Ian L. Haddock – OutSmart Magazine

“As someone who puts my head down and does the work, I focus on what needs to be done – and not necessarily on what will bring me influence or popularity. Being a grand marshal will allow me to defend the communities I serve with passion. We all need visibility and opportunities to do our part to make the world a better place. —Ian Haddock

Famous for:
Haddock is founder and executive director of The Normal Anomaly Initiative. He previously worked in local, county, regional, and national organizations to promote mobility for queer people of color. He is a columnist for Outwit and wrote for The GrioLogo/NewNowNext, Houston Chronicle And The Statesman. He received a GLAAD Media Award for an appearance in The Jennifer Hudson Show.

Haddock received the title of Living Legend from Houston Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Black History Maker by United Black Ellument at the Resource Center of Dallas, Trailblazer of the Year by the State African American Task Force emergency, emerging leader of the year by the National African. American Gay Leadership Conference (NAESM), Hometown Hero Award by the Carolyn Taylor Lee Foundation, 40 Under 40 Public Health Catalyst by the Boston Congress of Public Health (publisher of HPHR Journal (Harvard Public Health Review)) and the Bayard Rustin Civil Rights Award from the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus.

Advocacy:
Serving on the board of the Texas Pride Impact Funds, Haddock advocates for more resources for organizing in rural communities and/or serving queer people of color. Across the South, it helps create systems and structures for economic ecosystems for the most deprived communities.

Haddock believes queer joy is necessary and he helps create spaces like the Black Queer Advancement Festival that provide an important platform for Black Queer artists and spaces centered around the Black LGBTQ+ community. Convinced that the world we want begins with us, he works with elected officials, political decision-makers and those responsible for implementing policies for a more just society. As a writer, he tells the stories of people who are often overlooked to ensure their stories are documented. Haddock believes he still has much to learn, grow and be and is driven by his passion for change.

Preferred cause:
Ending the HIV epidemic.

Dream of changing the world:
One day realizing that we are all “normal anomalies” and accepting our differences as beautiful things, knowing that we are much more similar than different.

Ultimate life mission:
To get out of a job (and not have to do a job he doesn’t like to be successful).

Favorite hashtag:
#BlackQueerAF

What: New Faces of Pride Parade in Downtown Houston
When: Saturday June 22 7:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Or: Houston City Hall, 901 Bagby Street
Info: tinyurl.com/38ta7f6s