FOUNDER,

Tamara Leigh

Tampa Bay Winners of the 2026 Wonder Awards, including favorites like local politicians, activists, organizations, and community figures, with a colorful inset photo of Tamara Leigh, Tampa Bay Black Lesbians advocate, at Tampa Bay's 1st place event.
Stylized purple and gold text with a starry purple background promoting The Wonder Awards, recognizing local LGBT+ favorites, with details about awards and sponsors.

Advocate, Activist, and Educator, Tamara Leigh has dedicated her life to championing for the BIPOC, QTPOC, LGBTQIA+ and Trans Communities. Starting her career in Public Relations, Leigh went on to become the Director of Operations and Public Relations for an LGBTQ Center in New York and the Editor of Empty Closet Magazine (the longest continuously published LGBTQ+ publication in the nation).

In 2020, Leigh launched Blaque/OUT Consulting (now Blaque/OUT Equity & Inclusivity Architects) and Blaque/OUT Magazine to further educate around Intersectionality and create space for Black and Brown Queer Voices. Tamara is the Founder of Tampa Bay Black Lesbians Inc., a Non-Profit that is dedicated to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where Queer Black Women can thrive through community engagement, advocacy, and resources by celebrating diversity, championing equity, and creating safer spaces to build a stronger, more connected community for all. She has spoken and provided educational services around the topics of Implicit Bias, Queer and Trans Rights and the Intersectionality of QTPOC at rallies, in Board Rooms, and for classes and companies nationwide. Tamara consults with individual organizations and companies to improve their diversity, equity practices, reconciliatory engagement and capacity as well as on a myriad of projects and curriculum creation for universities, municipalities and orgs nationwide to ensure that diversity, equity and accessibility is centered in their work. Leigh developed the first Juneteenth event during Pride for a specifically Queer audience in Florida and that event is still held in St. Petersburg and Orlando, FL to this day. She has had the honor of coordinating Trans Day of Remembrance events in both New York and Florida for nearly a decade. In 2023, Tamara was named the St. Pete Pride Parade Grand Marshall in recognition of her contributions to advocacy of the Florida LGBTQIA+ community. In 2025, she was named the 1st LGBTQ Chair for the NAACP Branch 5130. Last but certainly not least, she is a proud Mom to two sons. 

Cover of a magazine titled 'Out News' featuring a diverse group of people smiling with pride flags and a mural of a dog in the background. The cover highlights LGBTQ+ recognition and ally support, with locations including Daytona Beach, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and Sarasota.
A young woman with long dark hair, wearing a black baseball cap and a black shirt, sitting outdoors at a table with a colorful background and a blurred outdoor setting.
A woman wearing a black New York Yankees cap, black jacket, and matching black pants, with tattoos on her arm and a gold chain necklace, sitting outdoors near a wooden fence with greenery in the background.

Professional Portfolio

    • Guest Lecturer SUNY Brockport: ACTIVISM Dr. Radcliff 12/2019, 12/2020, 4/2021, 4/2022

    • WXXI Connections Radio Broadcast with Evan Dawson: HIV 12/2018, 6/2019, 10/2020 

    • City Magazine Cover January 2019

    • GENDA Signing NYC 1/2019

    • Community Panel Regarding Community/Police Relations Jan 2019 

    • Panelist for Rainbow Dialogues 2/2019 

    • Host of Brunchin’ with Dee & T. Radio Show WAYO 104.3FM 2017-2018

    • Host of The Situation on WAYO 104.3FM 2018-2020 

    • Co-Chair Rochester, NY Pride Parade and Festival 2019 & 2020

    • Co-Chair Rochester Black Pride, Rochester, NY 2016-2020 

    • GEVA Theater Recognition Radio, December 2020

    • Feature in Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra , “Women’s Suffrage: Past & Present” 1/2020

    • Monroe Community College (Rochester NY 2021) Framework for Racial Equity Summit Speaker

    • Yoga 4 A Good Hood (Rochester, NY) Board Member and Media Consultant, 6/2021

    • Speaker on Intersectionality, Arts & Qulture: St. Pete Pride 2021 (St. Petersburg, FL) 

    • Community Liaison for the Memorial Art Gallery/ U of R World AIDS Day 2021 and AIDS Poster Project Exhibition 2022

    • Panel Moderator for Memorial Art Gallery/ University of Rochester/ ImageOUT AIDS Poster Project "Up Against the Wall Exhibit" HIV/AIDS Awareness Documentary Screening "We Were Here"  discussing the lack of representation and diversity in film April 2022 

    • Training for the Rochester Police Accountability Board: "Intersectionality, Gender Identity, The Queer Community & Policing" April 2022 & May 2023 

    • 9 Colors Initiative "Being Black & Queer" Panel Aug 2023

    • Alliance for Non-Profit Management Conference: "Dismantling you Inner Bias To Expand Your Agency's Capacity for Reconciliatory Engagement" Indianapolis, October 2023 

    • Lutheran Services Florida January 2024

    • 2026 Wonder Awards Favorite Activist of Tampa Bay

    • 2024 Watermark Tampa Most Remarkable People

    • 2023 St. Pete Pride Parade Grand Marshall 

    • 2023  ESL Black Equity Grant Recipient

    • 2022 WAVE Community Hero Award

    • 2021-St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce ‘Good Burger” Award Nominee 

    • 2021-Rochester Black Pride LGBTQ+ Champion Award  

    • 2021-“Let Us Be” Black Giving Fund Grant Recipient 

    • 2020-Abolitionist  Teaching Network “Single-Mom” Award 

    • Rochester LGBTQ Together Advisor

    • Tampa Bay Black Lesbians, Board President

    • NAACP #5130 St. Petersburg FL Branch LGBTQ Committee Chair

    • Aria Strategies, LLC Subcontractor

WATCH BLAQUE/OUT EQUITY AND INCLUSIVITY ARCHITECT VIDEOS

Media

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