The Black Panthers and Gay Rights

Contents:

• THE INCREDIBLE TE ADVENTURE OF FIVE GAY ACTIVISTS SEARCH OF THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY
• (1970) HUEY P. NEWTON, “THE WOMEN’S LIBERATN AND GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENTS”
• GAY ROMANCE WAS CUT FROM ‘BLACK PANTHER’
• THE 1960S AND GAY LIBERATN
• RON DESANTIS'S FLORIDA BOARD OF EDUTN: HEY, WHAT ABOUT THE “PERSONAL BENEF” OF BEG A SLAVE?FLORIDA’S NEW AIN AMERIN STUDI CURRICULUM STANDARDS WILL FORCE PUBLIC SCHOOL STUNTS TO LEARN ABOUT SOME OF THE SUPPOSED UPSIS OF SLAVERY.BY ERIC LUTZJULY 20, 2023RON DESANTIS SPEAKS DURG A MPAIGN EVENT IOWA JULY 14.RACHEL MUMMEY/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVERON DESANTIS’S WAR ON “WOKENS” SCHOOLS ASCEND TO DANGERO NEW HEIGHTS WEDNDAY, AS FLORIDA’S STATE BOARD OF EDUTN APPROVED NEW AIN AMERIN STUDI CURRICULUM STANDARDS THAT, AMONG OTHER THGS, WOULD FORCE PUBLIC SCHOOL STUNTS TO LEARN ABOUT SOME OF THE SUPPOSED UPSIS OF SLAVERY — A WHEWASHG OF HISTORY THAT THE STATE’S LARGT TEACHERS UNN CRIED AS A “BIG STEP BACKWARD” FOR TN.“GOV. DESANTIS IS PURSUG A POLIL AGENDA GUARANTEED TO SET GOOD PEOPLE AGAST ONE ANOTHER, AND THE PROCS HE’S CHEATG OUR KIDS,” ANDREW SPAR, PRINT OF THE FLORIDA EDUTN ASSOCIATN, SAID A STATEMENT BLASTG THE NEW AIN AMERIN STUDI STANDARDS. “THEY SERVE THE FULL TTH OF AMERIN HISTORY, THE GOOD AND THE BAD.”FLORIDA PUBLIC SCHOOL STUNTS MAY NOT GET THAT UNR THE NEW L APPROVED WEDNDAY, WHICH REQUIRE TEACHERS— A SECTN ON SLAVERY— TO NOTE THAT “SLAV VELOPED SKILLS, WHICH, SOME STANC, ULD BE APPLIED FOR THEIR PERSONAL BENEF.” IN A SECTN ON “RENSTCTN AND BEYOND,” A PERD MARKED BY JIM CROW AND ROUTE WHE TERRORISM ON BLACK MUNI, THE NEW L DICTATE THAT STUNTS MT BE TGHT ABOUT “ACTS OF VLENCE PERPETRATED AGAST AND BY AIN AMERINS,” WHICH, AS DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATOR GERALDE THOMPSON POTED OUT, SUGGTS CINTS LIKE THE OEE MASSACRE WERE “SPARKED BY VLENCE OM AIN AMERINS.”“THAT’S BLAMG THE VICTIMS,” SAID THOMPSON, WHO, AS THE WASHGTON POST NOT, HELPED PASS A 2020 LAW REQUIRG FLORIDA SCHOOLS TO TEACH ABOUT THE 1920 MASSACRE, WHICH A WHE MOB KILLED DOZENS OF BLACK RINTS OF OEE, FLORIDA, ELECTN DAY VLENCE. (MANNY DIAZ, FLORIDA'S TN MISSNER, PRAISED THE CHANG, SAYG THAT “THIS IS SOMETHG THAT IS GOG TO SET THE NORM FOR STANDARDS OTHER STAT.”)TWTER NTENTTHIS NTENT N ALSO BE VIEWED ON THE SE ORIGAT OM.THE NEW STANDARDS E AS DESANTIS, A NTENR FOR THE 2024 REPUBLIN NOMATN, LAT HIS WAR ON SO-LLED “WOKE” TN, WHICH HAS CLUD BOOK BANS, THE REJECTN OF AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT URSE ON AIN AMERIN STUDI, AND THE PASSAGE OF THE STOP WOKE ACT, WHICH PROHIBS THE STCTN OF MATERIAL THAT ULD MAKE SOMEONE FEEL “GUILT, ANGUISH OR ANY FORM OF PSYCHOLOGIL STRS.” HIS NCERN FOR THE POSSIBLE “ANGUISH” OF FLORIDA STUNTS DO NOT SEEM TO EXTEND TO BLACK STUNTS, WHO ULD BE FORCED TO LEARN ABOUT THE SUPPOSED “BENEF” OF SLAVERY, NOR DO SEEM TO EXTEND TO LGBTQ KIDS AND THEIR FAI, WHO HAVE ALSO BEEN TARGETED HIS BATTLE. DESANTIS EXPAND HIS “DON’T SAY GAY” LAW THIS YEAR, AND THE FLORIDA BOARD OF EDUTN VOTED WEDNDAY FOR L THAT TOOK EVEN FURTHER — CLUDG BY BARRG TEACHERS OM ASKG STUNTS THEIR PREFERRED PRONOUNS. DIAZ SAID THE MOVE WOULD PROTECT KIDS OM “UNWELE FLUENC AND DOCTRATN," PRAISG DESANTIS, THE LEGISLATN, AND THE BOARD FOR WHAT HE SCRIBED A STATEMENT AS THEIR “UNWAVERG MMENT TO THE HEALTH, WELLBEG AND SAFETY OF OUR STUNTS.” BUT, AS CRICS CHARGED, THE L NSTUTED AN LATN THE “POLILLY-MOTIVATED WAR ON PARENTS, STUNTS, AND TORS” FLORIDA. “OUR STUNTS SERVE CLASSROOMS WHERE ALL FAI ARE TREATED WH THE RPECT THEY SERVE AND ALL YOUNG PEOPLE ARE WELED,” JENNIFER SOLOMON, EQUALY FLORIDA PARENTS & FAI SUPPORT MANAGER, SAID A STATEMENT WEDNDAY. “INSTEAD, THE DESANTIS ADMISTRATN NTU TO WIELD THE STATE AGAST .”“STOP TURNG OUR KIDS’ CLASSROOMS TO POLIL BATTLEFIELDS TO SRE CHEAP POTS,” SOLOMON NTUED.BUT DESANTIS, OF URSE, SHOWS NO SIGN OF STOPPG: HIS RELENTLS CULTURE WAR HELPED LIFT HIM TO NATNAL PROMENCE, AND HE HAS MA HIS CENTRAL — NAY, HIS ONLY — PCH TO GOP VOTERS HIS SPUTTERG PRINTIAL MPAIGN. “WE’VE MA THE STATE OF FLORIDA THE PLACE WHERE WOKE GO TO DIE,” HE SAID AT A RECENT MPAIGN EVENT. “AND NOW, IS OUR MISSN AS AMERINS TO ENSURE THAT JANUARY 2025…WE LEAVE WOKE IOLOGY THE DTB OF HISTORY WHERE BELONGS.”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMCAN YOU NAME THE FILM THAT LNCHED BRIE LARSON, RAMI MALEK, AND MORE?THE ABSOLUTELY WILST DETAILS OF THE GOVERNMENT’S LATT INDICTMENT AGAST DONALD TMPIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI ETON COLLEGE, HARRY AND WILLIAM’S POSH ALMA MATERTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHERIC LUTZ
• ROXANE GAY ON BEG THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE LEAD MARVEL WRER: 'WE AREN'T ALLOWED TO FAIL'
• BLACK PANTHER TO FEATURE FIRST GAY CHARACTERS A MARVEL MOVIE?
• THE BLACK PANTHERS AND THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT: DID BLACK LIV MATTER THEN, TOO?

