Mission Hollywood: Black and Gay in Film

“At Moesha I was gay in a black world that preferences and privileges heterosexuality and in West Hollywood, I was black in a gay world which preferences and privileges whiteness.” ~ Producer, Writer, Demetrius Bady

Being black and gay in Hollywood can be a daunting experience. With two strikes already against you, there’s a thin line you have to walk; to fall either way can cost you. Here are seven posts touching on the relationship black LGBT people have with the film industry.

One of note is an interview with producer, writer, Demetrius Bady who served as a writer on various T.V. shows, including the ‘90’s hit, ‘Moesha’. Demetrius talks about his years in Hollywood as an openly gay black writer and producer, his relationship with black Hollywood, and his latest project: ‘Nothing Personal’, a documentary film that challenges the homophobia that exists in the black entertainment industry, in particular the film industry.

First, we’ll start off showing just what can come from the partnership of black LGBT artists. I’m talking about the movie, ‘Precious’.

(Post 1) Mission: Hollywood - - Black and Gay in Film, ‘Precious’: A Confluence of Black LGBT Energy

Take one black same-gender loving author (Sapphire), one black same-gender loving film director (Lee Daniels), add in one black gay supportive entrepreneur (Oprah Winfrey) who brings along her best ‘might be gay’ black friend (Tyler Perry) and what do you have? The movie, ‘Precious’.

But that’s not all you have, what you also have is an example of what can happen when the talents of black gay creative personalities and the black gay supportive community come together (i.e., also including staunch pro-gay supporter Mary J. Blige, who sings the theme and Mo’Nique and Mariah Carey in co-starring roles).

In a piece I wrote a few years ago, I heralded what I called ‘The New Renaissance’. In that piece I said this New Renaissance ‘bounds with the energy of Alvin Ailey, and speaks as bold as the paintings of Basquiat; yet it is grounded in the headiness of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde. This explosion of arts and letters is taking place all over the world and its roots are firmly planted in the black LGBT/SGL experience.’

I also wrote that ‘I’ve been astounded not only by the spirit of these artists, but also by the boldness of their expression. But most of all I’m startled by the fact that these artists are often overlooked by mainstream media as well as the more parochial media; those media that suggests to represent them…’

With the combined energies that have created the film, ‘Precious’, I hope to prove myself wrong. Now it is up to us, those communities who do support the talents of the black LGBT creative community and those who might normally choose otherwise, to come together and share in such an astounding event.

The film, ‘Precious’ carries on a tradition honoring such black LGBT creative luminaries as Langston Hughes, Josephine Baker, George Washington Carver (who was a prominent sculptor as well as scientist), James Baldwin, Johnny Mathis, Lorraine Hansberry, Alice Walker, E. Lynn Harris, and many, many more, all of whom have left an indelible imprint on world culture.

What makes ‘Precious’ even more precious? The combining of black LGBT and black gay supportive talents to make what promises to be a gem of a movie. Now it’s up to us to show our favor.

I ended my piece on 'The New Renaissance' by saying, ‘Now the journey has begun’. It has, and it’s up to us to see that it continues.

(Post 2) Mission Hollywood: Black and Gay in Film, An Interview with Writer/Producer, Demetrius Bady (Part 1)

“I had the most success on Moesha where I spent 5 years… it was still a very hostile and homophobic work environment. Most of it, especially in the beginning, I suffered in silence. The first season I almost quit every single day...” ~ Demetrius Bady

“At Moesha I was gay in a black world that preferences and privileges heterosexuality and in West Hollywood, I was black in a gay world which preferences and privileges whiteness.” ~ Demetrius Bady

“(She) called me and asked me to find out if I knew or could find out if the person she was about to cast as a thug was gay or not. She said to me, ‘Not that I care. I just don’t need my main thug coming out of the closet in the second season and ruining my show.’ ” ~ Demetrius Bady

DCS: Hi Demetrius. Tell us a bit about yourself. What brought you to Hollywood?

DB: I came to Hollywood twice really. The first time I was 19 and thought I knew everything. I had just gotten back from living in Europe for a year. I had written a TV pilot called The Culture Club about a group of international exchange students who hung out at this club owned by Little Richard.

Somehow, someone I knew got a copy of it to Little Richard and he asked to meet me. We became really good friends. I had been here for a couple of months and I remember being broke and hungry and going to see Richard and he looked at me and said, “Child, what’s your mother’s number?” I gave it to him. He picked up the phone and called her back in Michigan and told her that he was sending me home. So, Richard hangs up the phone and tells me, “You are one of the smartest young men I have ever met. Go home and go to college and then come back. All of this mess will still be here.” He bought me a ticket and I went home. I enrolled in a community college for a year and transferred to the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

After Michigan I entered the doctoral program in History at Northwestern University in Evanston. I loved it there too and I was thriving but I ended up having to withdraw because my family was in some serious financial trouble. I needed to get a job fast.

I called a friend from Hollywood who I had kept in contact with over the years and as luck would have it he had just sold a TV series to Nickelodeon called, My Brother and Me. So, that Friday, I was still a graduate student and that Monday I was in Orlando Florida working on the set as an assistant.

We did thirteen episodes and one of the show’s creators and executive producers, Calvin Brown, Jr., let me co-write two episodes with him. When the show was canceled Calvin suggested I give Los Angeles a try. He promised to introduce me around and he did. I arrived in January of 1995 and got my first TV staff writing job a few months later on Sister-Sister.

DCS: What is it like being black and gay in Hollywood?

DB: That’s a peculiar question. I mean, I know why you asked it theoretically but you might as well have asked me, “what’s it like to be alive at all in Hollywood”. I mean, I have no other frame of reference, no other point of departure.
I must tell you that when I first read it I immediately thought of Robert F. Reid-Pharr and his brilliant book of essays, Black Gay Man. In it he says, and I’m going to pull the direct quote because I think it’s important:

“My relationship to the projects of producing either a queer or a black aesthetic is at best tentative, complicated, undecided.
While I celebrate the work of black people, gay people, and black gay people in almost all of my writing, I remain particularly suspicious about the precious ways in which we hold onto our old identities and fashion new ones out of them.
I still have to resist the impulse to flinch when someone refers to me as a queer and to positively run for cover when someone refers to me as a black queer, as I have not yet rid myself of the suspicion, left over from my childhood, that I am being politely hailed as a nigger and a faggot.

But to be less abstract about it I have to say that being an openly-gay black gay man in Hollywood has been challenging to say the least. Certainly I have had some very real successes. I have written and produced or had scripts produced on four different shows: My Brother and Me, Sister-Sister, Moesha, and All of Us. I had the most success on Moesha where I spent 5 years and while the executive producers Sara Finney and Vida Spears were extremely supportive, it was still a very hostile and homophobic work environment. Most of it, especially in the beginning, I suffered in silence. The first season I almost quit every single day and a friend had to talk me off the ledge.

It was so bad that some nights I would get off work. I would take a bus to West Hollywood and just sit at a café and try to heal. Of course this didn’t really help because West Hollywood is problematic for an entirely different but equally disturbing set of reasons. I might as well have been invisible. At Moesha I was gay in a black world that preferences and privileges heterosexuality and in West Hollywood, I was black in a gay world which preferences and privileges whiteness. I didn’t fit in anywhere and so just getting through the day became an endless series of compromises and negotiations. How much of what kind of whose version of me would be acceptable to the most number of people while doing the least amount of damage to my soul? (Part 2 Continues Below where Demetrius talks about his new documentary, 'Nothing Personal' which addresses homophobia in Black Hollywood. Read on...)

Mission Hollywood: Black and Gay in Film, (Part 2) An Interview with Writer/Producer, Demetrius Bady

(Part 2: Nothing Personal)
DCS: Are you currently working on any projects?

DB: YES! I’m so excited. I’m currently in the middle of a very special project. It’s a documentary called, Nothing Personal. It’s a provocative documentary about homophobia in Black Hollywood.

DCS: Can you tell me about Nothing Personal?

DB: Nothing Personal was inspired by my life. Black Hollywood was and is a very homophobic place. Now, I don’t mean to suggest that Hollywood in general is not a homophobic environment because it is. I think it’s a grand misperception on the part of the rest of the country that Hollywood is a welcoming and nurturing place for gays and lesbians. Hell no. Yes Hollywood may represent an improvement from some other parts of the country but the industry is really a part of greater Los Angeles which is part of California and don’t forget that California just passed Proposition 8.

When I got to Los Angeles, in 1995, it was almost unbearable. I remember once during the first few weeks of the first season of Moesha, I was still a writing assistant and my desk was right outside the writer’s room. There was a talk show called Rolanda on and the topic of the day was women who find out that their husbands are gay. The writer’s were discussing it and the comments were just disgusting. I had just met some of these people (the writers) but I still respected them all a great deal for what they had accomplished.

At some point one of the writers came out of the room and left the door open and all of this homophobic vitriol came pouring out like a mudslide. I felt trapped. I didn’t know what to do. It went on and on and eventually I started to shake and my hands started to sweat. I got up from my desk and ran into the office of a writer I barely knew, Ron Neal. I thought he was still in the writer’s room but he was in his office. I didn’t have to say a word. He just looked at me and said, “I know. Just breathe and sit down.” I sat there for about 10 minutes in complete silence. We didn’t say another word and we never discussed it again in all the years we went on to work together.

I decided to do the documentary when one day a couple of years ago I was at Outfest supporting Quincy LeNear and Deondray Gossett with the premier of DL Chronicles. I had known them both since they first arrived in Los Angeles and was so incredibly proud of them for their accomplishments. We hadn’t talked in a while but they told me how much they had admired me when I was on, Moesha because I was openly gay. Back in the day Quincy and Deondray were either always on or around the set because their friend, Tamiko Brooks (now a wonderful writer in her own right) worked on Moesha as a writer’s assistant.

Well I really was shocked to hear them say this because I had never thought about it. It had never occurred to me that anyone was watching. It planted a seed. I began to wonder out loud how many openly gay and or lesbian writers were out there. I made some phone calls and talked to some friends and began the process of getting some of them to talk on camera. It blossomed from there.

DCS: Has Nothing Personal been picked up by a network or distributor yet?

DB: No. Unfortunately not. But I’m very positive that it will. I’m in the process of acquiring funding for Nothing Personal. I’ve had some very solid interest.

DCS: You told us some of your experiences with homophobia in Hollywood can you give me some other examples?

DB: There are so many. But I’ll give you one that was particularly painful. Once a friend of mine, one of my best friends at the time who also happened to be one of the few Black show runners (a person who oversees day to day management and creative operations of a T.V. series) in Hollywood, called me and asked me to find out if I knew or could find out if the person she was about to cast as a thug was gay or not.

She said to me, “Not that I care. I just don’t need my main thug coming out of the closet in the second season and ruining my show.” I couldn’t believe it. A black woman called a gay black man to find out private information about a black actor so that she could possibly deny him employment. I remember getting sick to my stomach. Again, I didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t an evil person. She certainly knew that I was gay and in fact, had championed and supported me on several occasions.

