About Tender Bois Club

Tender Bois Club is a music and creative production house founded by Wazi Maret and Eli Chi in 2018. We are multi-media artists with a commitment to making the world safer by teaching ourselves and other men/masculine people how to practice love, healing and self-expression. We design streetwear and curate original music and audio productions. We share the stories of queer and trans people of color and we collaborate on projects that align with our values for a better, more connected society. At Tender Bois Club, we are modeling the kind of creative and connected masculinity we want to see in the world.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the term “boi” originate from and how does Tender Bois Club define it?

The term boi, as it is recognized in the LGBTQIA+ community, originated and was historically used within Black queer and trans community to distinguish those who identified across the spectrum of masculinity, including masculine of center womxn, transmen, transmasculine people, intersex, non-binary, and gender non-conforming folks, and those who do not identify as cisgender boys/men.

Over time, the word has evolved to also include queer and trans people of color and those who identify with femininity (for example, femme bois, queens, and others). At Tender Bois Club, we have both grown up in this cultural movement and continue to do the individual and collective work required to transform how we understand and identify with masculinity. We value the history of the word and those who’ve laid the groundwork for its meaning to all of us. For more information check out this resource guide developed by Brown Boi Project and this breakdown of terms by Trans Student Educational Resources.

I don’t identify as a “boi,” is it okay to purchase and wear Tender Bois Club merchandise?

Yes. Tender Bois Club appreciates your support! We hope that by providing education on our website that all TBC customers will be diligent in understanding, respecting, and appreciating this cultural reference.

How do I become a Tender Bois Club member?

Tender Bois Club is not a member based organization. We are developing TBC using a creative business model where we provide music and creative consulting services. While we do not have a membership structure, we are always exploring new partnerships and collaborations. If you are interested in partnering with us or have questions, send us a note above!

Where can I buy Tender Bois Club merchandise?

You can buy Tender Bois Club merchandise online at our store! Also, look out for TBC pop up shops and events happening in your city. We’ll always have merch on deck for you to purchase.

Can you help me better understand the mission of Tender Bois Club?

Tender Bois Club envisions a world where all people are safe and free. We ask ourselves, who would we be and what would our contributions be in the world if we didn’t have to face constant forms of violence and oppression on the basis of race, gender, class, sexuality, ability, and religion? A world where bois/boys don’t have to live under the confines of traditional masculinity. A world where we can exist, practice vulnerability and create without fear.

TBC is a creative business grounded in a deep commitment to embodying the kind of masculinity we want to see in the world. We know this also means that sometimes we will make mistakes because we are in a constant state of learning and un-learning. But we are committed to understanding more about ourselves, how music can help us heal, and how it heals the world.

What we do is provide music and creative services-- our purpose is centered in transforming the binds of masculinity. This embodiment sometimes includes courageous conversations, trainings and education with other businesses, men and masculine people across and outside of the gender spectrum. We lead with values of collaboration, kinship, creativity and radical honesty. We see ourselves as just one part of the larger ecosystem of those doing work to end gender-based violence-- and we are doing so in the best way we know how: through our creative work.

In The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity and Love, bell hooks writes “Patriarchy is a political-social system that insists that males are inherently dominating, superior to everything and everyone deemed weak, especially females, and endowed with the right to dominate and rule over the weak and to maintain that dominance through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence.” She says, “The way we ‘turn boys into men’ is through injury: We sever them from their mothers, research tells us, far too early. We pull them away from their own expressiveness, from their feelings, from sensitivity to others. The very phrase ‘Be a man’ means suck it up and keep going. Disconnection is not fallout from traditional masculinity. Disconnection is masculinity. Everyone needs to love and be loved -- even men. But to know love, men must be able to look at the ways that patriarchal culture keeps them from knowing themselves, from being in touch with their feelings, from loving.”