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.)