I think I was stunned. But again, I didn’t challenge her. I didn’t speak up. I was worried that she might not hire me on her show if I confronted her. That one bothered me for a long time. It still bothers me.

DCS: I think of Paris Barclay (NYPD Blue, ER, CSI, Cold Case, Lost, etc,) when I think of successful black gay producers and writers. What other black LGBT person, would you say is at the top of the game in your profession?

DB: There are quite a few right now and I’m going to feel bad if I leave someone off the list. But off the top of my head I think of Quincy and Deondray with the DL Chronicles. You have Wanda Sykes who is really headed into another stratosphere right now. There is, of course, Patrik-Ian Polk who did Noah’s Arc. You have people like Billy Porter, Nathan Hale Williams, Maurice Jamal and of course, Lee Daniels. So, there are some people out there doing good stuff and really making a difference.

DCS: Usually, blacks and other people of color are relegated to supporting roles in T.V. unless it’s comedy. Do you foresee any change?

DB: I do. I mean, part of it is simple demographics. The country is changing and television will change right along with it or become obsolete. One of the things that would help is if Black writers and T.V. executives brought more layered and complicated characters to the screen.

DCS: How do you feel about gay stereotypes on T.V.?

DB: They have their place. I mean, you have to have a sense of humor and be able to laugh at yourself and even at your community. The problem, of course, becomes when the stereotypes are all you have. If you’re going to ask a group- - any group- - to laugh at themselves then you also have to be willing to take that same community seriously. I’m of the belief that television and film should provoke. I think television and film succeed if everyone is uncomfortable for a few minutes before it’s over.

DCS: With the internet becoming such an important part of our lives, what do you see as the future of the television and film industry?

DB: (laughing) Doug, if I could answer this question then I’d be a rich man. No one has quite figured this one out yet. I just hope to be there when they do.

DCS: Man. That was a lot to digest. Thanks, Demetrius. It’s good to hear from someone in our community doing work behind the scenes in Hollywood. Now take a breather, then get back to work on Nothing Personal.

DB: You’re very welcome Doug. You take care as well.

(NOTE: Since this interview, Producers, Quincy LeNear and Deondray Gossett, writers and producers of the DL Chronicles, have joined as producers of Nothing Personal; and Sheryl Lee Ralph (Dream Girls, Moesha) has signed on to offer commentary. The producers continue to seek funding for Nothing Personal. For more information, you can contact Demetrius Bady at: Callandresponseproductions@Gmail.Com )

(Post 3) Mission Hollywood: Black and Gay in Film, Paul Winfield: An Actor of Quiet Intensity

Paul Winfield (1939 – 2004) Actor. This is what is written about Paul Winfield at IMDB.Com: ‘Signifying intelligence, eloquence, versatility and quiet intensity, one of the more important, critically-acclaimed black actors to gain a Hollywood foothold in the 1970s…’ Paul Winfield's first big break came in 1964 when he garnered a role in Le Roi Jones' controversial one-act play The Dutchman and The Toilet. In 1966 he won a contract at Columbia Pictures and built up his on-camera career with a succession of TV credits though he continued to focus on his first love, the legitimate stage.
In the late 60s Paul redirected himself back to performing on TV and in films with guest work in more than 40 shows on the small screen, including a boyfriend role on the first season of the landmark black sitcom Julia (1968) starring Diahann Carroll. In films he was given a featured part in the Sidney Poitier film, The Lost Man (1969), and earned comparable roles in R.P.M. (1970) and Brother John (1971) before major stardom occurred. 1972 proved to be a banner year for Paul after winning the male lead opposite Cicely Tyson in the touching classic film Sounder (1972). His towering performance as a sharecropper who is imprisoned and tortured for stealing a ham for his impoverished family earned him an Oscar nomination for "Best Actor" -- the third black actor (Sidney Poitier and James Earl Jones preceded him) to receive such an honor at the time.
His film roles included various historical/entertainment giants including Thurgood Marshall, Don King and baseball's Roy Campanella, and was Emmy-nominated for his portrayal of Martin Luther King, Jr. in King (1978). Throughout the 70s and 80s he earned solid distinction in such prestige projects as Backstairs at the White House (1979), Roots: The Next Generation (1979) (another Emmy nomination), The Sophisticated Gents (1981) (TV), The Blue and the Gray (1982), Sister, Sister (1982) (TV), James Baldwin's Go Tell It on the Mountain (1985) (TV), Under Siege (1986) (TV) and The Women of Brewster Place (1989) (TV). He also gave strong performances in films such as, Conrack (1974), Huckleberry Finn (1974), A Hero Ain't Nothin' But a Sandwich (1978) (again with Ms. Tyson), Damnation Alley (1977), Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982) and White Dog (1982) and the TV series, Picket Fences, in which he won an Emmy.
On stage he graced such productions as "Richard III" (at New York's Lincoln Center Theatre), Othello, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Seagull, A Few Good Men, Happy Endings and Checkmates, which became his sole Broadway credit. In his final years he narrated the A&E crime series City Confidential(1998), appeared as a teacher in a TV adaptation of his earlier success Sounder (2003) (TV), and enjoyed a recurring role as Sam for many years on the series Touched by an Angel (1994). Besides winning theater awards, Paul Winfield has been honored by Cord, the Black Publishers of America, the National Association of Media Women, the California Federation of Black Leadership, and Black Child Development Institution of Washington, D.C.
Paul passed away from a heart attack at age 62 in 2004. He is buried beside his longtime companion of 30 years architect Charles Gillan Jr., who passed away two years before.

(Post 4) Mission Hollywood -- Black and Gay in Film, Sapphire: The Voice of the Disenfranchised

Sapphire (born Ramona Lofton, 1950) Author and performance poet. She took the name Sapphire because of its association with the image of a "belligerent black woman" and because she could picture the name on a book cover more than her birth name. She attended City College of San Francisco and City College of New York. She obtained her master's degree at Brooklyn College.
She held various jobs before starting her writing career, working as an exotic dancer, a performance artist, a social worker, and a teacher of reading and writing. Her first novel, Push, was unpublished before being discovered by the renowned feminist literary agent Charlotte Sheedy, who created a buzz and demand for Sapphire's novel, eventually leading to a bidding war. The novel brought Sapphire praise and much controversy for its graphic account of a young woman growing up in a cycle of incest and abuse.
A film based on her novel premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2009; it was renamed Precious. Actors in it include Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, and Lenny Kravitz.
Sapphire, a same gender loving womyn, was born in Fort Orr, California, one of four children of an Army couple who moved all over the world. After a disagreement over where the family would live, the family parted ways with Sapphire’s mother leaving the family. Sapphire dropped out of high school, moved to San Francisco where she enrolled in City College, only to drop out. She moved to New York City in 1977 and immersed herself in poetry. She wrote, performed and eventually published her poetry during the height of the Slam Poetry movement in NYC.
Her first book is a collection of poems entitled American Dreams, which was published in 1994. This collection caused controversy. Some considered it pornographic and sacrilegious, while others considered it one of the strongest debut collections of the ‘90s. Already heralded as a serious young author, Sapphire submitted the first 100 pages of Push to a publisher auction in 1995 and the highest bidder offered her $500,000 to finish the novel. The book was published in 1996 by Vintage Publishing and has since sold a large number of copies. Sapphire noted in an interview with William Powers that “she noticed Push for sale in one of the Penn Station bookstores, and that moment it struck her she’s no longer a creature of the tiny world of art magazines and homeless-shelters from which she came”
Sapphire lives and works in New York City.

(Post 5) Mission Hollywood: Black and Gay in Film, Lee Daniels

Lee Daniels (1959) Film producer and director best known for his Academy Award-nominated film Monster's Ball. Lee Daniels began his career in entertainment as a casting director and manager, working on projects such as Under the Cherry Moon and Purple Rain. He continued managing talent that included several Academy Award nominees and winners.
Monster's Ball, the first production of Lee Daniels Entertainment, marked Daniels as the first African-American sole producer of an Academy Award-earning film. It became a substantially critical and box office success. Monster's Ball was nominated for two Academy Awards in 2002: Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress, for which Halle Berry won an Oscar.
Daniels' next producing effort was The Woodsman starring Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick and Mos Def. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. Nominated for three 2005 Independent Spirit Awards, the film received the CICAE Arthouse Prize at the Cannes Film Festival; Jury Prize, Deauville International Film Festival and Special Mention for Excellence in Filmmaking from the National Board of Review.
Daniels made his directorial debut in 2006 with Shadowboxer, which starred Helen Mirren, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Stephen Dorff, Vanessa Ferlito, Mo'Nique, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Macy Gray. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and received a nomination for the New Directors Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival.
In 2008 Lee Daniels produced the film Tennessee, co-starring Mariah Carey.
Recently, Lee Daniels directed the film, Precious (based on the novel, by Sapphire) in 2009, starring Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey, Kimberly Russell and Sherri Shepherd. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe is playing the starring role. The film won three awards at this year's Sundance Film Festival, including the grand jury prize and the audience award in the U.S. dramatic competition. Directed by Daniels, the film tells the redemptive story of Precious Jones, a young girl in Harlem struggling to overcome tremendous obstacles and discover her own voice.
Verbally and sexually abused by her family, her troubles lead to problems in school. Precious has no friends, no money, two kids (from her father), and she's illiterate. After being accepted into an alternative school, one of her teachers (Patton) helps her find new direction in life. Along her journey, she comes across a concerned social worker (Carey) and a nurse (Kravitz) who show her incredible kindness.

Outside of his work in film, Daniels briefly delved into politics and community development. Upon the request of Harlem neighbor and former president Bill Clinton, Daniels produced public service announcements to inspire young people of color to vote. The effective campaign was launched in March 2004 and featured actor/musician LL Cool J and Grammy winner Alicia Keys.
Daniels, who is gay, is based in New York City, and is the father of two children, Clara Infinity and Liam Samad.

(Post 6) Mission Hollywood: Black and Gay in Film, Jasika Nicole: A Rising Star With An Open Life

If you watch the T.V. show, Fringe, you’ll see Jasika Nicole who plays as FBI agent Astrid Farnsworth. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama Jasika studied theatre, dance, voice, and studio art at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina before moving to New York City to pursue a career in acting. She appeared in several regional productions and moved on to off-Broadway plays before making her TV premiere in 2005 on Law & Order: Criminal Intent. She made her film debut in the movie Take the Lead.
But what sets Jasika Nicole apart from many other black actors is she has chosen to come out as a lesbian early in her career. That’s a first for a rising black star and it takes guts. I will definitely follow her career and give her my support.

