Rolling along with Black History month, it gives me so much pleasure to write about this legendary icon. Sylvester James Jr., born September 6th 1947 in LA, was an American singer/songwriter. Known by his stage name Sylvester, he is recognized as one of the great Queens of the disco era reigning along side the likes of Donna Summer and Gloria Gaynor.
James Arthur Baldwin was an American literary icon. Born in Harlem New York 1924, Baldwin was a renowned novelist, playwright, essayist, poet and social critic. He was a gay man. His work has influenced many, including famed writer/poet Maya Angelo and producer/filmmaker Spike Lee.
Martin Luther King Jr and Bayard Rustin-1956 (Credit: Associated Press)
Bayard Rustin was born on March 17th 1912 Westchester Pennsylvania. He attended Wilberforce University, Cheyney State College and City College of New York; he never received a B.A. Mr. Rustin is cited for his involvement in The Civil Rights Movement, in which he was a leading activist from 1947-1955, and for his stances on pacifism and gay rights. He was influenced by civil rights activists W.E.B Du Bois and A. Phillip Randolph among others. He was also heavily influenced by the teaching of Mahatma Gandhi. He even travelled to India in 1948 to learn non violent civil resistance techniques from the leaders of the Gandhian movement. He influenced the lives and works of people such as Martin Luther King Jr. and James L Farmer Jr.
With February at my doorstep, I got to thinking about what I can do to acknowledge the significance of Black History Month in a way that’s meaningful to me. Black History in itself is filled with significance. But I wanted to dig a little deeper to see if as a gay man of colour, I can discover LGBT men/women who contributed to black history.
So this month my blog will be dedicated to celebrating black history by sharing the stories of black LGBT heroes whose legacy transcends generations and racial barriers.
Stay tuned!
Someone asked me a very interesting question today- “Why do gays celebrate pride” This really got me thinking and because I didn’t want to rattle off the usual answers, I did a bit of soul-searching and this is what I came up with. Continue reading
MAC Viva Glam Fashion Cares 25 went down on Sunday night at the Sony Centre for Performing Arts. The event was dubbed “A Night of Glitter & Light”- A benefit for the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT) and the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF). The end of an era. And it ended with a bang!
The games are over and done with. No more gawking at the male divers in their micro speedo’s or watching the fantastic gymnasts twirl through the air in their sparkly outfits.. But just as with the opening ceremony, the closing show was definitely worth watching. Here’s a look at some of the highlights that got the queer seal of approval.
Gay relationships.. So many different views and opinions exist about whether or not queers can have successful relationships.. Or what a successful relationship even looks like. Is it one based on monogamy– having one spouse/sexual partner? Or is it one based on polyamory– having more than one spouse/sexual partner? I think it all depends on the guys involved and what they’re looking for. But I often wonder if one ‘s better than the other. Like everyone else, I have my own beliefs around this but let’s explore what monogamy and polyamory look like.
So many stereotypes exist about gay men.. Here’s my top 10
Gay guys are obsessed with their bodies-While this may be true for some, it’s not the case for all. The bear community is a perfect example of this. It can be argued that even within this sub category of gay culture there’s some obsession with body image but I beg to differ… WOOF!
Gay guys think sports are boring– So wrong!!! There a quite a few gay sports leagues right here in Toronto- There’s gay rugby , volleyball, tennis leagues not to mention groups like Get Out Canada – a leisure and recreational club. And if you’re not interested in playing, bet your bottom dollar that you’ll be interested in watching.. We love hot sweaty eye candy! Can I get an amen?! Continue reading
With the International AIDS Conference(AIDS2012) underway in Washington DC, I started to reflect on the history of HIV/AIDS and the destructive relationship it has had with the gay community for the past 30 plus years and I wondered whether much has changed from then to now.
My Queer Agenda 