BLK, the leading dating and social app for the Black community, launched a new Pride campaign that highlights, champions, and acknowledges the room for growth in the connection between queer and straight Black men. 

“Across generations, Black men have leaned on one another for survival, joy, protection, and pride,” said BLK. “But within those relationships, queer Black men have often been left to navigate silence, bias, or invisibility—even in the spaces they help build. This campaign is a response to that reality. It’s a call-in, not a call-out. A reminder that solidarity is not just an idea, but a daily practice.”

BLK’s Pride campaign, titled Solidarity is for the Homies, has three parts: a survey of 3,000 Black men in the United States on queerness, allyship, and masculinity, new in-app features that include an ‘Ally Badge’ and a ‘Solidarity Pledge’, and a three-part video series featuring a talk between two Black friends, one queer and one straight. 

The first episode, released on June 11 across social media platforms, features fashion influencer Ziggy Mack Johnson and his friend, Michael. 

Johnson said, “When BLK reached out, I felt a deep responsibility to tell real stories—raw, honest moments that don’t get talked about enough. This series is about showing the love, the struggles, and the realness that holds us together as Black brothers, no matter who we love. It’s personal for me because these conversations remind us that, at the core, we all just want to be seen, accepted, and supported.”

Johnson’s video, along with the ones that followed it on June 18 and June 25, showcases two friends sitting down for an open and honest chat about their brotherhood, shining a light on the solidarity among queer and straight Black men that has come a long way, yet still has a long way to go. 

 

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All of the videos highlight some of the statistics found in BLK’s survey, another part of the campaign. According to their data, 40% of straight Black men feel comfortable with close friendships with queer Black men, while 36% feel uncomfortable. They also share in the videos that around half of Black men would stand up for a queer Black man, but one in four would not. 

BLK shares these statistics in order to create open conversation to allow Black men, queer and straight, to hear each other and forge connection. These statistics, along with the videos, help release stigma, apprehension, and prejudice, aiding straight Black men in their path to solidarity with their queer brothers. 

To further support this act of solidarity, BLK’s app has new features to allow Black men to commit to being an ally. One such feature is the ‘Solidarity Pledge,’ a pledge that users can sign, agreeing to make a personal commitment to supporting queer folks by rejecting stereotypes and prejudices, and accepting open conversation. 

The other feature is a profile sticker, designed by graphic artist Davian Chester, that serves as a visible signal of allyship and solidarity. The sticker features the campaign’s slogan, ‘Solidarity is for the Homies’, along with two Black hands clasped in a dap.  

BLK’s campaign is a beautiful step in the fostering of solidarity and connection between queer and straight Black men. From sharing stories of friendship to displaying a commitment to allyship, Solidarity is for the Homies creates an authentic development of community and connection.

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