(Post 7) Mission Hollywood -- Men on Film: Images of Black Gay Men on Film (SOME EXPLICIT LANGUAGE)

I stumbled across old footage from the 1990's T.V. series, 'In Living Color'. Watching the skit of two black gay men, I thought about the different images of black gay men in film, so I decided to do a video log on that subject. So here it is, 6 videos presenting the different faces of black gay men in film; and I call it, what else? 'Men on Film'. (NOTE: SOME EXPLICIT LANGUAGE IN 'THE WIRE' VIDEO)

The black gay man as buffoon. Black gay men as comic relief. Black gay men as impotent. Non-threatening. Affirms ridicule of black gay men. (Video from Fox's 'In Living Color')

White idealized image of black gay man. Black gay man removed from a black context. Usually lighter skin tone and less than full physical features. Non-threatening to white people. Easier image for white community's palate. (Video from HBO's 'Six Feet Under')

Black gay men as competent. Proud. Anti-gay sentiment presented as baseless. Black LGBT community brought into black social and historical fold. (Video from Spike Lee's 'Get on the Bus')

Black gay men as fall guy for AIDS pandemic. Threat to social order. Women as victim. Gives human form to fear without reconciling reality of pandemic and effect of stigmatization of being gay. Highly commercial at expense of understanding. (Video from 'The Closet')

Black gay man as anti-hero. Real life image of black gay man as thug. First widely seen image of black gay man 'bitching' out 'straight' men. Character is unapologetic for being gay. (SOME EXPLICIT LANGUAGE) (Video from HBO's 'The Wire')

Black gay man at once 'femme' and 'hard'. Proud. Southern small town life. True image rarely, if ever seen on film. (Video from HBO's 'True Blood’)

Major Alan Rogers: A Matter of Honor

As a veteran of the armed forces, I know there are many LGBT men and womyn who have given their lives & service to protect this nation. The irony of it is many people come out in the military (the largest gay community in the world) because it's the first place they come in close contact with other LGBT people. I did. But here's one story that caught my attention last year. I'm re-posting it: Major Alan Rogers, a black gay man, was killed in Iraq. He served with valor in the U.S. Army and gave his life by throwing his body on his fellow soldiers to protect them from an explosive device.
His story caused some controversy because in 2008, The Washington Post decided not to mention that he was a gay man who supported gay rights. Major Rogers's family said he would not have wanted the fact that he was gay put out, but according to his close friends and members of several gay organizations he supported, he would be proud.The verdict is out on whether or not he would have wanted the public to posthumously know that he was gay, but it's not out on the fact that he was a brave black gay man, an extraordinary man, who gave his life for his country. (Also posted at my new site: Dougcooperspencer.Com where you can read more essays as well excerpts from my novels and stories and keep up with book signing dates, as well as contact me.)

Short Take: That's why it's called a Public OPTION, not a Public Mandate. C'mon people!

Loss, Life, Renewal (Also: Spunky Womyn, Marvin Gaye and Desmond Tutu)

Life is large. It's large and giving. So many places to go, so many people to meet, so much to be; but losing what we've come to know can keep us from making those changes. Loss. How much power should we give it? Also, a bio of Alice Dunbar Nelson: a womyn with a lot of spunk. Also stories of some of the spunky women who came after her.
A profile of Nobel Peace Prize recipient, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the true moral conscience of us all; and one of our most cherished icons, Marin Gaye are also profiled. Finally, videos by some of those spunky womyn: performance artist/rapper Neb Luv; two videos by her group, Da 5 Footaz and four videos showing the genius that was Marvin Gaye.
In the coming weeks I'll have coverage from The Eyes Open Festival.
Have a great week and ~ Remember Love~

Lee Daniels

Lee Daniels (1959) Film producer and director best known for his Academy Award-nominated film Monster's Ball. Lee Daniels began his career in entertainment as a casting director and manager, working on projects such as Under the Cherry Moon and Purple Rain. He continued managing talent that included several Academy Award nominees and winners.
Monster's Ball, the first production of Lee Daniels Entertainment, marked Daniels as the first African-American sole producer of an Academy Award-earning film. It became a substantially critical and box office success. Monster's Ball was nominated for two Academy Awards in 2002: Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress, for which Halle Berry won an Oscar.
Daniels' next producing effort was The Woodsman starring Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick and Mos Def. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004. Nominated for three 2005 Independent Spirit Awards, the film received the CICAE Arthouse Prize at the Cannes Film Festival; Jury Prize, Deauville International Film Festival and Special Mention for Excellence in Filmmaking from the National Board of Review.
Daniels made his directorial debut in 2006 with Shadowboxer, which starred Helen Mirren, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Stephen Dorff, Vanessa Ferlito, Mo'Nique, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Macy Gray. The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and received a nomination for the New Directors Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival.
In 2008 Lee Daniels produced the film Tennessee, co-starring Mariah Carey.
Recently, Lee Daniels directed the film, Precious (based on the novel, Push, by Sapphire) in 2009, starring Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey, Kimberly Russell and Sherri Shepherd. Newcomer Gabourey Sidibe is playing the starring role. The film won three awards at this year's Sundance Film Festival, including the grand jury prize and the audience award in the U.S. dramatic competition. Directed by Daniels, the film tells the redemptive story of Precious Jones, a young girl in Harlem struggling to overcome tremendous obstacles and discover her own voice.
Verbally and sexually abused by her family, her troubles lead to problems in school. Precious has no friends, no money, two kids (from her father), and she's illiterate. After being accepted into an alternative school, one of her teachers (Patton) helps her find new direction in life. Along her journey, she comes across a concerned social worker (Carey) and a nurse (Kravitz) who show her incredible kindness.

Outside of his work in film, Daniels briefly delved into politics and community development. Upon the request of Harlem neighbor and former president Bill Clinton, Daniels produced public service announcements to inspire young people of color to vote. The effective campaign was launched in March 2004 and featured actor/musician LL Cool J and Grammy winner Alicia Keys.
Daniels, who is gay, is based in New York City, and is the father of two children, Clara Infinity and Liam Samad.

Trailer: Precious

Loss

We're all afraid of losing things that are important to us. Love, life, money; whatever it is, losing what we've accepted as something valuable to us can be frightening.
For gay men and womyn, the idea of loss is always near. Losing the love of family and friends, job and respect hangs over our heads with every thought we might have of people finding out about our sexual orientation, so most of the times we simply choose to keep who we really are a secret.
We fear loss.
What gives the idea of losing things so much power? And how much power should we really give losing something?
On some levels, who we are as a person has been shaped by those elements that have been the most prevalent in our lives; social constructs, the cultures of family, and tribe are probably the most obvious examples, so to remain associated with those structures gives us a sense of security- - even when that sense of security might only offer false hope. Nonetheless, the belief that you're secure becomes comforting.
The need to feel anchored to something is important. That's why we seek that line that keeps us tethered to people, places and things with which we are familiar. That sense of belonging empowers us since as human beings we’re social creatures. The idea that we might be without whatever it is that has named us, that has informed us of who we are and who we are supposed to be can be daunting.
However, while that might be the case, it’s important to realize that sometimes we have to shift our attachments, or our allegiances; not that we should destroy our relations, but that we have to alter our relations in order to grow. In short, we have to lose something, in order to move on to other things.
Here’s an example: When I was in my early twenties, I was a husband (in the traditional sense) and a father; and while I loved my family, I wasn’t happy with who I was becoming. My wife wanted the house with the white picket fence in the suburbs and a few more kids. I no longer wanted that. I had begun to grow in different ways and I knew I couldn’t live the life she wanted. I had come to terms with the fact that I was gay; I also wanted a life that would lead me to travel the world and explore my creative nature. It was who I felt I was meant to be. But what then? How would I start my life over? And was it right for me to destroy the life I had with my wife and daughter to continue my journey?
Those years were a struggle for me, and they were beginning to take its toll on my sanity, because you see, no one should ever be forced to live, imprisoned in a life that’s not theirs. Eventually, I had to make that decision to leave the life I had been prepared for in order to lead a new, more unexpected one.
It was a painful thing to do to leave my wife, and my daughter, or so I thought. But then I realized, ‘hey, I’m not leaving them, I’m still here.’ I realized that I was adjusting to a new life that could still include them. Needless to say, the whole scene was ugly when I made the decision to leave my old life; but I knew I was doing what I needed to do to become a more fulfilled person, and also, what my wife and my daughter needed for me to become the best person for them. There were times afterwards when I wondered if I had made the right decision, and after falling on hard times I wondered if I was being punished for my decision. Even some of the people who had once been there for me had turned their backs on me.
But life flows in many directions and along those directions comes different experiences and different people. In time, I came to meet new people who validated me; and with that came new experiences. I can now say I’ve done what I know I was meant to do with my life. As for my former wife, that choice has helped her as well because she found the life she needed. And my daughter, wow, she has grown into an amazing, independent womyn.
In all, I had to lose many things in order to gain wonderful things. Now I know that instead of loss, it was renewal.
Life moves along many streams. Don’t be afraid to put your boat along a different path, because in the end each of those streams flow back to the same ocean.

Alice Dunbar, Alice Dunbar, What Hath Thou Wrought?

This is a tribute to one of the early openly same-gender loving black womyn, Alice Dunbar. Alice was brave and daring, and to honor her here are tributes to a few more brave black same-gender loving womyn: writer, Sapphire, performance artist/rapper Neb Luv, and her group Da 5 Footaz, with videos of their performances. First a profile of Alice Dunbar Nelson.

(1875- 1935) Alice Dunbar Nelson was an American poet, journalist and political activist. Among the first generation born free in the South after the Civil War, she was one of the prominent African Americans involved in the artistic flourishing of the Harlem Renaissance. Her first husband was the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar; she then married physician Henry A. Callis; and last married Robert J. Nelson, a poet and civil rights activist. She is probably the first black womyn to write about her lesbian affairs in her journal, Give Us Each Day: The Diary of Alice Dunbar-Nelson.
Alice Dunbar Nelson's first collection of short stories and poems, Violets and Other Tales, was published by The Monthly Review, in 1895. About that time, she moved to New York. She co-founded and taught at the White Rose Mission (White Rose Home for Girls) in Brooklyn. Beginning a correspondence with the poet and publisher Paul Laurence Dunbar, she ended up moving to Washington, DC to join him when they married in 1898. She and Dunbar separated in 1902 but were never divorced. He was reported to have been disturbed by her lesbian affairs. Paul Laurence Dunbar died in 1906.
Alice Dunbar then moved to Wilmington, Delaware and taught at Howard High School for more than a decade. In 1910 she married Henry A. Callis, a prominent physician and professor at Howard University, but this marriage ended in divorce as well.
From 1913 to 1914, Alice Dunbar was coeditor and writer for the A.M.E. Review, an influential church publication produced by the African Methodist Episcopal Church. In 1916 she married the poet and civil rights activist Robert J. Nelson. She joined him in becoming active in politics in Wilmington and the region. Alice Dunbar Nelson was an activist for African Americans' and women's rights, especially during the 1920s and 1930s. While she continued to write stories and poetry, she became more politically active in Wilmington, and put more effort into numerous articles and journalism on leading topics. In 1915 she was field organizer for the Middle Atlantic states for the woman's suffrage movement. In 1918 she was field representative for the Woman's Committee of the Council of Defense. In 1924 Dunbar-Nelson campaigned for the passage of the Dyer Anti-Lynching Bill, but the Southern Democratic block in Congress defeated it.
From about 1920 on, she made a commitment to journalism and was a highly successful columnist, with articles, essays and reviews appearing as well in newspapers, magazines, and academic journals. She was a popular speaker and had an active schedule of lectures through these years.

