How O’Shae Sibley Showed Existence Is Resistance
He lived in power. May he rest in power.
What happened to O’Shae Sibley
On the night of July 29, 2023, O’Shae Sibley and a group of friends stopped at a Mobil gas station in Brooklyn. As they fueled up their car, they started dancing — specifically vogueing, to a song from Beyoncé’s Renaissance album.
It’s important to note vogueing is a particular type of dancing that originates from Harlem’s queer ballroom scene (Madonna only appropriated it). It’s also important to note Beyoncé’s Renaissance album is well-regarded in the Black LGBTQ community. Essence writer Taylor Crumpton described the album as, “…an altar call to those who have forgotten who made house and disco music: Black queer and trans people.”
Sibley was a 28-year-old Black gay man who was well known for his dancing. It seemed he and his friends were fully expressing themselves through music and dance. That night, the group of friends were expressing their freedom.
However, another group of individuals interrupted the harmless dancing and began hurling homophobic slurs at Sibley and his friends, according to Otis Pena, who was with Sibley that night. Pena said via a video posted on Facebook that Sibley confronted the homophobic group, saying he and his…
