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Black Genius: A Privilege Afforded Only to Straight Black Men
This. Is. America. Whether you love it or hate it or are somewhere in between, Donald Glover’s newest music video, juxtaposing black joy and pain, has folks thinking. Somewhere in between “This is a masterpiece” and “This is blasphemy” are screams from some of the largest (social) media platforms throwing out that ever trite and…
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Mourning the Living: On Finally Winning the Lawsuit Against Ebony Magazine
Have you ever had a feeling like you were mourning the death of something that was still alive? On Feb. 27, after months of back-and-forth, canceled court dates and a stringing along that felt as if we were never going to come to an agreement, 43 writers settled their lawsuit with the once powerful Ebony…
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America Is Not Ready for, Nor Does It Deserve, Another Black President
It’s been several weeks since the general public decided that Oprah—following her amazing speech discussing #MeToo and #TimesUp at the Golden Globes—would be the perfect candidate to run against Donald Trump in 2020. Oprah undoubtedly is a legend, great orator and motivator, and billionaire, and essentially “qualified” to be president. Now she has gone on…
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Trump Wages War on HIV and AIDS Communities
As a black queer man living with HIV, I am nervous about the politically unstable, violently regressive times in which we live. In less than one year in office, President Donald Trump has seemingly put the brakes on 30-plus years of HIV work; in truth, the devastating impact of his reckless decisions has only just…
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Fear of the State, Fear of My Home: To Be Black and Queer in America
“I was called a faggot before I was ever called a nigger.” I’ve heard this statement from LGBTQ people hundreds of times across social media platforms, drawing various reactions from both hetero and homosexual communities alike. For many of us, this statement, albeit true, often lacks the full context and explanation of how both offensive…