Sapphire: Author and Performance Poet

Sapphire (born Ramona Lofton, 1950) Author and performance poet. She took the name Sapphire because of its association with the image of a "belligerent black woman" and because she could picture the name on a book cover more than her birth name. She attended City College of San Francisco and City College of New York. She obtained her master's degree at Brooklyn College.
She held various jobs before starting her writing career, working as an exotic dancer, a performance artist, a social worker, and a teacher of reading and writing. Her first novel, Push, was unpublished before being discovered by the renowned feminist literary agent Charlotte Sheedy, who created a buzz and demand for Sapphire's novel, eventually leading to a bidding war. The novel brought Sapphire praise and much controversy for its graphic account of a young woman growing up in a cycle of incest and abuse.
A film based on her novel premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2009; it was renamed Precious. Actors in it include Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Mariah Carey, and Lenny Kravitz.
Sapphire was born in Fort Orr, California, one of four children of an Army couple who moved all over the world. After a disagreement over where the family would live, the family parted ways with Sapphire’s mother leaving the family. Sapphire dropped out of high school, moved to San Francisco where she enrolled in City College, only to drop out. She moved to New York City in 1977 and immersed herself in poetry. She wrote, performed and eventually published her poetry during the height of the Slam Poetry movement in NYC.
Her first book is a collection of poems entitled American Dreams, which was published in 1994. This collection caused controversy. Some considered it pornographic and sacrilegious, while others considered it one of the strongest debut collections of the ‘90s. Already heralded as a serious young author, Sapphire submitted the first 100 pages of Push to a publisher auction in 1995 and the highest bidder offered her $500,000 to finish the novel. The book was published in 1996 by Vintage Publishing and has since sold a large number of copies. Sapphire noted in an interview with William Powers that “she noticed Push for sale in one of the Penn Station bookstores, and that moment it struck her she’s no longer a creature of the tiny world of art magazines and homeless-shelters from which she came”
Sapphire lives and works in New York City.

Neb Luv

While presently pursuing a solo recording deal, Neb Luv has achieved well-deserved respect and recognition for her association with Warren G, her producer on Da 5 Footaz LP released on Restless Records. Neb appeared on the “Set it Off” soundtrack single, “The Heist” and the “Jason’s Lyric” soundtrack single, “Walk Away.” She also appeared in the Def Pictures feature film, “The Show” and has toured internationally as the opening act for Warren G and The Fugees.

Neb Luv: Get Free

Da 5 Footaz

Da 5 Footaz is an all-girl group from L.A. They have been making moves since the mid-nineties. Composed of Neb Luv, Cobra Red, Jah Skillz, Ka-Bar, and Knehi, their origins go back to '94, when Jah Skillz scorched the mic on "Supa Soul Sis" off Warren G'sRegulate&G-Funk Era. Jah hooked up with Neb Luv in school, and the two were featured in the documentary The Show. Soon their ranks grew, and in '96 the quintet contributed a track called "The Heist" to the film Set It Off.

Da 5 Footaz (with Neb Luv, featuring Warren G): Dip



Da 5 Footaz (with Neb Luv): Gimme Sum

Our Allies: Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Desmond Mpilo Tutu (1931) is a South African cleric and activist who rose to worldwide fame during the 1980s as an opponent of apartheid. Archbishop Tutu is widely regarded as "South Africa's moral conscience"and has been described by former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, as "sometimes strident, often tender, never afraid and seldom without humour, Desmond Tutu's voice will always be the voice of the voiceless".
In 1984, Archbishop Tutu became the second South African to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He was the first black South African Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, South Africa, and archbishop of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa. Archbishop Tutu chaired the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and is currently the chairman of The Elders (an international group of elder statesmen dedicated to humanitarian goals). Vocal in his deference to human rights, Archbishop Tutu uses his high profile to campaign for the oppressed. He also campaigns to fight AIDS, homophobia, poverty and racism. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, the Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism,the Gandhi Peace Prize in 2005 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
Archbishop Tutu has also been a tireless campaigner for health and human rights, and has been particularly vocal in support of controlling TB and HIV.  He has served as the honorary chairman for the Global AIDS Alliance.
In the fight against homophobia, Archbishop Tutu has lent his name. He stated at the launching of his book 'Sex, Love and Homophobia' that homophobia is a 'crime against humanity' and 'every bit as unjust' as apartheid. He added that: 'We struggled against apartheid in South Africa, supported by people the world over, because black people were being blamed and made to suffer for something we could do nothing about; our very skins...It is the same with sexual orientation. It is a given.'
In a 2007 interview with BBC Radio 4, Archbishop Tutu accused the church of being obsessed with homosexuality and declared: "If God, as they say, is homophobic, I wouldn't worship that God."

Our Icons: Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye (1939–1984) With a three-octave range voice, Marvin Gaye was one of the greatest r&b and pop vocalists of all time. He was also an accomplished composer, songwriter and instrumentalist. Starting as a member of The Moonglows in the late fifties, he ventured into a solo career after the group disbanded in 1960 signing with the Tamla subsidiary of Motown Records. After starting off as a session drummer, Gaye ranked as the label's top-selling solo artist during the sixties and the seventies. During his reigns, Marvin was crowned 'The Prince of Motown' and 'The Prince of Soul'.

Politically conscious, sexual provocateur, he was also a Motown pioneer, notable for fighting the hit-making but restrictive Motown process in which performers and songwriters and producers were kept separate, Gaye proved with albums like his 1971 What's Going On and his 1973 Let's Get It On that he was able to produce music without relying on the system, inspiring fellow Motown artists such as Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson to do the same.
His mid-1970s work including the Let's Get It On and I Want You albums helped influence the quiet storm, urban adult contemporary and slow jam genres. After a self-imposed European exile in the late seventies, Gaye returned on the 1982 Grammy-winning hit, "Sexual Healing" and the Midnight Love album before his death. Marvin Gaye was shot dead by his father on April 1, 1984. He was posthumously inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.
In 2008, the American music magazine Rolling Stone ranked Gaye #6 on its list of The Greatest Singers of All Time, and ranked #18 on 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
His striking good looks and cool sexual appeal were enough to have both womyn and men wishing for just one moment with him... as if that would have been enough. And when he flashed that smile, well he was Marvin. But most of all, we remember his music and his style.

Marvin Gaye: What's Going On?/What's Happening Brother?



Marvin Gaye: If I Should Die Tonight


Marvin Gaye: Ain't That Peculiar


Marvin Gaye: Got To Give It Up

Gays and Justice; Phyllis Hyman; Danny Glover; So What, Terrell Carter? The Eyes Open Festival, Donnie and more.

What happens after equality for gays and lesbians has been attained? Will words like equality, justice and freedom disappear from the mouths of the gay community or will the gay community recognize other forms of injustice? Also, a tribute to one our icons: Phyllis Hyman; a profile of one of our allies: Danny Glover; a profile of R&B singer, Donnie; a word about The Eyes Open Festival and view of this year's performers, and last, but not least, Terrell Carter. We've all heard about him being 'outed' recently. I have thoughts on that.
Oh, and to keep up with other sources of news that affect the black LGBT community, go to: Rod 2.0; Jasmyne Cannick.Com; The Daily Voice; Clay Cane: Get Your Life and UKBlackOut.Com
I hope you're all having a wonderful and positive week. Take care, and
~Remember Love~

Eyes Open Festival 2009

On July 25, 2009, the Cincinnati/Dayton area black LGBT community will present the second ‘Eyes Open Festival’ at The Aronoff Center for the Arts (Fifth-Third Theater and Center Stage Room) in downtown Cincinnati. The Eyes Open Festival is a non-profit organization that promotes the arts in the black LGBT community in order to inspire, educate, and to engender wellness within the black LGBT community and to bring about communication between the black LGBT community and other communities. This year's artists include Brooklyn rapper, Last Offence; Indie/Acoustic vocalist, Tracy Walker; NYC/Detroit r&b vocalist, William Scott; a film festival; art and photo exhibits and a marketplace. There's more to come. Keep up to date with the Eyes Open Festival’s Myspace Page at: www.Myspace.Com/Eyesopenfestival . You can contact the Eyes Open Festival at: Eyesopenfestival@Gmail.Com or write to:
The Eyes Open Festival; P.O. Box 452; Cincinnati, OH 45201-0452.
William Scott:




Tracy Walker




Last Offence (EXPLICIT CONTENT)

The New Renaissance

In 2008, there was a celebration of the arts in the black LGBT/SGL community. The celebration was called the ‘Eyes Open Festival’. With the festival we wanted to herald in what I call The New Renaissance of black LGBT/SGL artists. We have hopes that the Eyes Open Festival becomes an annual event. The following piece is an excerpt from the Welcome Letter I wrote for the festival.

Welcome to All,
There’s a renaissance taking place in the black LGBT/SGL community. It’s a movement of song and dance, words and color. It bounds with the energy of Alvin Ailey, and speaks as bold as the paintings of Basquiat; yet it is grounded in the headiness of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde. This explosion of arts and letters is taking place all over the world and its roots are firmly planted in the black LGBT/SGL experience.

During my travels I witness this creative movement. I’ve been astounded not only by the spirit of these artists, but also by the boldness of their expression. But most of all I’m startled by the fact that these artists are often overlooked by mainstream media as well as the more parochial media; those media that suggests to represent them. Therefore, in the spirit of The Harlem Renaissance, the Eyes Open Festival was created to celebrate and foster an understanding of the arts in the black LGBT/SGL community.

The Eyes Open Festival honors the tradition of black LGBT/SGL luminaries such as Langston Hughes, Josephine Baker, James Baldwin, Johnny Mathis, and Lorraine Hansberry, all of whom have left an indelible imprint on world culture. Today that spirit lives on through contemporaries such as Alice Walker, E. Lynn Harris, Me’Shell NeDego O’cello, Rahsaan Patterson, George C. Wolfe, Tracy Chapman, Paris Barclay, and the list goes on…

I want to thank all the brave, bold, creative geniuses who have chosen to stand in the face of adversity and declare that they too have a voice and vision. And to those artists and supporters who may not be gay, yet lend their talents to bring light to this movement, thank you so much.

Now the journey has begun.

