Help Us Celebrate & Honor Stryker Black

Our vibrant, hell-raising, sweet, silly, queer icon, Stryker Black, passed away last week. His community, far and wide, is coming together to plan a couple of events to memorialize him in lieu of a funeral.

To know Stryker was to be consumed with Stryker. He was one of those guys who you spent 10 minutes with and left wondering if you had just met your best friend. Stryker had this way of making everyone he met feel like he had carved out a special spot in his heart just for them. He was the guy who had a personalized greeting for everyone he met and bizarre niche inside jokes tailored to each friendship. He had so much love for everyone in his life, from old friends to new acquaintances. An anarchist and an activist, he always fought loudly and fearlessly for queer and trans rights, sex workers' rights, harm reduction, mental health, and more. Whether it was handing out Narcan on the street, listening to a friend going through a tough time, posting a thirst trap gender-affirming skullet picture, or braking for gay sluts in the Daddy Wagon, he used his voice to further his mission of making every outcast, freak, and friend feel seen, loved, heard, and held.

As a result of his magnetic personality and huge heart, he has friends in every part of the country who want to be a part of his memorial and who want to be surrounded by his community to share the love. We are hoping that some of our funds will be able to help provide transportation (i.e. flights, gas, etc) to anyone in need of it. We do not want cost to prohibit anyone from being able to come to New Orleans to celebrate our friend.

Stryker also had some outstanding bills and expenses that we are hoping to cover to alleviate the load on his family. These debts include rent and hospital bills. Stryker played a big role in our New Orleans community, helping those struggling with their substance use and mental health. His impact continues to be felt far and wide.

Anything you can contribute would help us (even if it’s just a buck!) so that we can celebrate our ethereal, hell-raising baby boy. If you ever saw the Daddy Wagon around town, were on the receiving end of Stryker's unhinged TikToks and memes, got a pedicab ride from him, or just can hear his laugh clear as day when you close your eyes, please consider donating! This is an investment in recovery, queerness, trans rights, harm reduction, mental health, community values, and a whole lot of love.

As of now, we have two upcoming memorial events. Friday, May 12th we will be holding an Altar Building Service. Then in June (Date TBD), we will be holding a Karaoke Bike Race. If you need assistance getting to either event please contact Abby Mowen at [email redacted].

Thank you <3

Budget:

Memorial - $1,000

Unpaid Bills - $5,000

Friends/Family Travel - $3,000

Misc - $1,000