Exclive: 'Empire' To Air First Black Gay Weddg On Network TV | Essence

Contents:

• EXCLIVE: 'EMPIRE' TO AIR FIRST BLACK GAY WEDDG ON NETWORK TV
• A GAY WEDDG IS A WEDDG. JT A WEDDG.
• CREATIVE DIRECTOR BEHD ‘BLACK GAY WEDDGS’ TALKS TURNG DISCRIMATN INTO SUCCS

EXCLIVE: 'EMPIRE' TO AIR FIRST BLACK GAY WEDDG ON NETWORK TV

In this exclive vio premiere, Brooklyn-based uple Wil Cope and Josh Rodriguez relay the story of their weddg last October and the power of Black gay love as a part of GLAAD's seri "Black Queer Love Stori. ""Growg up my youth, my childhood, I never thought that I would be able to get married as a gay man, " Cope says. A signer and edian behd the podst Narcisistas and whose "rnchy gay rap alter ego" is Hi Yello, Cope go on to tell the story of how he proposed to Rodriguez at Christmas surround by his now-hband's fay.

"We'd never been to a Black gay weddg. "We felt kd of obligated to show up and be impactful a way that reprented Black gay upl the past that weren't able to celebrate and show their love and have fay there to celebrate wh them, " Cope adds. "Rorts which are LGBTQ+ iendly are on that are eher TAG Approved, members of the IGLTA (The Internatnal Gay & Lbian Travel Associatn), show support to the HRC (Human Rights Campaign), or overall simply perform symbolic and/or civil same-sex weddg ceremoni on property, " says that, you'll want to go to a statn and rort that meet your personal preferenc.

Gay Weddgs and Marriage Magaze go beyond weddg day tips to addrs the needs of LGBTQ fai and marriage. After five seasons, the show is still fdg a way to ph culture forward by airg the first weddg of a Black, gay uple durg primetime on a major broadst work.

A GAY WEDDG IS A WEDDG. JT A WEDDG.

Gay-owned Love and Pri () has been makg queer weddg bands for eons now, pecially those wh triangl and male or female symbols. Check out s "gay and lbian" weddg sectn, which offers everythg om imag of other LGBTQ weddgs (for spiratn) to help choosg a lol queer-iendly officiant.

Has tons of stuff for queer parti, cludg matchg shirts like "Two Bris Are Better Than One" and banners that read "Lbian AF, " or "I'm Gay I Slay. However, while queer and LGBTQ-iendly photographers are abundant New York Cy, Los Angel, and San Francis, upl smaller Midwtern or Southern towns may not have as many g search terms like "gay weddg" and "same-sex weddg, " even if don't exactly scribe you as a uple (many well-meang alli aren't hip to the termology or inty markers) s and scriptns refully before proceedg.

CREATIVE DIRECTOR BEHD ‘BLACK GAY WEDDGS’ TALKS TURNG DISCRIMATN INTO SUCCS

Many photographers will add "gay" and "lbian" search tags to their webs to draw more ctomers, but they don't really specialize LGBTQ may very well be experienced weddg photographers, but many queer or trans upl prefer someone who specializ photographg those the muny.