Donnie

Donnie (1975) The Atlanta-based vocalist and songwriter Donnie has often been grouped with D'Angelo, India.Arie, and other artists labeled as neo-soul. Like those artists, Donnie has avoided hip-hop beats and lyric styles in favor of melodic singing and church-inspired harmonies that evoke the classic soul music of the 1970s. What has set Donnie apart from his contemporaries, however, is that he has embraced the politically and socially oriented side of soul as well as its romantic aspects. As a result he has often been compared to soul giants Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye.
When Donnie was eight his family moved to Atlanta. His parents enjoyed the black popular music of the day, but as they became more deeply involved in their church, they steered their son away from secular music.
Donnie continued to attend church into early adulthood. Another church member was Marvin Gaye, a cousin whom Donnie never met but whose violent death in 1984 shook the talented youngster. "I grew up in the same church as Marvin, with the same people, the same pastors, and the same threats," Donnie told the Boston Globe. "There was this whole 'If you do this, you're going to hell' speech. I was scared to do what they called 'secular music' or to come into the secular world."
Beginning his musical career in his church's choir, Donnie was directing musical performances by the time he was 14 years old. When he was in his late teens, however, Donnie began to feel the need to reconnect with secular audiences. Once he decided in favor of a secular career, Donnie found that Atlanta had a thriving music scene that welcomed idealists and experimentally minded artists. Donnie became friends with India.Arie and made his way into the center of an orbit of performers associated with the Yin Yang Cafe in the city's Little Five Points neighborhood.
"You might think of me as crazy, but I know the spirits said,'This is a special place at a special time,'" Donnie told the Groovenation.net website. "Because everybody came there. You had black, white, Asian, Latino, straight, gay, bisexual. You had drag queens up in there. Everybody may not always have been comfortable, but everybody respected each other. I felt a kinship because everyone at Yin Yang sang about things that mattered."
Donnie performed with Arie at an Atlanta showcase event in 1997, and she recommended him to Maurice Bernstein of Giant Step Records. By 2000 Donnie was recording demo tracks with Los Angeles producer Steve Harvey and working on music for his debut album release. A Giant Step single called "Do You Know?" garnered airplay on the independent Los Angeles-area radio station KCRW, and the singer parlayed that success into a five-night run at the Jazz Café in London.
Word was spreading about Donnie's talents in the music industry, and in 2002 he was signed to Motown Records, formerly home to both Gaye and Wonder. His full-length debut, The Colored Section, was released in October of that year.
"Welcome to the colored section," Donnie sang, over church-choir harmonies on the album's opening track. "Welcome to the Negro League." Donnie often referred to himself with the old-fashioned term of "Negro," rejecting hip-hop epithets. "I'm not a nigger, I'm a Negro," he sang in "Beautiful Me." "When I become a nigger, I'll let you know." Musically Donnie looked both backward and forward. With a musical language rooted in classic soul, Donnie reached as far back as ragtime and minstrel music for his satirical look at black consumerism in "Big Black Buck." His verbal facility and rapid-fire juxtaposition of ideas, though, marked him as a member of the hip-hop generation, even as he rejected many of the musical characteristics and social attitudes associated with the hip-hop genre.
The Colored Section was moderately successful. Some felt that Motown's promotional efforts on behalf of the album were halfhearted, although the song "Cloud 9" was heard in the hit film Brown Sugar, and another selection, "Our New National Anthem," was featured in a Black Entertainment Television (BET) publicity campaign. But critics gave rave reviews. "Donnie's 'The Colored Section' might be the best soul record since Stevie Wonder's masterpieces [of the 1970s]," praised the Boston Globe, while People felt that Donnie "someday ... may just take a place alongside his cousin."
Donnie is clearly setting his own path with being a great artist and one who is openly gay.
(Partial excerpts by James M. Manheim of Musicanworld.Com)

‘After Equality, Then What?’

Despite the confusing messages coming from the Obama Administration regarding the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in the past weeks, equal rights for gays and lesbians will pass legal muster sooner than some might think. It can be seen in the presence it has in conversations regarding civil rights and in the changing views of a growing number of former opponents such as the black clergy as well as members of the Republican Party.
But once equal rights for gays have been won- - not if, but once that’s done- - where does the larger LGBT community go from there in terms of fighting injustice? Are equal rights for same-sex couples the final challenge for the LGBT community?
Common sense would tell us ‘no’, because there are many other forms of injustice for which the LGBT community can stand against, but will it? In earnest, I wonder just how far words like freedom, equality, justice and liberty will fly in the gay community once the fight for equal rights for the gay community have been acquired.
The fact that the ‘gay’ community is just as diverse as any other population and that, in spite of its presumed character of being a like-minded unit, the gay community is really a microcosm of larger culture, thereby setting itself up for the foibles and grace common to every other demographic, including the exchange of power based on various class distinctions.
That being said, where will the gay and lesbian community stand on issues of race, economic disparity, gender inequality and sexual orientation as it affects the trans community, to name only a few? And what is the broader gay community doing to build the bridges needed to affect a larger revolution for freedom? It can no longer go on pointing fingers at other groups as being antithetical to the concerns of the gay community when, in truth, it suffers from the same condition of self-serving behavior.

For instance, we often hear grumbling about how the black gay community seems to not to take up the flag in the fight for gay equality to the extent as their white counterparts (though this is not entirely true). Needless to say, those same people often show reticence when it comes to understanding that there might be concerns affecting the black gay community that take priority over the issue of equal rights. There are issues that adversely affect the black LGBT community, LGBT Latinos of Color and other communities that have little immediate bearing on the white gay community. As psychologist Abraham Maslow asserted 66 years ago, until one’s basic needs are met, there should be little expectation of that person or group to focus on loftier goals (actually, those basic needs are that groups loftier goals for that moment in its existence).
But does the white gay community really care? Does it really care that there are members of its own who face injustice when it comes to acquiring the basics that everyone aspires, that everyone needs to live? Or are those disaffected groups merely cogs in the machine towards acquiring the goals of the white gay community? As well, will many in the gay community who don’t share the privileges of others come to recognize the value of equal rights for the gay community?
These are the questions both communities must ask, because you see, one will find it difficult to achieve its goals without the help of the other. As the defeat of California’s Proposition 8, showed, the white gay community needs the support of those outside their community to gain ground; and those outside the white gay community needs the support of the people, including the white gay community, to right the wrongs that has been handed it for so long.
One could ask, ‘where do we strike an accord’, in all this. That is the most practical way of looking at this discussion. What kinds of negotiations can all communities make to come to reasonable terms in ensuring justice for all? Or, from a more spiritual perspective: Everyone should understand the universal connection we all have with each other, and that it is true that no one is free until all are free.
I’m not suggesting that the various gay communities hold back on the fight for equal rights for gays and lesbians because it is a right that affects everyone. But the white gay community must also commit itself to fighting against all forms of injustice as well, not just the ones that serves the interests of its own.
That’s the way I see it, but I wonder how many others would agree?
(Photos: Gay Rights March; Black Gay Justice; Opponents to Chiapas Oppression in Mexico)

And What About Terrell Carter?

Last week I was in the presence of Terrell Carter when he performed at a friend’s birthday party and seeing him hang out with my friends and my husband. To be frank, I didn’t know who he was since I’m not inclined to follow the types of plays that Tyler Perry puts on and I'm a little out of the loop as far as music is concerned. But man, do I know about Terrell Carter now. In the past days his photos have been posted all over the internet as having allegedly been outed by a pissed off ex-boyfriend. That’s not cool.
But what about Terrell Carter? What does his ‘outing’ really speak?
I agree with blogger, Rod McCullom (Rod 2.0): “I'm all for gay men, especially black gay men, to come out of the closet. But if you're outed kicking and screaming, or by a jealous or scorned lover, it probably does more harm than good”. It’s simply not the way to treat anyone.
However, looking at this whole scenario from another perspective, I have to say that with more and more of our black celebrities becoming known in the public’s eyes as being same-gender loving, it’s time for the black community to grow the hell up and face the fact that it really should not matter. Luther Vandross, Johnny Mathis, Queen Latifah, Tyler Perry, Missy Elliott, Maxwell, MC Lyte, Alicia Keys, Paul Winfield and yes, even our beloved Michael Jackson, either the public knows they are gay or it's commonly assumed they are and their sexual orientation has never made an iota of difference in how they carry out their work. They still gave us great art and entertained us to the highest of our expectations without the matter of their sexual orientation getting in the way.
Come on, grow up. It's entertainment. Actors portray 'characters', not their personal lives. Singers perform musical narratives, not necessarily biopics. Let this man live his life and just enjoy his art. I mean really, do the ladies actually think they're going to sleep with Terrell? Do the men really think he's going to hit on them? Most likely most people will never come into personal contact with Terrell Carter, and it's ridiculous to judge someone because they are gay.
After hanging out with him last week, my husband, Greg, said he is a really nice guy who only wants to perform his art. Let the man do that, okay? If you don’t you just might be missing out on the same level of talent that other gay men and womyn have given you for so many years.
As we used to say back in the day, ‘keep on keepin’ on’, Terrell. Yeah, you might lose some of your audience, but you can write those folks off as dealing with security issues or just plain ignorant. You won't lose all of your audience because I don't believe most people suffer from the insecurities or the ignorance of the ones who are trying to tear you down.
Look man, you have an audience. You have a market. You have talent and looks. You'll go far; after this, you'll most likely gain an even larger audience of people who will come to you because they respect you. If what has come out is true, I suggest you roll with the punches and keep your head high. Carry yourself with respect, because carrying respect, gains respect.
You have my support and I know you have the support of many others as well.
(Post Script: The best way to support these artists is to consume their art. Buy their music, attend their performances and pass the word. ~ Doug)

Manifesto: (Final Installment) ‘Love’

I accept Love to be: “The will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth.” (M. Scott Peck, ‘The Road Less Traveled’). I will love myself and seek this kind of love from others. I will demand it so I might know it. I have all the right in the world to seek the nurturance of my spirit free from the whims of others. I reject the games people play in their attempt to gain dominance over my life; it’s been done to many throughout the ages.
I understand that when you learn to love yourself, you are able to love others, and you grow beyond the borders of religious doctrine and demagoguery towards a true spiritual journey. You become open to wondrous things about your life, about Life period. You become the person God meant you to be. This I understand. This I accept.
In the end, I accept that the brilliance of ‘The Mystery’ we call Life will probably always continue, and will probably never be understood. And that ‘The Mystery’ is not as scary as it might sound. It is fear that holds most of us captive to lives of trepidation, hatred and inconsequence, not love.

This I accept.

Our Allies: Danny Glover

“I think that men and women have the right to decide who their partners are going to be. Men and women have the right to decide how they define their own happiness, and I am in full support of that. Whether they find that in marriage, I am in full support of that. Whether they find that in companionship, I am in full support of that. I think it’s only just.”
That’s what celebrated veteran actor and director Danny Glover feels about same-sex marriage.
Having a long history of left-of-center activism, Danny Glover continues to support ideology that rankle the more conservative minded. He spoke out ardently against California’s Proposition 8. On peace and justice, he says: “The presence of justice as King once said, that ‘peace is not simply the absence of violence or hostility but the presence of justice.’ So, the civil rights movement gave a platform in which we can talk about the presence of justice.” Amen to that.

Icon: Phyllis Hyman: Golden Bird, Wounded Heart

When she glided across the stage with her 6 plus foot frame draped in flowing gowns, she mesmerized; and when she opened her throat to sing, we were floored.
A classy vocalist throughout the 70’s to the 90’s, Phyllis Hyman was a favorite of so many. But to the black LGBT community she was one of the divas who shaped our lives. A tireless fighter for AIDS awareness; and from her jazzy stylings with Norman Connors, to her emotive ballads, to her pounding club hits, like ‘You Know How to Love Me’ (a piece whose opening and closing still has me bouncing whenever I hear it), to her bravo award-winning Broadway performance in Sophisticated Ladies, Phyllis showed us why she was one of the true goddesses.
Phyllis struggled with bipolar disorder and depression. In 1995, those spirits won out and she took her life. We mourned her passing, but her face, her form, and my god, that voice is still around to let us recall the Golden Bird. Here are two videos presenting her talent.

