Jon Paul Higgins, Ed.D, is an educator, cultural critic, social justice leader—and now, an author. If you’ve spent any time on queer social media in the last few years, you’re likely already familiar with Higgins, also known as Doctor Jon Paul. But if not, the release of their debut book, Black. Fat. Femme: Revealing the Power of Visibly Queer Voices in Media and Learning to Love Yourself, will be the perfect introduction.
In Black. Fat. Femme., Doctor Jon Paul delivers a powerful and personal exploration of what it means to live at the intersection of Black, fat, femme, and queer identity. Through sharp media critique and vulnerable storytelling, they spotlight how authentic representation—and the lack of it—shapes how we see ourselves and each other.
The Power of Queer Kinship
During a particularly weary political moment—about two years into Donald Trump’s presidency—Doctor Jon Paul came across drag star Latrice Royale on X (then still Twitter). The two soon struck up a kinship.
“She ends up following me on social media, and we’re going back and forth, just sharing love with one another—and you know, again, still in this really weary, rocky place,” said Doctor Jon Paul in an interview with News is Out.
After meeting in person at DragCon, the connection only deepened.
“So I meet her, and like I said, it was very much just immediate—both of us. Like, I didn’t expect her to cry,” said Doctor Jon Paul. “I’m crying, she’s crying, we’re hugging each other. And it very much just kind of became: Latrice Royale is now my sister. She’s my family.”
When Doctor Jon Paul was writing Black. Fat. Femme., it was clear that Latrice needed to be a part of it. After reading the chapter about her in the book, Latrice said yes—and penned the introduction.
Who the Book Is For
Black. Fat. Femme. is, in some ways, a memoir. Stories and lessons from Doctor Jon Paul’s upbringing in rural Compton, California, find the right inroads to connect to the heart—no matter who you are or where you come from.
“I wrote this book for the 16-year-old Black kid in the South who is also struggling with finding themselves,” said Doctor Jon Paul. “I was living in a very rural part of Southern California at the time I was growing up, and so as much as I don’t know the South, I know what it’s like to feel like you’re looking around and you don’t see yourself. I wrote this book for not only that kid who doesn’t see themselves and who’s scared to be themselves, but I also wrote this book for the dreamer—for the kid who believes in themselves more than the world does.”
For Doctor Jon Paul, it’s about the exploration of loving—and believing—in yourself.
“We all know what it feels like to not be it,” they said. “You know—the world’s telling you to be thin. The world is telling you to starve yourself. The world is telling you to be less this and more that. A lot of the voices we have in our head are not ours, and I think—I want folks to read this book and say, ‘Wow, it helps me find my voice. The voice that’s talking to me in my head, the voice I love hearing. The voice that is telling me, No, girl, eat the donut. You’re okay. You’ll be fine. The voice in my head that tells me your Blackness is fine.’
“This book really is for everyone, because we all know what it feels like to be the other.”
“Becoming That B*tch”
In the chapter called “Becoming That B*tch,” Doctor Jon Paul reflects on the journey they’ve been on—not just of self-love, but of taking up space and creating the life they deserve.
“I used to feel very guilty about liking myself or loving myself,” they said. “I used to feel guilty about the femininity I had. I used to feel guilty about wanting to celebrate my Blackness the way that I celebrated. I used to feel guilty about being ‘a big mouth,’ right? The world used to make me feel like I was the problem. And I think, in a way, becoming that bitch—in the joking way—I walk into rooms and I’m like, ‘Move, bitch. Get out my way. I’m in here, and if you don’t like it, then leave.’ That’s the kind of energy.”
On promoting yourself as a queer author
Doctor Jon Paul has been working hard to get the word out about their book—and has some real talk for other queer writers doing the same.
“I think it is imperative that if you are a queer author, regardless of how else you identify, being a queer author—there has to be this element of having the same energy of a white cis het man,” they said. “Who just kind of knows that they’re important. You kind of have to embody that energy.”
In other words: “You have to have audacity.”
But that constant self-advocacy can be exhausting.
“I’ve always had to advocate for myself, and I hate it. I hate that I’m always having to be my biggest cheerleader and having to push my own boulder up the hill, while also trying to help other people push theirs.”
Lessons learned
Writing a book is a lesson in self-discovery all on its own. So, what did Doctor Jon Paul learn about themselves while writing Black. Fat. Femme.?
“I’m just moving different, you know,” they said. “I think every day—she’s behind me,” they added, referring to a poster of the book on the wall opposite their desk. “I come into my office and I look at her… I wrote the book in four months, and I fought like hell to get it published. I don’t feel like it’s a masterpiece. There are so many things that I could critique, but I feel like, goddammit, I did it. I mean, against the grain.
“I think, for me, I look at myself—and like I said, I don’t get the support, or I don’t get the… like, people don’t… I don’t—people don’t hold Dr. Jon Paul up the way that some other folks do. And I go, but I still show up every day, and I still keep doing it. And it’s like—I’m just—I think this book really taught me how proud of myself I should be.”
Black. Fat. Femme. is available now wherever you buy your books.
Link to original story by by Dana Piccoli for News Is Out
