New Black Gay Ads: "I Am Gay"

ks25
August 21 2006, 2:18PM

This is positive but The black communities as well as communities of color will continue to be homophobic for sure. Homophobia will continue until Black communities and communities decolonize themselves from Eurocentric version of Christianity and other forms of religion that promote heterosexism, and sexism. Heterosexual communities of color already know that there are homosexual, and bisexual men in their chruch choirs and in the communities at large. In fact a good half of the ones who are doing the homophobia are in fact homosexual, or bisexual and ashamed of it. For instance, I grew up in Pentacoastal chruch and my pastor at the time was being very homophobic in his messages. I will come home all hurt and tears because of the messages. I was about 14 then. I saw this same pastor at a gay bar looking for some and I heard a friend mine was with him.

boy uninterrupted
August 21 2006, 2:24PM

props to the NY State Black Gay Network! i wonder though if it'll stop at this or if there'll be more? a large part of the hate is because people fear what they do not understand thus, we should aid them in obtaining this understanding.

too often we adopt an 'we're gay now deal with it' philosophy which i think doesn't work too great. can you remember how hard it was for you dealing with your own sexuality? - now imagine someone removed from that situation too trying to understand it.

the ads will no doubt pique interest and elicit reactions, i hope that can be harnessed and people directed to further information.

trent
August 21 2006, 2:43PM

This is such a good thing. At the same time of challenging the stereotypes over who and who isn't gay within pockets of the black community and fostering even greater acceptance, it is also an indicator that gay men (and lesbians)of African descent are building a strong communal infrastructure for themselves.

Herukhuti
August 21 2006, 2:57PM

I agree with ks25 about the need for decolonizing our communities. Unfortunately few of us understand what that concept means, let alone how to do it. Billboards are not necessarily decolonizing tools but they can be if designed and implemented with decolonization as an intention.

Special shout out to my godson, Charly D. who is one of the models in the playground pic. Charly's work as an artist, cultural worker, and community organizer has been about decolonization. It would be great to see more support within organizations in NY for that work of his as organizations seek to use his image for these campaigns.

For more examples of and resources for decolonization, check out my website.

ChicagoAngel
August 21 2006, 3:22PM

Its nice that something is "depicting" regular everyday gay/bi black males and not the usual flammin queen

Mark McLaurin
August 21 2006, 3:57PM

Keith-

Thanks for covering this and for everyone's kind words about the campaign- We think it critical to begin to think in a new way and have new conversations around many of these issues in our OWN communities. We purposefully and carefully selected where and how these ads would run (We are not up in Chelsea or the Village or the Lower East Side- we are in Harlem and Bushwick and Bed-Stuy with these messages. I assure you this is only the first step in a much larger campaign.

We are pleased that Congressman Rangel and Borough President Stringer and FIVE City Councilmembers will stand with us tomorrow- I welcome any/all of you to come out and enjoy ! Thanks again to Keith and his readers for your support of the Network !

Derrick from Philly
August 21 2006, 5:21PM

ChicagoAngel: You're are absolutely right. But understand this, for years us flammin' queens have been urging our more "conservative" or "traditionally masculine" gay brothers to show themselves, "come out" so to speak. Let the black community see the diversity of black gay/sgl men and women rather than wishing us "flames" and butch girls would disappear. 'Cause we aint.

Don "Stuffed Animal" C
August 21 2006, 5:37PM

It's nice to see public depictions of Black Gay men and their families. I'll always welcome the opportunity to see evidence that people like me exist. No, this effort won't curb heterosexism by itself, but it's a good start.

Liquid Fonts
August 21 2006, 5:43PM

ChicaoAngel,

I agree, flammin queens have been working odd hours being the sole representation of “gay“ so they deserve a vacation and a promotion for taking direct fire while others pass for str8...These ads really hit the spot although I can almost hear the jokes stirring about the priest and the dude on his knees lol

Herukhuti
August 21 2006, 6:54PM

Pictures are two dimensional and can not give us a full representation of any individuals experience. Consequently it would be great if the ads provided links to more information about the actual individuals who modeled for the ads. Let us read their stories.