Archiving Black LGBT History, Mary J Blige, Rahsaan Patterson and a Farewell to My Father

If you haven’t had a chance to see the Black Gay & Lesbian Archive at the Schomburg, you should. It’ll definitely be worth your while. I do an interview with Steven Fullwood, the director of the archive. Also, my man, soul vocalist Rahsaan Patterson, is profiled (with 3 videos of him at the end of the post); and Mary J Blige, who is this week's Ally of the gay movement. But first I want to bid farewell to my father who passed away this weekend. It’s hard to say farewell to someone who had my back for the 55 years I’ve been on this earth. But I must. I know he is resting well.

Ellis Cooper (1922 – 2009) Continuing His Journey

He made it through the darkness of the lynching season, traveled the wet lands of Europe and the dry lands of North Africa only to come home to find he still was not free. But he made it through. He was a complicated man, but full of street savvy, enough to call me on being gay before I was ready to accept, yet never did he turn me away. Together, he and my mother loved me even though they couldn’t understand me. Rest well, Dad. Now you can be with the woman you loved for 60 years.

Rahsaan Patterson: With An International Following, Who Really Needs Airplay?

Rahsaan Patterson (1974), soul vocalist and songwriter. Rahsaan Patterson is another in the line of new-school R&B singers (Maxwell, and Erykah Badu) with a bit more integrity than most of the chart-toppers during the 1990s. His singing and songwriting style are reminiscent of Stevie Wonder, while his voice has also drawn comparisons to Chaka Khan. After singing in church from the age of six, Rahsaan moved with his family from New York to California to star in the children's show KIDS Incorporated. He was cast as "The Kid", and remained on the show for the next few years, appearing alongside such future stars as Fergie, Mario Lopez and Shanice.
He later moved back to the East Coast, resuming his career with small TV roles and assorted commercials, but returned to Los Angeles in the early '90s to record demos and contribute backing vocals to albums by Martika and Brandy, among others. He proved himself a more than competent songwriter as well, penning hits like Tevin Campbell's "Back to the World" and Brandy's "Baby." Those successes finally earned him a recording contract with MCA, which issued his self-titled debut album in early 1997, collaborating with Keith Crouch and Jamey Jaz, among others. Receiving positive reviews from critics, the album failed to find a large audience (the single "Where You Are" did receive attention on R&B radio). Patterson did, however, develop a loyal following both in the United States and abroad. Patterson went to work on his followup, Love in Stereo, with Jamey Jaz and new collaborators such as Van Hunt. When Love in Stereo was released in late 1999 it received better reviews than its predecessor, although the mainstream overlooked it.
Although Patterson and MCA parted ways, he remained busy, continuing to perform live, working as a session singer, and contributing to both soundtracks (Brown Sugar) and compilation albums (Steve Harvey's Sign of Things to Come), while working on his next album.
After Hours, Patterson's third album, was released internationally early in 2004, again garnering positive reviews. With the forming of his own label, After Hours saw release in the United States in late October 2004. Further collaborative efforts followed. Patterson's most recent album, Wines and Spirits (again featuring collaborations with Keith Crouch and Jamey Jaz) was released in September 2007, and debuted at #42 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, his best showing on that chart to date.
Patterson co-wrote with Australian Soul singer Guy Sebastian the single Beautiful Life off the Beautiful Life album. Rahsaan has recently gone on to work as co-producer on a new project in Australia called SugaRush Beat Company.
Patterson is openly gay. In a 2008 discussion about being a gay artist with gay station Logo, for example, he said that "For me, it's not about being 'the gay artist'; I'm an artist." In an interview with BET's Daily Voice, Patterson further clarified that "I've never been in the closet or hiding anything." (See Rahsaan in performance, below)

Archiving Black LGBT History: Steven Fullwood of the Black Gay and Lesbian Archive Project(Pt 1)

(I first met Steven G. Fuller about 4 years ago when he graciously showed Greg and me around the Schomburg Research Center and the Black Gay and Lesbian Archive project in Harlem. I had been following his work since I first heard of the project in 2000. Steven is not only a librarian/archivist, but a first rate essayist, editor and poet. If you're ever in the NYC area, stop by and let him show you around. ~ Doug)


When was the Black Gay and Lesbian Archive Project started?
In 1999, I approached GMAD about depositing their archives at the Schomburg. Kevin McGruder, the executive director at the time, was interested and helped to develop and execute the project. I was awarded a documentary heritage grant, a program sponsored by the New York State Archives, which essentially provided a modest stipend to process the papers. The records were moved to the Center, processed and are now available to the public.

While researching for the grant, I searched for other repositories collecting Black queer materials, both in order to know the territory of queer archives, and to develop my grant proposal. The majority of libraries and archival institutions whose stated missions were to collect and preserve Black or queer cultural or historical materials were sadly lacking.
What was available in 1999 at many of these institutions were books by mainstream authors like James Baldwin, Audre Lorde or Samuel Delany, but less than a handful had Black queer archival records. The Schomburg had (and continues to have) the largest collection of Black queer materials to date.

While I don’t recall the exact moment I decided to start an archival initiative to collect the universe of Black queer materials, I do remember feeling like I was in the right place and time to do this work.

I spent about ten years collecting materials before formerly instituting the BGLA in 2000. The collection was housed at my apartment. Inspired by the lack of documentation of non-heterosexual black life in libraries and repositories nationally, the genesis of the project began with my collection of books, magazines, flyers, programs, conference materials and other paraphernalia. For five years I traveled extensively in the United States and abroad, attending readings, conferences and other cultural events seeking and collecting materials created by and about activists, writers, filmmakers, organizations, businesses and other artists in the United States, Europe and Africa. Materials in the collection, as well, as photographic collections and artifacts, reflect those efforts. Currently the BGLA contains information dating from the mid-1950s to the present, documenting the experiences of non-heterosexual men and women of African descent primarily in the United States, London and several countries in Africa. Consisting of dozens of small collections of one to five folders, these miscellaneous collections form the bulk of the paper-based, non-photographic materials that I acquired through donation or purchase in an effort to bring to light the culture and history of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, same gender loving, queer, questioning, and in the life people.

Subject areas in the collections will be familiar to members and students of Black queer culture and history including files for writers such as Audre Lorde and Essex Hemphill, but there is also information on lesser known individuals and organizations such as information about filmmaker Michelle Parkerson, the Los Angeles based Association of Black Gays, and IRUWA! Minnesota Coalition of Black Gays, The span of the collection is the mid 20th Century to the present including a focus on information about underdocumented individuals, organizations and subjects in the 1980s when many organizations formed in response to the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Types of materials in the collection include printed matter (reviews and feature articles, programs, flyers and broadsides, newsletters), letters, including correspondence generated by me with donors and individuals documented in the collection, resumes and other biographical information, scripts, academic papers, and speeches. In some cases, files contain scant information. Additionally, the administrative files contain information about the structure and development of the project and its deposit to the Schomburg Center.

How large is the collection and what are some of the items?
The BGLA is about 30 linear feet, and it includes dozens of books, magazines, journals, newsletters, newspapers, flyers, hand cards, posters, photographs, t-shirts, films, music CDs, and a number of other items. There are papers for writers Cheryl Clarke, Donna Allegra, Ira Jeffries and Ron Simmons, along with one to three folder collections for individuals, organizations, pride events, subjects, and house/ballroom scenes. There are more collection materials mentioned below.

How accessible is it to the public?
Currently the archive is open to the public by appointment. Interested researchers should contact me directly at sfullwood@nypl.org. My complete contact information is listed below.

What got you interested in the idea of a black gay and lesbian archive?
I was researching a grant to process the records of the Gay Men of African Descent. What I found was that there were virtually no libraries or archival institutions actively collecting black queer materials. At the time I was working as an archivist at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library. The Schomburg had (and continues to have) the largest collection of black queer materials including the papers of Joseph Beam, editor of the first black gay anthology, In the Life; Melvin Dixon, poet, translator, and author of Vanishing Rooms; Assotto Saint, author, activist and publisher of Galiens Press; as well as books and magazines and journals. I was in the best possible position to start the archive because 1) I was at the Schomburg, 2) I has a sense of the geography of black queer history, 3) I knew artists, activists, and regular folk personally who were interested in reaching as many people as possible with their work, and 4) the archive project itself was an extension of what I believe might be useful to not just one segment of the black queer community or even the black community, but everyone. Redefining community so that everyone is valued is a dream of mine. By acknowledging the presence of non-heterosexual people I believe helps develop healthy community dialogue about perceived differences to diffuse and eradicate the stereotypes, distrust and lies that to this day go largely unchallenged. (Part 2 of the Interview Below)

Archiving Black LGBT History: Steven Fullwood of the Black Gay and Lesbian Archive Project(Pt 2)

W.E.B. DuBois, Carter G. Woodson, and others chronicled the lives of black folks, but they totally overlooked black gay history. Who are our historians? Who is out there chronicling our lives?
This is a good question because it makes me think primarily about the role of the artist in Black queer communities. The poets, fictionists, essayists, critics, playwrights, and short story writers, photographers, filmmakers, performing artists (actors, singers, dancers) are archivists in a sense who leave footprints that are invaluable in considering our various historical moments. There are academics such as E. Patrick Johnson’s Sweet Tea, who is also coeditor of Black Queer Studies: A Critical Anthology (with Mae G. Henderson), and Thomas Glave’s Words to Our Now, publishers like Lisa C. Moore’s Does Your Mama Know: Coming Out Stories by Black Lesbians, poets Marvin K. White, Samiya Bashir, Reginald Harris, and many more academics interested in putting down the stories of various same gender loving people of African descent. I also think of activists like Imani Henry who is at the forefront of Trans rights, and people like Larry Lyons who founded the Rashawn Brazell Memorial Fund in order to honor Brazell, a young black gay male who was murdered in 2005.

How extensive are the submissions to the collection? Is it mostly from the United States or international?
Although the collection is international in scope, most of the donations in the archive are largely from North America, and the largest part from the East Coast (New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia) and then the West Coast (California) and then various parts of the South (Atlanta, Houston, Florida).

How far back in time does the collection go?There is a chilling special-edition monograph titled “Rape,” which dates to the 1950s. The sexually graphic comic was created by an unknown artist, and explores what I call “white gay desire for black male bodies.” The brief narrative follows the exploits of two black males and a white rapist by the name of Frank Sinatra. The action is brief and brutal but poignant, and offers scholars ways to image how power, desire and race intersected prior to Stonewall.

