15 Black Gay & Queer Men From History You Should Know

Contents:

• KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY
• I LIVED UNAPOLOGETILLY AS A BLACK GAY MAN THE 70S. NOW I’M AGG WH PRI & DIGNY.
• EMBRACE THE LEARSHIP CHALLENGE: THE ROLE OF GAY MEN'S TERNALIZED SEXUAL STIGMA ON THE EVALUATN OF OTHERS' LEARSHIP AND ONE'S OWN

KEV MAXEN BE FIRST MALE ACH A US MEN’S PROFSNAL SPORTS LEAGUE TO PUBLICLY E OUT AS GAY

" Beyond her LGBTQ activism, DeLarverie also anized and performed at fundraisers for women who suffered om domtic vlence and their Jam Baldw (Photo by Ted Thai)The LIFE Picture Collectn/GettyJam Baldw (1924-1987)A wrer and social cric, Baldw is perhaps bt known for his 1955 llectn of says, "Not of a Native Son, " and his groundbreakg 1956 novel, "Gvanni's Room, " which picts them of homosexualy and bisexualy. Baldw spent a majory of his lerary and activist reer tg others about Black and queer inty, as he did durg his famo lecture tled “Race, Racism, and the Gay Communy” at a meetg of the New York chapter of Black and Whe Men Together (now known as Men of All Colors Together) and playwright Lorrae Hansberry her New York Cy apartment April Attie / Getty ImagLorrae Hansberry (1930-1965)Hansberry was an activist and playwright bt known for her groundbreakg play “A Rais the Sun, ” about a stgglg Black fay on Chigo’s South Si. The inic work was then ma to a 1961 film starrg Sidney Poier and Ruby to “A Rais the Sun” fame, Hansberry — who never publicly acknowledged she was a lbian — joed lbian rights group Dghters of Bilis and ntributed letters about femism and homophobia to s magaze, “The Ladr, ” acrdg to LGBTQ historian Eric Marc, host of the “Makg Gay History” podst.

Now 79, Miss Major, known to many simply as “Mama, ” ris Ltle Rock, Arkansas, where she ntu to be a vol Sprg's mayor Ron On, April 18, Khan / LA Tim via Getty ImagRon On (Born 1950)When On was elected mayor of Palm Sprgs, California 2003, he ma history by beg the first openly gay Ain Amerin man elected mayor of an Amerin cy. Black gay men have always ma history.

I LIVED UNAPOLOGETILLY AS A BLACK GAY MAN THE 70S. NOW I’M AGG WH PRI & DIGNY.

The history of Ameri would not exist whout Black gay men. They've served as civil rights lears, revolutnary artists, labor anizers, scientists, policians, and tors, and their impact has touched every part of this still, many Black gay men are fotten, and erased om history, wh their acplishments beg washed away.

But Amerin history is Black history, and is Black gay history.

So we've put together this list of jt some of the important Black gay men who have changed Ameri and the World. He fought for civil rights for Black Amerins, as well as labor rights and gay rights the '80s. Baldw is one of Ameri's greatt wrers, as well as a powerful activist the civil rights and gay rights movements.

EMBRACE THE LEARSHIP CHALLENGE: THE ROLE OF GAY MEN'S TERNALIZED SEXUAL STIGMA ON THE EVALUATN OF OTHERS' LEARSHIP AND ONE'S OWN

When he released his send novel, Gvanni's Room, 1956, s them of gay social and self-acceptance Black muni were somethg never talked about such a public way. His wrg on Black gay and bisexual men has paved the way for queer wrers of all typ, and his mark on culture will never be and Rt were two of the only out gay men promently volved the Amerin civil rights movement.

He was arrted for "homosexual activi" 1928 and was stripped of his posn at The Crisis.

Acrdg to legend, Dupree was at a nightclub lled Footsteps when some gay Black men started throwg sha at each other. Wh the ballroom muny, Dupree walked as a "butch queen drags" which was generally unrstood to be a gay man wearg feme garments -- some might term this nonbary or genr nonnformg today. While the Harlem Renaissance was filled wh Black gay wrers, Nugent was one of the few who was publicly out at the time.