THE INCREDIBLE TE ADVENTURE OF FIVE GAY ACTIVISTS SEARCH OF THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY

Photo Cred: Robert Carl Cohen, 1970 the Black Panther Party ved Jean Ge, the famo French gay wrer and activist, to the U. '"Angela Davis charted the important lks between black polil nscns and gay rights that same speech:"One last important pot: It was Ge who heightened the Black Panther Party awarens to the homosexual rights issue. David Hilliard told me that when they were travelg together om state to state, om one universy to another, some members of the party were g very and homophobic words to sult Nixon or (U.

He had jt wanted to brg about a discsn on the siari between the stggle agast racism and the stggle agast homophobia. After the trips 1970, David Hilliard and his mat largely spoke of the matter wh Huey Newton (the Black Panther Party's print, jail at the time) and later published an important article the party's newspaper, sayg:"Whatever your personal opns and your securi about homosexualy and the var liberatn movements among homosexuals and women (Ge also had spokenabout women's liberatn durg his stay, acrdg to Davis), we should try to une wh them a revolutnary fashn.

I say: 'Whatever your securi are' bee as we very well know, sometim our first stct is to want to h a homosexual the mouth, and want a woman to be quiet.

(1970) HUEY P. NEWTON, “THE WOMEN’S LIBERATN AND GAY LIBERATN MOVEMENTS”

We want to h a homosexual the mouth bee we are aaid that we might be homosexual; and we want to h the women or shut her up bee we are aaid that she might strate , or take the nuts that we might not have to start wh.... I do not remember our ever nstutg any value that said that a revolutnary mt say offensive thgs towards homosexuals, or that a revolutnary should make sure that women do not speak out about their particular kd of opprsn....

And I know through readg, and through my life experience and observatns that homosexuals are not given eedom and liberty by anyone the society. Two years later, we're lookg back wh Pri & Prott, a package of stori about activism, the Black Liv matter movement, and the fight to change the the fall of 1970, as the Vietnam War raged, five guys om the New York Cy Gay Liberatn Front took a meanrg road trip through the South a maroon-and-whe Volkswagen B. To spire gay people to attend the send Black Panther–anized Revolutnary People’s Constutnal Conventn Washgton, D.

GAY ROMANCE WAS CUT FROM ‘BLACK PANTHER’

More From Harper's BAZAARClockwise om left: Joel, Richard, Doug, and BenRichard KoobBefore they even got unrway, the ernment was watchg them, worried about “a nnectn between the homosexual movement and the Black Panther Party, ” a feral document Archiv at the USC LibrariThe FBI was sowg disrd among radils, and was easy for mistst to take root.

We were full-fledged Gay Liberatn and Black Liberatn and everythg else people. Gil: Richard was bar none the bt-lookg man Gay Liberatn. Do you know any gay people?

We would ntact Gay Liberatn each area, and they’d ve to speak about what we were dog.

THE 1960S AND GAY LIBERATN

We were proselytizg, so when we’d meet people, we’d s on the floor a circle, or chairs, and spread the word about Gay The nversatns were basilly around what was we were feelg as gay men and how we uld move people to e to this nventn so that we uld anize Stop: North Carola Joe Sohm/Visns of Ameri//Getty ImagGil: Greenville, North Carola, was one of the first plac we stopped, bee was a center of leftist anizg the textile ls. Doug’s fay were untry people, outsi Greenville, and he told his mother that he was gay, and she was obvly stricken.