I’ve mentioned to you before that you should do a coffee table edition of the archive. Are there any plans to do that?At this time I have no plans to do one, but maybe in the future. What I will do is continue developing the archive, doing publicity for it (like this interview) and helping other people start similar archival initiatives. If someone else wants to create that type of publication, I would be glad to assist.

What type of items are you looking for?
Not so much specific items, but materials that describe the earlier presence of black queer people, perhaps in diaries and letters.

Are there any rare items you’re looking for?
If I could get a copy of Adrian Stanford’s Black and Gay, published in 1977 by Gay Sunshine Press, I would be pleased. However, there is a microfilm copy of the book at the Schomburg library. And it would be great to obtain the records of earlier organizations like Salsa Soul Sisters or the Association of Black Gays, or the records of the publishers of B&G, or other early black queer magazines as well as all the issues of MOJA = Black and Gay, and other early publications like Blacklight and Blackheart. I wouldn’t mind doing an oral history project with black queer elders in New York City.

Is there a movement towards including black gay history into general historical writings?
I think there is, however slowly. The more professors and teachers use black queer writers and history in their classrooms, I’d like to think that it would have a ripple effect. Well-known figures like James Baldwin, Lorraine Hansberry, Angela Davis, Rustin Bayard, and others whose sexual identity informed their work in some respects might become more evident, and it is certainly a way to rethink and reconsider their creative and political work as well. But I think the movement to include black queer history into general history is the least of most people’s interest. Frankly, there are not enough people pushing for this type of history in the classroom at most levels. Face it, most people do not even want to deal with the Transatlantic Slave Trade.

Some would say sexual orientation should be irrelevant in recording history. What do you think?
Answering questions like this, and I get them a lot, presupposes that there is a position to defend, and thus fuels ignorance about power structures that require you to agree with them or, like most of us, be in conflict with their biases and stupidity. That said, my belief is that everyone deserves to have their history recorded, for a variety of reasons. Can you imagine for a moment if the world accepted sexuality as it is, not as they want it to be. Acceptance.

So, someone comes up and says ‘I want to start archiving black gay and lesbian historical data, artifacts… what would be your initial response?
My gut response is why. What is your interest? And be honest. If you want to make money, just say so, but don’t cloak it under some artificial notion that people should know about black queer history blah blah blah. That’s clear, so be clear about your intentions. Then I would say start from where you are – location. I would also ask why and what is the expected outcomes (what does it look like, where would it live, who and what would the archive focus on, etc.) I might also mention that this work takes a minute and requires lots of patience, time and vision.

How has the overall experience been?
Tremendous. It’s been a revelation to learn about black queer people, how they interact and have interacted with the larger black and gay communities, and the world; how they see and demonstrate their responsibilities to each other, to the communities they live in, and to the political repression of others, the environment, their health, nationalism, global warming and other issues. Mostly I am delighted to be useful in this manner.

(For a visit to the Black Gay and lesbian Archive or to make a donation, you can contact Steven at:
Steven G. Fullwood
Project Director
Black Gay & Lesbian Archive
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Boulevard
New York, New York 10037
www.schomburgcenter.org
212.491.2226 Tel
212.491.2037 Fax)

Manifesto: Homosexuality and Procreation

I do not believe if those of us who are homosexual act on our nature, then everyone will become homosexual and procreation would cease. Everyone would not become homosexual if someone who is homosexual chooses to live his or her life. Humans are not that monolithic. Besides, if procreation is the prime reason for the validation of existence, then we are all in step to miss the fullness that makes us human. I believe the positive growth of our individual spirit (one imbued in love) is the prime agent of our individual lives, not the extension of the physical self. And given our tenuous relationship with the ecosystem, adoption would be a suitable fit.
The propagation of life is a powerful force. We do not know that sexual intercourse is exclusively needed to procreate. All living beings don’t engage in sexual intercourse in order to procreate. Therefore, we should not assume humans, if given the fate of the cessation of intercourse would no longer generate offspring. Quite possibly it could happen through cellular division as it does in some life species on this planet. In a world that has offered the Immaculate Conception, such a notion is tenable.
A final word about family; it has long been high time to redefine the concept of ‘family’. It’s been done before (for example, the Industrial Revolution), so why not again? The strongest glue to hold together a family is love.

Our Allies: Mary J. Blige

When her debut album, What's the 411?, hit the street in 1992, critics and fans alike were floored by its powerful combination of modern R&B with an edgy rap sound that glanced off of the pain and grit of Mary J. Blige's childhood. Called alternately the new Chaka Khan or new Aretha Franklin, Blige had little in common stylistically with either of those artists, but like them, she helped adorn soul music with new textures and flavors that inspired a whole generation of musicians. She has sold more than forty eight million albums worldwide. She has received over twenty-six Grammy Award nominations for her work, winning nine, and has been awarded the World Music Legends Award and has gone on to become a music producer and actress.
Mary is also known for her support of gay rights, having spoken openly in support of such. She headlined a fundraiser with Melissa Ethridge that raised 3.9 million dollars against California’s toxic Proposition 8, the state proposition that prohibits marriage equality for the LGBT community. She has also spent a lot of her career raising money and awareness in the fight against AIDS.

Icon: Dorothy Dandridge, Actress, Singer

Having performed for years as part of The Dandridge Sisters, Dorothy made her debut in 1935 which led to a film career that spanned almost thirty years. But because she was a black woman in a very prejudiced society, she didn't land the roles that were readily available to her white counterparts. Not only was Dorothy a talented actress but she could also sing which was evident in films such as Atlantic City(1944) and Pillow to Post (1945). This helped to showcase her talents as a singer and brought her headline acts in the nation's finest hotel nightclubs in New York, Miami, Chicago, and Las Vegas. She may have been allowed to sing in these fine hotels, but because of racism, she couldn't stay there. It was reported that one hotel drained its swimming pool to keep her from enjoying that little amenity. In 1954, Dorothy appeared in the all-black production of Carmen Jones (1954) in the title role. She was so superb in that picture that she garnered an Academy Award nomination. Despite the nomination for her performance, Dorothy did not get another movie until she appeared in Tamango (1958) which was an Italian film. She was to make six more motion pictures, of which Island in the Sun (1957) and Porgy and Bess (1959) were worthy of mention. Once again she was a standout. The last movie she would ever play would be in 1961's The Murder Men. Dorothy faded quickly after that with a poor second marriage to Jack Denison (her first was to Harold Nicholas, of The Nicholas Brothers), poor investments, other financial woes, and a problem with alcohol. She was found dead in her West Hollywood apartment on September 8, 1965, the victim of a barbiturate poisoning. She was only 42. Had she been born 20 years later, Dorothy Dandridge would no doubt be one of the most well-known actresses in film history. Dorothy is quoted as saying: “If I were white, I could capture the world.”

Three Videos From Rahsaan Patterson

Rahsaan Patterson ‘Stop Breaking My Heart’


Do You Feel The Way I Do

Rahsaan Patterson in Paris Performing, ‘Feels Good’

Black Gay Allies, Luther Vandross, Coming Out the Closet on Homophobia, Coretta Scott King and, what else, more Luther

Our allies are important to us. Embrace them and allow them to embrace you. To our would be allies, learn and then walk the walk, talk the talk. Finally, Luther Vandross, well loved, closeted, but still an icon. We'll always love him. Finally, see a video homage to Luther in four acts. Take care, and ~Remember Love~

Luther Vandross: An Unrequited Love

Luther Vandross (1951 – 2005) was one of the most successful R&B artists of the 1980s and '90s. Luther’s big break came in 1975 when rocker David Bowie invited him to provide his musical talents for David’s album Young Americans, resulting in the smash hit of that year by David Bowie, Fame, with Luther providing background vocals. That same year, an early composition by Luther, Everybody Rejoice (A Brand New Day) was adapted for the Broadway musical, The Wiz and later used for the film version. Also, in 1975, he provided his talents as background singer for Stephanie Mills, and worked on Broadway as vocal arranger for Bette Midler. His relationship with Bette led him to Atlantic Records where he provided background vocals for a variety of artists, including Bette Midler.
In 1978, he appeared on albums by Carly Simon, Quincy Jones, Roberta Flack, the soundtrack to the movie version of The Wiz, Chic, Cat Stevens and countless others; and by 1979 Luther began to gain greater attention appearing on albums by Sister Sledge, Chic, Bette Midler (once again), Cher, Roberta Flack (Featuring Donny Hathaway), and Evelyn "Champagne" King. He received prominent credit when he arranged the background vocals for Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer's duet No More Tears (Enough Is Enough), which became a number one pop hit in November 1979. He gained even more recognition in 1980, a year in which he appeared on studio albums by Chaka Khan, Melba Moore, the Brecker Brothers, and Cissy Houston, as well as live albums by Bette Midler (even still) and the duo of Roberta Flack and Peabo Bryson, and on the soundtrack to the film Fame. But the most important credit for him that year was his work as lead vocalist of the studio group Change. He sang on the band's tracks Searching, a Top 40 R&B hit, and The Glow of Love, which also reached the R&B charts, and his name was listed prominently on the discs, thereby increasing his profile. On April 21, 1981, he signed with the Epic Records, subsidiary of the major label CBS Records.
Luther immediately began work on his debut album. His debut solo album, Never Too Much, was released in August of 1981. The album hit number one R&B in November and was certified gold in December. It went platinum five years later and double platinum in 1997. While he sold consistently to the R&B audience, his albums rarely received equal support from pop fans.
He went on to not only score countless hits, but turned to producing. Turning to Aretha Franklin, he produced her July 1982 LP Jump to It, and writing or co-writing four of its eight songs. Now his career as a producer of hits for hit makers was in place as well as continuing his solo career.
Luther finally eased off on his recording schedule during 1984, because he had become a major concert attraction and toured in both North America and Europe. It was only a year later that he returned to the studio and recorded his fourth alblum, The Night I Fell in Love, which went both gold and platinum simultaneously as soon as it was eligible for certification, it eventually went double platinum in 1990. The same year he released his fifth album, Give Me the Reason, which also went simultaneous gold and platinum certifications in December were followed by a double-platinum award in 1990.
Luther had by now become an international success, having achieved a record-breaking ten-night stand at London's Wembley Arena in March 1989. During his lifetime, Luther Vandross sold as many as 40 million recordings.
Even though Luther Vandross was adored by millions, many of those same fans were recalcitrant over his assumed gay lifestyle, a life he worked hard to keep private. While never denying he was gay, he stood by his assertion that his sexuality was his personal business. It wasn’t until after his passing that friends of his came to talk openly of his homosexuality and the loneliness that consumed him in search of a love that was never requited; as one of his friends stated, “Luther was dying to have a boyfriend”, but it never seemed to happen. His early death at the age of 54 robbed American popular music of one of its more consistent and compelling voices, and it is only a partial comfort that he left behind a substantial body of work.

