Lafemmebear Embraces Her Queerness and Transness

For those who dare enter the entertainment industry, there must remain an element of illusion, and even delusion. The hustle is real, and the struggle can be more than most may be willing to bear, but if even a moniker of success is acquired, it may all be worth it. While the typical hardships of a musician are taxing and tumultuous, add being a queer, trans woman of color to the mix, and we have ourselves a compounded, intersectional medley of invalidation.

LeahAnn Mitchell, aka Lafemmebear, is finally watching her star rise after years of dismissal, rejection, and downright discrimination. Releasing her first single at the age of 14, she spent years building a long list of noteworthy credits to her name, from songwriter, engineer, and producer credits working with musicians like Boyz II Men, The Jackie Boyz (Madonna), and Polo Molina (Black Eyed Peas). Additionally, as a remix artist to creative soul, her hand was in a dozen projects at any given time, finding years of hard work turning into a rapid trajectory of success. However, once Mitchell came out as a queer, trans woman, all it took was an A&R rep saying some vulgar, nasty things on social media, and she was blacklisted from the music industry. All those opportunities ceased overnight. 

“Everyone really seems to like these linear narratives, but that’s not realistic,” Mitchell says. “I was burned and my heart needed to heal, but it pushed me to create a different narrative in my mind than what other people have put out there about who I am.” 

The rapper, singer, and soulful vocalist took a big step back and a major break from the music industry, even admitting that it took close to four years to be able to put pen to paper again and revisit music. When she did, many of her friends were shocked because they’d never heard her play, write, sing, or even express interest in music. 

In 2019, Mitchell resurfaced as Lafemmebear and was beginning to rebuild her life in the industry that had taken everything from her. Releasing the EP, Blaq *A Note to the World, followed up by the full-length Blaq: The Story of Me, the melodic, hip-hop, soulful tracks span over genres of music just as they do eras of her life. With signs that feature vulnerable lyrics that touch on subjects of her childhood in “The Beginning,” overcoming the pain of her past in “Be a Mess, Cry!,” and embracing her beauty and strength in “I.L.T.S. (I Luv This Skin),” listeners are taken on a lifelong journey of love, self-acceptance, and strength. 

While Mitchell had found a beautiful and authentic existence, it wasn’t without difficulty and overcoming adversity was becoming a daily battle. While in preparation of headlining at a Utah Pride festival, and on the heels of a feature in Billboard, Mitchell had an incident inside an In-N-Out restroom that resulted in a lawsuit and an unacceptable settlement offer. In an op-ed for The Guardian she wrote about her experience, shortly before U.S. Supreme Court ruling on whether it should be legal to discriminate against people for being trans during the Trump administration, she spelled out exactly what it’s like to face daily reminders that she is a queer, trans Black woman navigating the world. 

Her daily authentic existence makes her stand out as different, yet she continues to create cathartic art that mirrors the struggle of those underrepresented voices that are just like hers. Like so many of us, overcoming imposter syndrome can feel impossible; having honest conversations with creative allies around her can be challenging, and showing up each and everyday feeling empowered is not always her truth; she has the lyrics, the melodies, and the beats to take her away into a world that is fruitful, bountiful, and plentiful. 

In 2021, Mitchell was tapped on the shoulder to create a remix of the Reba McEntire song “I’m a Survivor,” which was the title track of the hit show, Reba. Growing up both a country music fan and a fan of the TV show, Mitchell was in shock and yet managed to write the remix, record it, and produce/master it in less than four days. Most significantly, besides working with the legendary Queen of Country, Mitchell is able to leave her own stamp on the country music genre.

“I know what genre is, like, cursorily; I understand that we have them, and I get why culturally the differences are there, but I also know that Black music is all music because we gave everybody most of the popular music to listen to. Name a genre, and it can be traced right back to us,” Mitchell explains. “I want to make a mark on every part of this work that I can; they need to know that we are here, and we do amazing things as Black, queer artists.”

This is not the first time, and won’t be the last time, that Mitchell has stepped into her queer, Black transness as a suit of power in a public format. She teamed up with Peppermint and Mila Jam to create the trans anthem “Be Optimistic” that dropped during Trans Awareness Week in 2020. And what keeps Mitchell optimistic is that she gets to have honest, vulnerable, and genuine conversations about her experiences, her highs and lows, and her tenacity as a way to instill hope in the young folks who may not be allowed to live in their authenticity.

While she is still human and experiences both elation and devastation, Mitchell believes wholeheartedly that to stand in one’s truth is of the utmost importance and a battle that’s worth fighting every single day. She says that, in spite of the fear she may face, she faces it head on and chooses to make this life work for her, rather than allowing it to work against her.

“Fear will always be a thing. You’re going to get nervous; your hands are gonna shake; you’re going to be scared; do it. That’s literally what I was taught and so that’s what I try to live out in practice,” Mitchell says. “The reality is, you will see me show up; I will make it happen. It’s important for me to exist in this skin in a way that feels content for me and no one else. At that point, I can then go out and show love and spread love and give of myself to folks because I’m not pouring from an empty cup. I think it’s a strength to not focus on the strength all the time.”

As Mitchell fills her cup by playing PlayStation, living in nature, and leaning into her softness, she is able to create art that defies all the odds. In her directorial debut, We See You: Black Trans Living Legends, she focuses on the stories of Black, trans, queer elders who made this world that we see today. Noticing that rarely do we see our elders, our trailblazers, our brave predecessors receive the accolades, recognition, and space to tell their stories, Mitchell again took a step forward in her power and created a platform to elevate their voices. 

Assembling a team, Mitchell bought a camera, started researching, and set up conversations with the elders who had beautiful legacies that needed to be documented. What started as one conversation turned into a multitude, and thus the creation of the documentary miniseries We See You was born. 

Whether it’s expressing her own story through song, uplifting the stories of others through film, or inspiring hope through her collaborations, Mitchell continues to create a narrative that is of her mind, body, spirit, and soul. Lafemmebear transcends and prevails.     

 Photos courtesy of  Lafemmebear