Terence Alan Smith, also known as Joan Jett Blakk, is a globally recognized activist, political candidate, and drag queen from Detroit, Michigan. Smith began performing in 1974, calling his drag characters a blend of Divine, David Bowie, and Grace Jones.

In 1991, Smith, as Blakk, ran against Richard M Daley for the mayor's office in Chicago, Illinois. The campaign was centered around the representation and visibility of the LGBTQ+ community in American politics. Though Daley won, Smith carved out a space for himself as a political candidate with a purpose. 

In 1992 at the height of the AID crisis, Smith ran again, this time for president of the United States, running against incumbent George H.W Bush and Democratic hopeful Bill Clinton. Running under the Queer Nation ticket again, Smith used his visibility as a political candidate to draw attention to the issues faced by LGBTQ+ people. 

Smith, as Joan Jett Blakk, has been a source of inspiration in contemporary fine artwork.  From the curation of Sabel Gavaldon and Manuel Segade in their 2017 exhibit Elements of Vogue: A Case Study of Radical Performance at the CA2M Centro de Arte Dos de Mayo, Madrid, to the installation work of Zhuanxu Xu, Blakks influence is felt across mediums and countries.

 In June 2019, a play based on Smith's 1992 presidential campaign, titled Ms. Blakk for President, written by Academy Award® winner Tarell Alvin McCraney and Tony® winner Tina Landau and starring McCraney in the title role, opened at Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago. In November 2019, Smith received the Queer Art Prize for Sustained Achievement for Joan Jett Blakk’s “memorable presidential campaign and for her powerful dedication to the lives of Black, LGBTQ+ communities across the nation.” 

A short documentary featuring Smith premiered at SXSW in March 202. In August 2021, director Whitney Skauge and Smith received the Outfest: Los Angeles LGBTQ Film Festival Special Programming Award: Freedom “for their collaboration on the short documentary The Beauty President, a reflection on the legacy of a young Black, drag queen who, at the height of the AIDS crisis, brazenly ran against George H. W Bush for president on the Queer Nation Party Ticket in 1992.”  In October 2021, the film premiered online with LA Times Studios. 

In 2023, Smith was inducted into the Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame.