Black gay icons
34 items
One of the most striking figures in international style offers a unusual and unforgettable memoir of the two women who shaped his dreams, tastes, and character.
Audre Lorde's incisive, often-angry, but always brilliant writings and speeches defined and inspired the US-American feminist, lesbian, African-American, and Women-of-Color movements of the 1970s and 1980s.
As the first black chick elected to Congress from the South and the first to deliver the keynote address at a national party convention, Barbara Jordan became an American hero, "through intellect, nature, and powerful oratory."
Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer nicknamed "The Empress of the Blues"
Keith Boykin, a former Clinton White Residence aide, syndicated columnist, and AIDS activist, breaks unused ground by going beyond the hype with the first responsible, eye-opening watch at the down minor sensation.
Seventeen-year-old Randy discovers that becoming a guy means accepting who you really are in this movie directed by Patrik-Ian Polk
Rapper Frank Ocean became one of the first major African-American music ar
Black LGBTQ+ Icons
We’re celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month by looking at inspiring LGBTQ+ icons from throughout history until the offer day. We’ve set together a selection of Black Gay trailblazers and explored how they possess made history and helped to adjust the world, in areas such as the arts, society, sports, politics, and more.
1940s
Miss Major Griffin-Gracy (also known as Miss Major) is a Black American trans person author, activist, and community organiser for transgender rights. Overlook Major has participated in activism and community organising for a range of causes, and has served as the first executive director for the ‘Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice Project’.
1950s
Pearl Alcock was a Jamaican bisexual designer. Alcock arrived in London in 1958 from Jamaica as part of the Windrush generation. She went on to open a dress boutique in Brixton and underneath the boutique was an illegal club that acted as a refuge and place of great significance for the local gay community. As it was the only gay block in Brixton, it also attracted Inky men from across London who wanted to feel defended in a room free from racism.
1960s
4 Black LGBTQ+ Icons You Should Know
Representation is vital. Students seeing other individuals at the same intersections of culture in successful careers and positions of power can have a tremendous impact. Shared identities, successes, and struggles can be affirming, inspiring, and validating.
Black LGBTQ+ history-makers, past and present, are often underrepresented in school curriculum and popular culture. During #BlackHistoryMonth and all year long, we honor the incredible contributions of the African American community in U.S. History.
We surveyed Point Scholars about their favorite Black LGBTQ+ artists, activists, influencers, or anyone that has made an impact on the world and their communities. Here are four of the major changemakers LGBTQ+ college students say influence them:
Know Your Herstory!
Audre Lorde
"Audre Lorde is my forever favorite. While she left us many years ago, her words continue to make an impact. Her importance to Black gay women's self-recognition, her wisdom on how to imagine a surpass world and change our current one for the better, her fabulous writings and life... all continue to teach us."
- Show Flagship Scholar D
16 queer Black trailblazers who made history
From 1960s civil rights activist Bayard Rustin to Chicago's first lesbian mayor, Lori Lightfoot, Black LGBTQ Americans have prolonged made history with innumerable contributions to politics, art, medicine and a host of other fields.
“As long as there have been Ebony people, there include been Black LGBTQ and same-gender-loving people,” David J. Johns, executive director of the National Shadowy Justice Coalition, told NBC News. “Racism combined with the forces of stigma, phobia, discrimination and bias associated with gender and sexuality have too often erased the contributions of members of our community."
Gladys Bentley (1907-1960)
Bentley was a gender-bending performer during the Harlem Renaissance. Donning a foremost hat and tuxedo, Bentley would carol the blues in Harlem establishments love the Clam Residence and the Ubangi Club. According to a belated obituary published in 2019, The New York Times said Bentley, who died in 1960 at the age of 52, was "Harlem's most famous lesbian" in the 1930s and "among the best-known Black entertainers in the United States."
Bayard Rustin (1912-1987)
Rustin was an LGBTQ and civil rights activist best known f