Non-Gays Coming Out of the Closet on Homophobia

A few months ago, Attorney General Eric Holder accused the people of the United States of being cowards when it comes to addressing racism. That indictment is what went through my mind as I sat with the members of the United Black Student Association of the University of Cincinnati (UBSA) as we talked about homophobia in the black community. Like the topic of racism in the broader population, discussing homophobia has taken on an issue non grata status in the black community.
Part of that is due to over arching matters of race and it’s historic relevance to our existence in this country. Tied to that is the subsequent ‘deliverance’ of black people from extreme oppression, a delivery that was first promised by way of belief in a purely foreign view of God from which the early Africans were accustomed. It’s no wonder God and race are so intertwined in the black community.
But then came along this little matter of sexual orientation. Something new that was asking its way into the discussion, and guess what, it gained little ground.
When the members of the UBSA spoke a few weeks ago, many of them were impassioned with a desire to address the issue of homophobia. Most of the students were in favor of coming out of the closet as straight men and womyn in the black community who truly do want to build a bridge of understanding between the black community and the gay community. They believe that it’s time to expand the sacred discussion of God, race and family, to include sexuality as well.
But during our meeting one thing stood out, and that was just how uninformed so many of the students were to matters of gay life, especially black gay life since it is closer to their own lives as black people. A few times around the room, I heard students ask, ‘what can I do to become more informed?’ or ‘what can I do to change minds’? We gave them suggestions but here are a few that I’ve added:

1. Understand the nature of oppression. Realize that it can exist in the most unsuspecting way; so furtive that it can become a rite of everyday life without realizing it. One of the most commonly used tools of oppression is sexuality. Once that is realized, many of those who sat around and asked how they can construct new thought on destroying homophobia (as well as gender exploitation, I might add), can start their movement.
2. Take it upon yourself to learn gay history and the importance its actors have played in the lives of everyday people. The role of black gay and lesbian thinkers like Bayard Rustin, James Baldwin, Angela Davis, and bell hooks who helped craft contemporary black social and political thought; many of the movers and shakers of the Harlem Renaissance (i.e. Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen); or agriculturalist George Washington Carver. They are just a few of the actors on this stage. Gay history has had more of a profound effect on the black community- - all communities, than many would think. All the bridge builders have to do is step out and consume the information in order to learn that fact.
3. Talk the talk, walk the walk. If you’re going to speak of liberation, freedom, and equality, then make it real. You can’t embrace the spirit of say, Dr. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandella, or Angela Davis, without confronting the truth of what liberation, freedom, and equality really means.
4. Demand your teachers, professors and ministers, learn and speak in truth about gay culture, sexual orientation, and matters of liberation, freedom and equality. I know many teachers who are aware of these things, but choose to disavow that knowledge. Ask those teachers to speak in truth; and if they don’t know it, then you become the teachers.
5. Disabuse the media whenever it conducts itself in a homophobic way. The media will give you only what it thinks you want.
6. Step off your own street. Take it upon yourself to visit the gay community through social gatherings. One young man that evening told how his girlfriend made him come along to a gay event and how beneficial it was in helping him change some of his views; that’s what I’m talking about, you can’t make change unless you first understand the subject. Being that the ‘gay’ community is not monolithic, I suggest non-gay people first visit the gay communities of their own ethnicity since they will find more of a bond between the two communities. It’ll make the steps easier.
7. Join or start a group in which there is an alliance between the gay and straight community. They’re out there. Howard University has a chapter of Gay Straight Alliance (GSA); and there are other groups like Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) and many more. Finally, follow the voices of straight leaders of your community who speak in favor of building bridges between the two communities.

What I’ve said may have a tinge of pop sensibility to it, but they are a few answers to bold questions put forth by bold black minds. Though the specter of persecution hangs over their heads, in truth these students represent a larger part of the black community than they might think. There are many in the black community who understand those ideas of freedom and equality in a broader context and make it a point to speak up. We need more to join the chorus.

Manifesto: Homosexuality and Family.

I refuse to believe homosexuality causes the destruction of the family. First of all, the idea of family has been more fluid than just the twentieth century notion of nuclear family. Family is a relationship between people within any defined unit in which each member works for the good of the other members in that unit. Finally, if a family is firmly entrenched in love it will not allow the fact that one of its members is gay destroy it. If it does, then it needs to re-evaluate its shortcomings because matters of diversity as well as adversity will always arise within the family structure. That is the challenge of love.

Supporting Our Allies

I have a neighbor who lives across the street from us. Since moving on the block, he’s exhibited what seems to be a difficult time with the fact that the two men across the street from him- - my partner and me- - are gay. I didn’t know this at first, but as time went on with me speaking to him and receiving only glares as responses, I decided, ‘okay, here’s one for the books’. I gave him a few chances to speak, but no luck. Now neither of us speaks to the other. All I hear now is him mentioning to friends on his porch ‘they gay’ and him continuing to glare. But do I care? Uh uh, as long as he doesn’t put his hands on me or mine, I’m cool. Other than that, we’ll just battle it out in the courts of change.

Now I know it’s a fact of life that some people aren’t going to like me because I’m gay, or black, or male, or whatever. It’s not the first time I’ve had to deal with that type of attitude. I understand that and there’s only so much I can do about it. But for some LGBT people this can pose a problem. For some gay individuals it means they must change who they are to be accepted by people who don’t like them, even to the point of becoming a vapid image of whom they really are. I’ve seen this self defeating behavior a lot.

The real question at the heart of this matter is: Is it better, to chase after someone who doesn’t like you, or to embrace someone who does?
It has always astounded me that so many of us would rather genuflect to people who would rather see us erase who we are in order to gain their approval, than to be who nature meant us to be. Yet, in the same vein, we tend to overlook the ones who give us their support.
Maybe the reason for that is that the idea of disapproval stings deep, prompting us to immediate action; whereas approval envelopes, more like a warm coat against a chilly day. It’s comforting and it puts us at ease, in some ways lulling some of us into a state of complacency.
As LGBT people we’re all familiar with this when it comes to acknowledging our identity. There are those who have shown their disapproval of us, some in the most vile ways (ironically, while employing their god to do so) and then there are those who are approving of us just as we are; no hidden agenda, no conditions attached. They are our allies.
Learning to appreciate and embrace our allies is very important. They are the ones who stand for our rights and the ones who are able to stand face-to-face against our detractors and tell them they are wrong. They are the ones we should spend more time with, not the haters.
These allies I speak of are non-gay black womyn and men who support gay rights, and there are many of them: Nelson Mandella; singers, Mary J Blige, and Beyonce Knowles; Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton and the majority of the Congressional Black Caucus; Rev. Al Sharpton; singer John Legend; actor’s Sheryl Lee Ralph and Danny Glover; rapper Kanye West; filmmaker, Spike Lee; Oprah Winfrey; Dr. Cornel West; Archbishop, Desmond Tutu; Dr. Michael Eric Dyson; Patti LaBelle; New York Governor, David Paterson and Massachusetts Governor, Deval Patrick, are only a few. Add to that list the late Coretta Scott King, who, in her words, also added her husband, the late Dr. Martin Luther King as one who would have supported equal rights for the LGBT community if he was alive.
We all know the adage that you should keep your detractors near so you can learn them, but it’s just as important to embrace your supporters because they are the ones who have your back. Find out who are you supporters. Seek and enjoin the many black men and womyn who are there for you and who will fight for your right to live life as it is supposed to be: free.

Starting with this post a spot will be set aside to pay homage to those allies of the black LGBT community. They are the ones we should love, because they are the ones who love us. The first one presented is Coretta Scott King.

Our Allies: Coretta Scott King (Martin Luther King)

Coretta Scott King (1927 – 2006) Civil rights activist, was exposed at an early age to the injustices of life in a segregated society. In 1945 she received a scholarship to Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, where she took an active interest in the nascent civil rights movement; she joined the Antioch chapter of the NAACP, and the college's Race Relations and Civil Liberties Committees. She graduated from Antioch with a B.A. in music and education and won a scholarship to study concert singing at New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.


In Boston she met a young theology student, Martin Luther King, Jr. (pictured with openly gay friend and advisor, Bayard Rustin), and her life was changed forever. They were married on June 18, 1953. Coretta Scott King completed her degree in voice and violin at the New England Conservatory and the young couple moved in September 1954 to Montgomery, Alabama, where Martin Luther King Jr. had accepted an appointment as Pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
They were soon caught up in the dramatic events that triggered the modern civil rights movement when Martin Luther King organized a boycott of the city's buses as a response to segregation laws. The Montgomery bus boycott drew the attention of the world to the continued injustice of segregation in the United States, and led to court decisions striking down all local ordinances separating the races in public transit. Dr. King was called on to lead marches in city after city, with Mrs. King at his side, inspiring the citizens, black and white, to defy the segregation laws. The visibility of Dr. King's leadership attracted fierce opposition from the supporters of institutionalized racism. In 1956, white supremacists bombed the King family home in Montgomery. Mrs. King and the couple's first child narrowly escaped injury.
Although the demands of raising a family had caused Mrs. King to retire from singing, she found another way to put her musical background to the service of the cause. She conceived and performed a series of critically acclaimed Freedom Concerts, combining poetry, narration and music to tell the story of the Civil Rights movement. Over the next few years, Mrs. King staged Freedom Concerts in some of America's most distinguished concert venues, as fundraisers for the organization her husband had founded, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.


Coretta and Dr. King's fame spread beyond the United States. They were increasingly seen not only as leaders of the American civil rights movement, but as symbols of an international struggle for human liberation from racism, colonialism and all forms of oppression and discrimination.
In the 1960s, Mrs. King found herself in increasing demand as a public speaker. She became the first woman to deliver the Class Day address at Harvard, and the first woman to preach at a statutory service at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. She served as a Women's Strike for Peace delegate to the 17-nation Disarmament Conference in Geneva, Switzerland in 1962. Mrs. King became a liaison to international peace and justice organizations even before Dr. King took a public stand in 1967 against United States intervention in the Vietnam War.


On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Channeling her grief, Mrs. King concentrated her energies on fulfilling her husband's work by building The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change. In 1974 she formed the Full Employment Action Council, a broad coalition of over 100 religious, labor, business, civil and women's rights organizations dedicated to a national policy of full employment and equal economic opportunity.
Mrs. King continued to serve the cause of justice and human rights; her travels took her throughout the world on goodwill missions.
Mrs. King led the successful campaign to establish Dr. King's birthday, January 15, as a national holiday in the United States. By an Act of Congress, the first national observance of the holiday took place in 1986. Dr. King's birthday is now marked by annual celebrations in over 100 countries. Mrs. King was invited by President Clinton to witness the historic handshake between Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Chairman Yassir Arafat at the signing of the Middle East Peace Accords in 1993. In 1985 Mrs. King and three of her children were arrested at the South African embassy in Washington, D.C., for protesting against that country's apartheid system of racial segregation and disenfranchisement. Ten years later, she stood with Nelson Mandela in Johannesburg when he was sworn in as President of South Africa.
After 27 years at the helm of The King Center, Mrs. King turned over leadership of the Center to her son, Dexter Scott King, in 1995. She remained active in the causes of racial and economic justice, and in her remaining years devoted much of her energy to AIDS education, speaking out for gay rights and curbing gun violence. Although she died in 2006 at the age of 78, she remains an inspirational figure to men and women around the world.