RON DESANTIS'S FLORIDA BOARD OF EDUTN: HEY, WHAT ABOUT THE “PERSONAL BENEF” OF BEG A SLAVE?FLORIDA’S NEW AIN AMERIN STUDI CURRICULUM STANDARDS WILL FORCE PUBLIC SCHOOL STUNTS TO LEARN ABOUT SOME OF THE SUPPOSED UPSIS OF SLAVERY.BY ERIC LUTZJULY 20, 2023RON DESANTIS SPEAKS DURG A MPAIGN EVENT IOWA JULY 14.RACHEL MUMMEY/BLOOMBERG VIA GETTY IMAGSAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVERON DESANTIS’S WAR ON “WOKENS” SCHOOLS ASCEND TO DANGERO NEW HEIGHTS WEDNDAY, AS FLORIDA’S STATE BOARD OF EDUTN APPROVED NEW AIN AMERIN STUDI CURRICULUM STANDARDS THAT, AMONG OTHER THGS, WOULD FORCE PUBLIC SCHOOL STUNTS TO LEARN ABOUT SOME OF THE SUPPOSED UPSIS OF SLAVERY — A WHEWASHG OF HISTORY THAT THE STATE’S LARGT TEACHERS UNN CRIED AS A “BIG STEP BACKWARD” FOR TN.“GOV. DESANTIS IS PURSUG A POLIL AGENDA GUARANTEED TO SET GOOD PEOPLE AGAST ONE ANOTHER, AND THE PROCS HE’S CHEATG OUR KIDS,” ANDREW SPAR, PRINT OF THE FLORIDA EDUTN ASSOCIATN, SAID A STATEMENT BLASTG THE NEW AIN AMERIN STUDI STANDARDS. “THEY SERVE THE FULL TTH OF AMERIN HISTORY, THE GOOD AND THE BAD.”FLORIDA PUBLIC SCHOOL STUNTS MAY NOT GET THAT UNR THE NEW L APPROVED WEDNDAY, WHICH REQUIRE TEACHERS— A SECTN ON SLAVERY— TO NOTE THAT “SLAV VELOPED SKILLS, WHICH, SOME STANC, ULD BE APPLIED FOR THEIR PERSONAL BENEF.” IN A SECTN ON “RENSTCTN AND BEYOND,” A PERD MARKED BY JIM CROW AND ROUTE WHE TERRORISM ON BLACK MUNI, THE NEW L DICTATE THAT STUNTS MT BE TGHT ABOUT “ACTS OF VLENCE PERPETRATED AGAST AND BY AIN AMERINS,” WHICH, AS DEMOCRATIC STATE SENATOR GERALDE THOMPSON POTED OUT, SUGGTS CINTS LIKE THE OEE MASSACRE WERE “SPARKED BY VLENCE OM AIN AMERINS.”“THAT’S BLAMG THE VICTIMS,” SAID THOMPSON, WHO, AS THE WASHGTON POST NOT, HELPED PASS A 2020 LAW REQUIRG FLORIDA SCHOOLS TO TEACH ABOUT THE 1920 MASSACRE, WHICH A WHE MOB KILLED DOZENS OF BLACK RINTS OF OEE, FLORIDA, ELECTN DAY VLENCE. (MANNY DIAZ, FLORIDA'S TN MISSNER, PRAISED THE CHANG, SAYG THAT “THIS IS SOMETHG THAT IS GOG TO SET THE NORM FOR STANDARDS OTHER STAT.”)TWTER NTENTTHIS NTENT N ALSO BE VIEWED ON THE SE ORIGAT OM.THE NEW STANDARDS E AS DESANTIS, A NTENR FOR THE 2024 REPUBLIN NOMATN, LAT HIS WAR ON SO-LLED “WOKE” TN, WHICH HAS CLUD BOOK BANS, THE REJECTN OF AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT URSE ON AIN AMERIN STUDI, AND THE PASSAGE OF THE STOP WOKE ACT, WHICH PROHIBS THE STCTN OF MATERIAL THAT ULD MAKE SOMEONE FEEL “GUILT, ANGUISH OR ANY FORM OF PSYCHOLOGIL