When Ciara Strickland told her family and friends that she was joining the Navy instead of attending college, her community was shocked. She had D1, D2, D3 volleyball offers on the table and private school education that prepped her for University life. But a coach had spent the last year teaching her class about interest rates, student loans and the high cost of simply being an adult, and it terrified her. She never mentioned any of this to her mom.
And one day, after enrolling into the military, she just announced it.
“My mom was completely shocked, because my high school [that I] went to was somewhat of a private school, and they pretty much molded us to go to college,” Strickland said. “And so when I was like, ‘I’m joining the military,” everyone was like, jaw on the floor!”
She had military in her blood considering a grandfather and a great grandfather both served so it made sense to her if not to anyone else. She served eight and a half years, played volleyball on the enlisted side because it was an activity that brought her joy.
“It was definitely tough. Like, I’m not gonna lie, it was definitely tough,” Strickland said. “It was my first time away from home, like, for a very long time, so it was just some adjustment.”
Don’t ask, don’t tell? Strickland told and was “unbothered.” She was openly queer her entire military career in a straight male-dominated environment.
“I’m gay, I’m queer, whatever you want to call it,” she said. “I’m also a Black woman, like, I don’t care, I don’t care.”
Strickland added that the military taught her how to work under pressure and how to build community from different walks of life. The combination of these two skills helped her pivot into brand marketing and queer advocacy work and because of the Navy she says she isn’t easily rattled.
“It definitely positioned me to be the person that I am today,” she said.
A decade into her work as a creator, she founded Dare to Be Different, a brand she built in honor of her grandfather who was the one who introduced her to photography and pushed her into creative endeavors. She said that he told her not to confirm and keep being herself.
The brand started with graphic tees and grew into full collections, including one called “Move in Silence.” But it was the veteran hats that people latched onto most. Strickland said she noticed that there was nothing of substance to wear for her generation of veterans. Elder veterans could pull off the classic hats, but she could not and decided to create something new. The first drop of hats sold out in under 24 hours.
“Dare to be different is my baby,” she said. “And it’s growing at a very fast pace, but it’s all about community for me and for people just to have that sense of belonging and continue to challenge the norm.”
She also has a message for younger LGBTQ+ veterans.
“You don’t have to choose parts of yourself to be seen or to be taken seriously.” Strickland said. “Just continue to be [yourself] and continue to crush it.
Now she lives in Philadelphia with her fiancee and stepson where she has become an integral part for the city’s LGBTQ+ creative community. Creators have dubbed her the “Gay Auntie of Philly’s creative community.” She helps creators negotiate their business deals, speaks up when brands use LGBTQ+ imagery without backing it up and acts as a listening ear to anyone that needs one.
Strickland also said she has a book in the works that explores the intersection of fashion and creativity. She is keeping the details close for now, but between the brand, the advocacy, community work and the book, she said she’s staying true to her authentic self.
