Michael K. Williams as a Gay Veteran Livg Wh HIV Still Ronat

Contents:

• THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985
• MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS FOUGHT FOR TTH OF GAY CHARACTER OMAR THE WIRE
• GAY RIGHTS DRAMA 'WHEN WE RISE' ADDS MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS, IVORY AQUO TO CAST
• MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS WASN'T GAY BUT HE SURELY PUT ON FOR QUEER BLACK PEOPLE
• MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS URG AMERINS TO SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Wh full knowledge of his homosexualy, the streets nohels feared and rpected him.

Before his untimely ath, Williams was the favore to w an Emmy for his portrayal of Montrose Freeman, a closeted gay father, the Black science fictn masterpiece “Lovecraft Country” (which has sce been nceled). They n see Omar Ltle and know that beg Black and gay and dark-skned and artistic is betiful, somethg to be embraced and celebrated – not jt after the whole world fds value your life, but long before.

MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS FOUGHT FOR TTH OF GAY CHARACTER OMAR THE WIRE

This op-ed has been rrected to reflect that, as the New York Tim reported 2017, Williams did not intify as gay. WASHINGTON – Today the Human Rights Campaign – the natn’s largt lbian, gay, bisexual, and transgenr civil rights anizatn – released a web ad featurg actor Michael K.

In the ad, Williams, who is perhaps bt known for his portrayal of Omar Ltle on the HBO drama seri The Wire, says “Gay and lbian upl have the same valu – like fay and mment. ” The vio n be viewed onle at The ia that a gay or lbian uple should face stutnal discrimatn by the ernment is wrong, ” said HRC Print Joe Solmone. Williams is spot-on sayg that gay and lbian upl want the same thgs as everyone else – love and mment.

Williams is an actor, bt known for his work on HBO’s The Wire as Omar Ltle – a stick-up man known for followg a strict moral , who happens to be gay. Amerins for Marriage Equaly is a public engagement mpaign featurg proment Amerins who support mted gay and lbian upl gettg married. For more rmatn on the mpaign or to see the vios, vis Human Rights Campaign is Ameri’s largt civil rights anizatn workg to achieve lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr equaly.

GAY RIGHTS DRAMA 'WHEN WE RISE' ADDS MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS, IVORY AQUO TO CAST

Omar was also gay.

”Christian, who died 2015, ran a welg church, open to everyone — blacks, wh, straights, gays, bisexuals, trans people, sex workers, addicts, the homels, and people livg wh HIV were all clud. He hid his homosexualy while dog all of that, and then to have all that taken om him. That’s four battl that he’s fought face to face: civil rights, gay rights, HIV, the good old Amerin ary.

”Jon was one of many gay and bi men (as well as transgenr and cisgenr women of lor) who were told they had mere days or weeks to live thanks to the AIDS plitns ravagg their bodi. ”Like many men his suatn, Jon had nursed a partner as he passed away, then was evicted om their home by homophobic and distant relativ. Fah and antiretrovirals are a potent he knows, for many people wh HIV — pecially the gay on — “ is the church that is unsafe.

MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS WASN'T GAY BUT HE SURELY PUT ON FOR QUEER BLACK PEOPLE

This is such a ccial discsn right now bee some people thk that God hat gay people.

”Back Hollywood, Williams has played memorable rol om Boardwalk Empire’s Albert “Chalky” Whe to Leonard Pe — another gay, Black Vietnam vet — on Sundance’s Hap and Leonard. Once, years ago, when asked if he had any ncerns about playg a gay character, the actor said no, he didn’t, but, “man, I got a problem wh not eatg. They were two gay men that I loved to ath.

In an dtry where Ain-Amerins are jt begng to get mastream regnn (and are still subjected to lorism stg), Williams has rved out a niche that few character actors have been able to too, cut his own path as a black man a gay culture that stggl wh racism even today. When he first h San Francsi, tradnal gay tablishments were sometim hostile to people of lor, even as AIDS began to ravage both the black and gay Wh wh Phylicia Rashad When We Rise“It was very very plited, ” Jon rells.

MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS URG AMERINS TO SUPPORT GAY MARRIAGE

I thk the one that is most important the begng of this epimic, seemed as if the gay whe men and the tablishment wanted to tablish their own sandbox.

And one of our misunrstandgs the begng was, if there were eight to 10 people at the cisn-makg table, our thkg was sce they’re all gay whe men, two or three are gonna have to give up their seat for diversy. “Now, the whe gay men they haven’t done anythg wrong, they haven’t failed, they’re at the top of their game, they’re dog well, and they’re beg asked to give up their seats. ”The actor don’t thk about how many people are watchg his portrayls of the powerful black men, the gay black men that is: Ken or Hap or Omar.

Williams (Boardwalk Empire, The Wire) and Ivory Aquo have joed the st of ABC’s eight-hour miseri about the gay rights movement, When We Rise, wrten/executive produced by Dt Lance Black. Goldberg is Pat Norman, the first openly gay employee of the San Francis Health Department, O’Donnell plays Del Mart, -founr of the first Lbian anizatn the untry, O’Hare is Jim Foster, openly gay Democratic party anizer, and Pierce will play Dr.