STRS.” HIS NCERN FOR THE POSSIBLE “ANGUISH” OF FLORIDA STUNTS DO NOT SEEM TO EXTEND TO BLACK STUNTS, WHO ULD BE FORCED TO LEARN ABOUT THE SUPPOSED “BENEF” OF SLAVERY, NOR DO SEEM TO EXTEND TO LGBTQ KIDS AND THEIR FAI, WHO HAVE ALSO BEEN TARGETED HIS BATTLE. DESANTIS EXPAND HIS “DON’T SAY GAY” LAW THIS YEAR, AND THE FLORIDA BOARD OF EDUTN VOTED WEDNDAY FOR L THAT TOOK EVEN FURTHER — CLUDG BY BARRG TEACHERS OM ASKG STUNTS THEIR PREFERRED PRONOUNS. DIAZ SAID THE MOVE WOULD PROTECT KIDS OM “UNWELE FLUENC AND DOCTRATN," PRAISG DESANTIS, THE LEGISLATN, AND THE BOARD FOR WHAT HE SCRIBED A STATEMENT AS THEIR “UNWAVERG MMENT TO THE HEALTH, WELLBEG AND SAFETY OF OUR STUNTS.” BUT, AS CRICS CHARGED, THE L NSTUTED AN LATN THE “POLILLY-MOTIVATED WAR ON PARENTS, STUNTS, AND TORS” FLORIDA. “OUR STUNTS SERVE CLASSROOMS WHERE ALL FAI ARE TREATED WH THE RPECT THEY SERVE AND ALL YOUNG PEOPLE ARE WELED,” JENNIFER SOLOMON, EQUALY FLORIDA PARENTS & FAI SUPPORT MANAGER, SAID A STATEMENT WEDNDAY. “INSTEAD, THE DESANTIS ADMISTRATN NTU TO WIELD THE STATE AGAST .”“STOP TURNG OUR KIDS’ CLASSROOMS TO POLIL BATTLEFIELDS TO SRE CHEAP POTS,” SOLOMON NTUED.BUT DESANTIS, OF URSE, SHOWS NO SIGN OF STOPPG: HIS RELENTLS CULTURE WAR HELPED LIFT HIM TO NATNAL PROMENCE, AND HE HAS MA HIS CENTRAL — NAY, HIS ONLY — PCH TO GOP VOTERS HIS SPUTTERG PRINTIAL MPAIGN. “WE’VE MA THE STATE OF FLORIDA THE PLACE WHERE WOKE GO TO DIE,” HE SAID AT A RECENT MPAIGN EVENT. “AND NOW, IS OUR MISSN AS AMERINS TO ENSURE THAT JANUARY 2025…WE LEAVE WOKE IOLOGY THE DTB OF HISTORY WHERE BELONGS.”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIRRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, INHERG GRACELAND, AND MORETE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMCAN YOU NAME THE FILM THAT LNCHED BRIE LARSON, RAMI MALEK, AND MORE?THE ABSOLUTELY WILST DETAILS OF THE GOVERNMENT’S LATT INDICTMENT AGAST DONALD TMPIVANKA TMP IS NOT LETTG HER DAD’S MOUNTG LEGAL WO RU HER SUMMERINSI ETON COLLEGE, HARRY AND WILLIAM’S POSH ALMA MATERTHE 25 BT SHOWS ON NETFLIX TO WATCH RIGHT NOWFROM THE ARCHIVE: TOO HEPBURN FOR HOLLYWOOD (2006)MOST POPULARELON MK’S TWTER WANTED TO TELL TMP ABOUT A SEALED SEARCH WARRANT AND POTENTIALLY F--K UP JACK SMH’S CRIMAL INVTIGATNBY BS LEVTE CRIME, TE FAH: THE SERIAL KILLER AND THE TEXAS MOM WHO STOPPED HIMBY JULIE MILLERRILEY KEOUGH ON GROWG UP PRLEY, LOSG LISA MARIE, AND INHERG GRACELANDBY BRT HENNEMUTHERIC LUTZ

