEHIND, Ryan Murphy gave me my first lines in POSE, currently writing on a pilot for a web-series with a few of my friends, this will be my first series creation.
What are you working on that no one knows about yet?
My song PRESENCE OF A LEGEND is starring in a Facebook campaign that launched on June 14th. I’m so grateful that some of the big companies are actually putting their money where their mouths are and putting black trans women’s talent front and center.
