Daric Cottgham says even at an HBCU, as a journalism stunt he felt he had a target on his back for beg openly gay and fem.
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GET INSPIRED BY THIS BLACK GAY JOURNALIST'S TRIUMPH
* black gay journalist *
While studyg journalism, Cottgham felt a target on his back for beg Black, gay, and fem. Like many Black people who've heard that exact phrase, means we have to do more to be seen as equals to our whe I me out, at 17, I received the extend versn of this phrase, bee I have "more targets on my back" beg Black and gay. When I refed, I began to be schled ls as a host, so I left the my hman year at this PWI, more egreg racist events occurred, cludg KKK ralli that were held near mp, and I ultimately cid to transfer to an HBCU (historilly Black llege/universy) at the start of my sophomore time at my HBCU, Prairie View A&M Universy, was better.
I honed my skills, learned a lot about journalism, and worked my way up om a beat reporter to edor--chief by my senr my Black inty did not matter, I still had a target on my back for beg openly gay and femI felt this target so much that often led me to cry myself to sleep at night. But, of urse, that’s only part of Williams’ Simon, creator of the show, once told me that whenever someone asked him why he ma Omar gay, he would rpond: Why did we make the other 19 characters straight? It’s a brilliant unterpot, one that nonts whout antagonizg, while touchg on the theme of the first LGBTQ equaly march on Washgton, back 1979: We are clus the ‘ jt didn’t talk about for people to accept the premise that the most feared man one of Baltimore’s most dangero neighborhoods was openly gay, the actor portrayg him had to first breathe life to an asphyxiated versn of Black masculy.
Said was “as gay as was Black, not that was exclively eher. It took somethg like Hugh’ poem “Mother to Son” and assumed the le “life for me a’t been no crystal stair” was solely about the impact of racism and not homophobia or a batn of the ’s what ma Williams’ work on the show as transformative as was brgg the character of Omar to life, Williams rurrected aspects of Black queerns that had largely gone missg Black artistry outsi of theater and edians such as Mart Lawrence and Jamie Foxx dog drag on TV. Betiful boyiends who would appear naked bed wh him, makg impossible for viewers not to see his sexualy as part of his Omar on a h show, beg an out and proud gay Black man livg the Black muny, was on par wh seeg Will hang out wh Grace their all-whe one — an experience that Joe Bin once said ntributed to changg attus toward gay people.