I personally know two of the individuals, my godson who I mentioned earlier and the Rev. Darling. Some might think that he was just a model posing in costume rather than a real-life man of the cloth, elder, steward of community wisdom, member of Adodi International, etc. There are at least two great people (that I recognize) in these ads with great life stories; people who have and continue to contribute much to Black community.

If we want to foster the valuing of these lives IN Black communities we need to show/portray the value that these lives bring TO Black communities.

Mark, I look forward to the continued development of this compaign. Let me know if you need any more ideas or support as you move forward with this.

Steve
August 21 2006, 7:42PM

No matter what trivial criticisms might be levelled at these ads, they are without a doubt the FINEST I have ever seen for delivering this particular message. NYSBGN is to be commended.

Herndon L. Davis
August 21 2006, 8:27PM

I think the ads are GREAT, refreshing and definitely will make a passerby think for more than few seconds... that's the key, it makes you pause and think. I hope to see the ads go up nationwide. Wouldn’t that be something?? Let’s strategize and make it happen!!

AntiBusta
August 21 2006, 9:19PM

125th & Broadway? Hardly the heart of Harlem. That's a netherworld where the Columbia University community tapers off. Billboards of this importance should be within a block or two of the Apollo Theatre.

Ashwon
August 21 2006, 9:57PM

What a great start! Hopfully, with NY and the other big major cities joining in promoting everyday gay and bi men, maybe it can EVENTUALLY trinkle down to the south and the deep south.

I think this is such a great start. To start having other representation of gay is and look like.

Mel Smith
August 21 2006, 10:01PM

That is a wonderful thing that they are during. Homophobia will only end if more black gay people come out of the closet in our communities. We must try to defeat our inferior self hating attitudes in order to become healthy in our communities. Our self hate causes us to attack each other. That gay minister hated himself. Therefore, he attacked people like him. We see this everyday. The first thing we need to do is stop looking for negative things to talk or write about. I will help out in any way that I can.

Kenyon
August 21 2006, 10:42PM

AntiBusta -

I just ended my tenure as the Communications staff with NYSBGN (although I love this campaign so much I continued to work on the press conference tomorrow) to start grad school next week.

The decision to place the ads on 125th & Broadway had to do mostly with timing. Those were the only billboards on 125th that were not already purchased for the period of time. We would have LOVED to be up on 125th & Lenox! It's not a total loss- as you go south on B'way you are for sure in Columbia-land, many of us still ride that bus down/up the hill, or are on the 1 train headed to work every morning from uptown.

We decided to hold a press conference there at that location, and build the website, www.wearepartofyou.org to further extend the reach of the campaign (the website is getting hits from all over the world!).

But far more important than the 2 billboards are the hundreds of train stations and bus shelters the ads are located. I saw one, for instance, in the Nostrand Ave A train stop this morning.

Michael-Vincent Crea
August 22 2006, 1:12AM

Bravo! The NYS Black Gay Network's Campaign for Black Gay
Men's Lives is a great step in the self-determination and
self-identification of Black African Americans, denied and
deprived of such basic human rights, since forced here.
While location is a critical factor, I jumped up to see the ad with the three men, catching my eye as I rode the Lexington Ave. #6, even before KB's column, herein. What time is the press conference?
Having co-chaired with Craig G. Harris [RIP]in 1988 the first HIV/AIDS Conference with Metropolitan D.C. African American Catholics, and ministered to and with many Black LGBT persons for 20+ years, I believe this direct, open and brave effort shall empower the entire community to see, respect and accept our Black LGBTs, most especially our Gay men, teen and boys, whose lives are increasingly burdened, as their beautiful blessings are being eclipsed by hateful evangelical extremists. May the Spirit of Love
move across the waters in awakening us,ALL! Peace& Pride,
Pastor MVCre

Marlon
August 22 2006, 7:20AM

Excellent!! We need such ad campaigns; stereotypes permeate. From '98-'00 I special-guest lectured at military bases to adult college students about Dispelling Myths of Homosexuality. Most hadn’t seen an out and visible non-stereotypical sgl. From hard-core rednecks to bible thumpers – this 1.5hr education initiated questioning their ‘ol beliefs. Sharing stories about my partner and me illustrated our home life, civic and community contributions – revealing more similarities than not.

