Randy Boyd | Makg Gay History

Contents:

• MAKINGGAYHISTORY—THE PODCAST
• THE MAN WHO PEGGED JOHN AMAECHI AND TIM HARDAWAY AS GAY
• RISG UP OVER GAY RACISM
• MY RACIST GAY WORLD

MAKINGGAYHISTORY—THE PODCAST

Episo NotRandy Boyd’s “gay agenda” was to be radilly open about who he was: a gay, HIV-posive wrer—not the straight profsnal athlete he was always assumed to be. Determed to blow up stereotyp about Black people, gay people, and people livg wh HIV, he had his work cut out for him.

THE MAN WHO PEGGED JOHN AMAECHI AND TIM HARDAWAY AS GAY

———Learn more about Randy Boyd this terview wh A&U magaze and read his oral history the send edn of the Makg Gay History book.

RISG UP OVER GAY RACISM

Eric Marc first beme aware of Boyd through his say “My Gay Agenda, ” which was published 2000 the Harvard Gay & Lbian Review (now lled the Gay & Lbian Review); read here. In the episo he rells his sister potg out a gay bar on a drive through town. Back then, Indianapolis gay bars blackened their wdows and kept a low profile.

The muny’s first Gay Pri event wasn’t held until 1981. Atks always appreciated his huge gay fan base. It was pecially difficult to reach men who had sex wh men, but didn’t nsir themselv to be gay and distanced themselv om the muny.

MY RACIST GAY WORLD

In 1987, Congrs pound the problem of reachg the men when banned the e of feral funds for AIDS tn materials that were perceived, directly or directly, to enurage or promote homosexual activi. As Boyd not, when Hollywood leadg man Rock Hudson died om plitns of AIDS 1985, was a wake-up ll for the whole natn, but many gay men found themselv shunned by iends and relativ  the wake of the actor’s ath. Read more about Proposn 64, which LaRouche and his followers the Prevent AIDS Now Iniative Commtee (PANIC) managed to get on the 1986 ballot California here or the full California Senate day after Eric Marc terviewed Boyd, Boyd sent him a follow-up email about meetg gay rights pneer Harry Hay at an AIDS vigil outsi Los Angel County’s General Hospal.

To learn more about Harry Hay, listen to his Makg Gay History episo the late ’80s, when I was first begng to fe myself as an openly gay man, I participated a vigil. He began tellg me stori about what had been like to be gay the ’30s, ’40s, ’50s, and ’60s. He had even started one of the first gay rights groups and told me of their stggl wh the law and the world at large.

It was the first time I had heard a first-hand acunt of where we as gay people had been. My gay history I did night, I gaed a new appreciatn for what gay people had to go through the past and how far we had e.