They were mostly young, whe, gay men that were volved Gay Liberatn. Gil: We ma ntact wh this gay man who had a shelter the French Quarter for gay adolcents who had been thrown out by their fai. I thk the Gay Liberatn Front got out.

ROXANE GAY ON BEG THE FIRST BLACK FEMALE LEAD MARVEL WRER: 'WE AREN'T ALLOWED TO FAIL'

So I started the ll by announcg that I was gay, and on a tour to rec gay people for Gay Lib. It was her first direct knowledge that I was gay, and that there was such a thg as Gay proceed to have a wildly joyo and dnken party celebratn. But there’s a feelg the air all the time for Black men who are gay—the possibily of beg offed jt bee we’re walkg down the York Public LibraryRichard: Some of had been meetgs NYC about anizg a gay revolutn party, thkg a Panther-like strategy of beg armed might be sential.

BLACK PANTHER TO FEATURE FIRST GAY CHARACTERS A MARVEL MOVIE?

I ntacted two iends of me, Cecil and John, who were my first gay iends as an adult.

THE BLACK PANTHERS AND THE GAY LIBERATN FRONT: DID BLACK LIV MATTER THEN, TOO?

I was shocked bee I thought was maly gog to be gay people that we were nferencg wh, but we end up nferencg wh everybody. I’m Black and I’m gay.

Everythg I do is Black, and everythg I do is gay, bee I’m Black and I’m gay. CodaAn email, om John Fish to Hugh Ryan, dated April 21, 2021Hi Hugh, I got an email om Micky sayg you were lookg for rmatn about a group of gay men that vised the Louisville Gay Liberatn Front group back 1970. I thk one of the other men the group was Jim ***** rellectn is that they had gone to a Revolutnary People's Constutnal Conventn Philalphia held by the Black Panther Party, and there was gog to be a send nventn Washgton, DC, on Thanksgivg Day weekend, and they wanted to see if anyone om Louisville Gay Liberatn Front would attend.