The sista’s were in deep denial; some departed with total disbelief. A sista asked, “if you were in an elevator with Holly Berry, and she jumped-your-bones, what would you do?” Others stated, “you can’t be gay”… “are you sure” etc.. My favorite response came from a black female US Army SSgt., “black people are not gay!” Clearly, her rational stemmed from the lack of visible images. In essence, more campaigns! Kudos NY!

J. Mathis
August 22 2006, 8:42AM

EXCELLENT PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGY that is long over due!!!! It is about time that we as SGL people, be smart and educate and inform the public through 21st century tactics and methods. My hats off again to Mr. Boykin. His site informs, inspires and educates a very large mass of people. My friends and I, from different parts of the country, view this site everyday, several times a day, to keep inform...and yes, inspired! Good job Keith!!!

Luddite
August 22 2006, 9:08AM

Marlon: the response of the Army SSgt made me chuckle. I have heard that before, and have even been told "There are no gays/homosexuals in Africa"! As a wag once said: "denial is not just a river in Egypt".

Outstanding ad campaign! The staff of NY State Gay Black Network are to be commended for their fine work.

Andre Allen
August 22 2006, 10:52AM

Hopefully other cities like DC,Miami,Chitown and ATL will step up to the plate and start puttin these ads in their cities

Liquid Fonts
August 22 2006, 11:08AM

People have spent so much time on here talking about how they have been excluded from the white gay community but time and time again choose to ignore this same elitist structure within the black gay community(i've been guilty at times) until I see those ads here in Chicago on 95th n Dan Ryan, 35th n King Drive, 79th n State, 43rd n Halsted (south), the redline, greenline etc, then you all might as well be jerking each other off. Have a great day

Liquid Fonts
August 22 2006, 11:08AM

I'm sorry to come off so negative today because I really luv these ads!!! but it just seems like a NYC thing where a group of exclusive black gay elite type New Yorkers get together for a "think tank" on how to rid the world (read: nyc) of ignorance towards black gays in the US on billboards that are currently only displayed in 1 city: nyc and then hold a press conference with photo opts that span the interent in a self congratultory manner. Had they put more foresight into it, been a bit more organized, and more willing to network, believed enough in the mission, why couldn't these ads have lauched in at least 2 or 3 other cities with large black populations concurrently? Was it Keith who made the statement about needing to be invited onto the plane when it takes off in order to be there with everyone else when it reaches its destination?

Jim Harvey
August 22 2006, 11:19AM

As a 60 year old proud Black SGL man who put his sexualiity before the public by running for public office long before most of us would have even thought to be that out front, it does my heart so much good to see this campaign. I have long said that the dialogue that needs to take place within our own community is far more beneficial to us than the tendency we often have to mimic our european counterparts. This is a great first step and I will do what I can to encourage such a campaign in DC.We really need it here. Somehow, we have to break the cycle of tolerating the verbal and spiritual abuse at the hands of preachers we give our money to and politicians who seek to get votes by making homophobic pronouncements. Thanks for the inspiration and leadership.
Jim

Kenyon
August 22 2006, 12:07PM

I didn't intend to comment again on this. But alot of people make the assumption that this subway transit campaign with the press conference has been the ONLY aspect of the campaign. This is part of a campaign we launched called the Campaign for Black Gay Men's Lives, which has had several facets which began late 2005. This is the most public aspect of it, though.

What people also don't know is that while the name New York State Black Gay Network seems like a huge organization, it is really a staff of about 4 people. And while lots of things we've worked on have had national impact (which I am very proud of), we are really only focused on New York State. So they are planning to expand this to Albany, Syracuse, Rochester, Buffalo.

So if this is the type of campaign you want to see in your city, tell your local organizations to contact NYSBGN, and'd they'll tell them how to do it. I think, and I am sure Mark McLaurin would agree, we need more campaigns like this and less with Black men in cross-hairs.

Herukhuti
August 22 2006, 12:57PM

I agree with those who have posted calling for a pause on the overly-critical and (i'll add) overly-congratulatory responses to the campaign. And I hope my comments on this board were not read as being either.

