An award-winning Black non-binary author and activist, George M. Johnson is one of the TIME100 Next, TIME‘s annual list of rising stars, as well as one of Out’s 100 Most Influential LGBTQ+ People.George is the author of the New York Times Bestselling Young Adult Memoir All Boys Aren’t Blue, which explores their adolescence growing up as a young Black Queer boy in New Jersey through a series of powerful essays. The book is a Teen Vogue Recommended Read, a Buzzfeed Recommended Read, a People Magazine Best Book of the Summer, a New York Library Best Book, and a Chicago Public Library Best Book. In 2024, it topped the American Library Association’s list of most-challenged books, which also included titles by authors like Toni Morrison and John Green.

George’s second memoir, We Are Not Broken, tells the vibrant story of George, Garrett, Rall, and Rasul—four children raised by Nanny, their fiercely devoted grandmother. Nic Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin, calls the book “a deeply impactful account of intergenerational love that reveals the power of accepting young people exactly as they are while encouraging them to be ever more themselves.” They’re also an HIV activist, serving as Chair of the Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition for Black Gay Men for AIDS Healthcare Foundation, a National Advisor for ViiV pharmaceutical, and Gilead Speaker.

In their latest book, Flamboyants, George celebrates the writers, performers, and activists from 1920s Black America whose queer identities have been obscured throughout history. Through 14 essays, they reveal just how much American culture has been shaped by Queer Black icons, and why their stories deserve to be celebrated in their entirety.

They’ve written for major outlets including Teen Vogue, Entertainment Tonight, NBC, The Root, Buzzfeed, Essence, Ebony, THEM, and The Grio. They have also served as Guest Editor for BET.com’s Pride month. They were awarded the 2019 Salute to Excellence Award by the National Association of Black Journalists for their article “When Racism Anchors your Health” in Vice Magazine and was named to The Root 100 Most Influential African Americans in 2020.

George is a proud HBCU alum twice over, and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated.