Happy Beyoncé Day to All Who Celebrate

I don’t know what you’re doing with your Friday, but if it is not a high volume blare Renaissance from your headphones, your speakers, your desk, your car with the windows down on the last Friday of July — we are not the same.

To further underline the only point that matters, mid typing this introduction, this text message just came through from a friend right across my screen: “I should take my ass home, ain’t shit gettin done at work today but this album over and over.”

And that is correct.

We will have a full, deep dive review of Beyoncé’s seventh album and deep love tribute to Black queer people – including her gay Uncle Johnny, who helped raise her as a child and died from complications related to HIV/AIDS — next week. But to quote Yoncé herself, “we are going to take our time and enjoy the music.”

This is a celebration. A stubborn ass middle finger decked out in disco ball sparkles and the sticky floors of a house party to a summer that’s tried its damndest to break us. But we are still out here. And so listen! I asked the Autostraddle QTPOC slack what’s up — and what’s up is abundant joy, laughs, and a bass.

** This post was originally supposed to publish nearly two hours ago, but it’s impossible to stop dancing, banging beats on your kitchen table that’s also your work desk like its a high school cafeteria, and actually type damn words on a damn keyboard. ** 

Natalie: How is Carmen in charge here — and there’s no Beyoncé Day post up yet?

Christina: This album is for the girls who loved “Blow” from Self-Titled and also for the girls who love blow the drug.

Dani: CHRISTINA

Analyssa: PACK IT UP Christina won.

Dani: Listening to “Virgo’s Groove” and wishing I still did drugs, so you are right.

Christina: This album is gonna have me acting like a like woman who fucks instead of a woman of just reads romance novels and doesn’t leave the house.

Dani: This album is for people whose bush matches their fro. MANICURED.

Christina: This album is VIRGO RIGHTS.

Kayla: Not Virgo Rights 💀

Christina: This album is for the aunties who are always down to go out with you on a Wednesday night.

Dani: I’m just not over how this album is such a homage to queer people. I didn’t know what to expect but I love it.

A. Tony: Beyoncé said this is for the gays theys and they kin. Get in where you fit in and if you straight, honey it seems like you need to see yourself out.

Me and my friends listening on repeat:

And In Conclusion, “Paint the World Pussy Pink”:

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Carmen Phillips

Carmen Phillips is Autostraddle's former editor in chief. She began at Autostraddle in 2017 as a freelance team writer and worked her way up through the company, eventually becoming the EIC from 2021-2024. A Black Puerto Rican feminist writer with a PhD in American Studies from New York University, Carmen specializes in writing about Blackness, race, queerness, politics, culture, and the many ways we find community and connection with each other.  During her time at Autostraddle, Carmen focused on pop culture, TV and film reviews, criticism, interviews, and news analysis. She claims many past homes, but left the largest parts of her heart in Detroit, Brooklyn, and Buffalo, NY. And there were several years in her early 20s when she earnestly slept with a copy of James Baldwin’s “Fire Next Time” under her pillow. To reach out, you can find Carmen on Twitter, Instagram, or her website.

Carmen has written 716 articles for us.

6 Comments

  1. Perfect album. No skips, which is rare for me cause I’m extremely picky. There are definitely going to be people who aren’t going to vibe with it. Probably the same people who didn’t get who Lemonade was made for. Its so very much influenced by Black Queer Culture right down to the collaborators so I think the people who don’t get some of the references in the songs may not appreciate it as much. What’s everybody’s favorite track? I think mine is Thique. Its way sexier than it has any right being.

    • THIQUE IS MY SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!

      push come to shove its gonna be thique, alien superstar, and pure/honey but if im allowed to cheat my favorite song is renaissance: act I :D

      • It’s so hard! Church Girl, Cozy, Break My Soul (somehow it’s even better in the album??), and Move are early standouts for me that I keep being drawn back to. But honestly? This album gets better every replay, it’s like some freaky magic.

      • My other faves too. Whew, I can’t wait until my vinyl gets here. My neighbors are about to HATE me!

        • Not a skip in the bunch! Very hard to play favorites, but Cozy, Cuff It, Plastic Off the Sofa, and Virgo’s Groove are in even heavier rotation than the rest.

  2. I just played it twice through. I’m sure I missed a lot of the references but it was exactly what I needed to listen to today

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