I think we currently know the impact or can project the impact of this campaign to be critical or congratulatory about it. I'm interested in knowing if the ads were focus group tested among heterosexual-identified members of NYC's black communities to get a sense of their impact. I'm also interested in knowing what kind of evaluation the designers of the campaign have designed to measure/assess the quality and magnitude of the impact of the ads.

I think both the results of pre-testing in focus groups and the post-implementation evaluation are essential to are capacity to intelligently articulate a critique or statement of praise or request for expansion of the campaign.

Kenyon
August 22 2006, 1:19PM

Heru -

It was tested in 4 focus groups: 2 straight Black folks (under 25 and over 25 yrs of age) and 2 black gay ones of the same two age groupings.

There is a post-eval piece being done to evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign, but not being on staff anymore, I am not a part of that process.

Herukhuti
August 22 2006, 2:04PM

My last comment had a typo... the sentence should have read, "I don't think we currently know the impact or can project the impact of this campaign to be critical or congratulatory about it."

Kenyon, thanks for the information. I hope you aren't breaking any confidentiality exit agreement you may have by sharing this information with us. Were the members of the str8-identified Black folks screened for significant levels of "homo-hatred," heterosexism or some other indicator to make sure that you had focus group participants that had the views that you wanted to influence? What were the results of the focus groups with the str8-identified participants and how were those results incorporated into the final drafting of the ads and campaign?

saint james
August 22 2006, 10:03PM

Hello Marlon,

That black female US Army officer HAD to be pulling your leg. I know there are some ig'nant people out there but that is just inexcusable. I work in social services and there are black folk who believe that black people don't molest their kids and that beating them with hot wheel tracks and extension cords are the best forms of discipline. I mean, please, she's in the army. She has not met any lesbian women? I do not mean to stereotype but c'mon; who was she kidding?

AntiBusta
August 23 2006, 12:38AM

Hopefully this campaign can gain exposure locally with ads on LOGO and BET.

Mark J. McLaurin
August 23 2006, 5:00AM

Thank you all for your kind words around the launch. This is merely the FIRST step of THIS facet of the campaign. After all the incredible work my staff put into this undertaking, from countless concept meetings to several focus groups across the city to endless back and forth with the marketing firm to recruiting models and finding photographers for the shoot etc. I hope I wont be percieved as taking TOO much liberty when I say that I dont really much give a damn who percieves the reaction as being "too congratulatory"- Kenyon and Anthony and myself and Daevon and Rien and Jonathan worked our asses off and while the points about evaluation and expansion and others are gratefully accepted and largely reflect many of our next steps- on behalf of a worn out staff- Im going to ask them all to pause and take in the good vibrations from here and countless other places.

Thanks again to everyone for your support, however its expressed- I choose to count it all joy !

Liquid Fonts
August 23 2006, 7:46AM

Mark no one here is hating on you or Anthony or Daevon or Rien or Jonathan and yes i recognize these are all human beings... I think the work is very close to my heart, I've even said that I love the ads but despite the protective statements about your cohorts, even you seem to agree that more should be done to implement postive changes in a more unified manner affecting more than just 1 city...

I'm still curious as to why the ads could not have launched in different cities at the same time, what were some of the biggest obstacles in that regard?

Good luck with your campaign.

luv liquid

Marlon
August 23 2006, 12:36PM

St.James, the military is no hotbed of open-minded negros; conservatives rule.
At the first lecture in '98, a 40ish Jamaican army wife protested by marching to the rear from her front seat and remained with head bowed. Weeks later she approached me, “I spoke to my husband, WE did some research, and We think it’s ok.” Her confession supports that visibility and questioning ‘ol beliefs (education) are essential to awaken critical thinking and combating ignorance. Clearly, if Mama Jamaica was affected, others were too.
I remember the '98 events addressed: Green Bay Packer Reggie White anti-gay comments; first ex-gay “..Healing for Homos” ad campaign; MLK niece Alveda King anti –gay comments, “God hate homos;” Matthew Shepard death; etc..
Most important, in ‘98 or ‘97, I discovered Keithboykin.com.I’d never before witnessed such black, gay and out works; it rocked my world. And I’ve never been the same – thank God!