I Am Gay
It is visible from several blocks away. Prominently displayed on the side of a wall overlooking the intersection of 125th Street and Broadway, a major crossroad in the heart of Harlem, it can be seen by passersby on foot, by car and even the elevated subway trains that run right past it. It is all by design.
A billboard was unveiled to the public Tuesday, proclaiming for all to see that which is already known by most but forgotten or ignored by others; Black gays are a part of the Black community, and always have been.
As the kickoff to a public awareness campaign sponsored by the New York State Black Gay Network (NYSBGN) and funded by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, it is part of a larger effort to help the entire community understand that Black gay lives matter, and by doing so, begin to address homophobia, one of the primary underlying reasons why some Black men who practice same sex desire put themselves at risk for HIV.
At a morning press conference attended by federal, state and city lawmakers--including Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel--Mark McLaurin, NYSBGN Executive Director said, “It’s not a matter of acceptance from the community of some foreign presence, it is about acknowledgement, love and respect from our own for us. If we want to stop the spread of HIV, Black gay men need to know that their lives matter in the very communities in which they live.”
The NYSBGN hopes to open a dialogue between Black gays and straights in order to build bridges not just to address HIV/AIDS, but to counteract overtures being made by White, Right-Wing Conservative Christian elements who have spread money around particularly within the Black religious community in an effort to forge alliances that further their own anti-gay efforts. Such divisive actions, by outsiders, ignore the long-standing role that Black gays and lesbians have always played in Black mainstream communities and only serve to promote a conservative agenda. This campaign is being rolled out in subway stations in Black communities like Harlem, Bed-Stuy, Brownsville and East New York in Brooklyn, and Jamaica, Queens where most Black gay men live.
Also on hand for Tuesday’s press conference were State Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, New York City Council members Robert Jackson and Melissa Mark-Viverito, Gary English and Michael Roberson from People of Color in Crisis (POCC), Marjorie Hill from Gay Men’s Health Crisis (GMHC), Sorya Elcock of Harlem United, and Tokes Osubu of Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD).
More photos can be found here. (Photos may not be reused or reprinted without permission.)
I am SO thrilled with this campaign ... not only because I was present at the inception when no one knew what the actual slogan and imagery would be, but because despite the hurdles that Mark and everyone had to surpass, it's here and its beautiful and oh so needed.
Bless you kid, for capturing the moment with your words and camera and chronicling our growth as a community and a force to be reckoned with.
My only regret is that I wasn't there to see it with my own eyes.
Posted by: taylor Siluwé at August 23, 2006 8:56 AMThis particular billboard will be up at least 30 days, possibly longer.
Posted by: Bernie at August 23, 2006 9:04 AMThanks for reporting on this... I guess I need to make it to Harlem more often.
Posted by: rocka at August 23, 2006 12:04 PMBernie:
Thank God for the e-experience. Thank you for publishing this pioneering moment in our history. Makes me proud to be the proud black gay man I AM!
Posted by: Kevin at August 24, 2006 4:00 PMHey B, I went to the website the other day after seeing the press release on the LGBTPOC listserve, and I love the media. I think its great that the Network is publicly attacking homophobia in the Black community.
Now if some of that can rub off here in Philly. The Black gay advocacy group I belong to here in Philly had a meeting with Philly's Health Comissioner the other day and I printed out the three posters from this campaign and gave them to her as an example of the kind of things we need here in Philly.
Posted by: Absolutelee at August 24, 2006 9:59 PMThank for sharing that with those of us who live in the fly-over zone. Something about it brings this cynical old dyke nearly to tears.
Posted by: Mistinguette at September 4, 2006 12:19 PMI have to say, I think these new ads are incredibly important and interventive. I remember literally gasping for air the first time I saw this exact billboard you've posted here (i live in the 140s in Harlem), driving by one day.
Posted by: frank leon roberts at September 11, 2006 2:00 AM