Black History Month: Honoring the Life and Legacy of James Baldwin

Black History Month: Honoring the Life and Legacy of James Baldwin

Post submitted by Beth Sherouse*

While African American writer and activist James Baldwin passed away in 1987, his words still serve as powerful reminders of the intersections of racism and anti-LGBT sentiment, and the need for us, as advocates and as an LGBT community, to account for those intersections in our work.

“I don’t know of anyone [Black] who has denied his brother or his sister because they were gay,” Baldwin said in a 1984 interview. “No doubt it happens. [But] a Black person has got quite a lot to get through the day without getting entangled in all the American fantasies…It’s simply one more aspect of the danger in which all Black people live…. The gay world as such is no more prepared to accept Black people than anywhere else in society.” 

As a queer Black man** growing up in mid-twentieth century America, Baldwin wrestled with a culture that condemned him for his race, sexuality and gender expression. Like Baldwin’s own relationships, his fictional characters frequently transgressed sexual and racial lines, occasionally igniting controversy. In 1956, while the Cold War was in full swing, Baldwin published Giovanni’s Room, which contained explicitly queer characters.

“It was very hard for me to write that book,” he recalled. “They said—if I published it, it would ruin my career.…That, in effect, nobody would accept that book, coming from me. My agent told me to burn it.”

After moving to Paris for a few years, Baldwin returned to the states to lend his support to the growing Civil Rights Movement, and quickly established himself as one of the movement’s leading voices, never attempting to hide his sexuality from the public eye.

In Baldwin’s relationships, writing and activism, he consistently refused to bring anything less than his whole self to the table. As we celebrate Black History Month this year, may we all learn from his example, honoring and celebrating the complex and interconnected identities that make the LGBT community so beautifully diverse.

For more information on HRC’s work with African-American LGBT communities and other communities of color, visit our Communities of Color page.

*This post is taken in part from the author’s doctoral dissertation.

**Baldwin is often assumed to have been gay. This might be because of his relationships with prominent men like bisexual actor Marlon Brando. However, throughout his life, Baldwin also had relationships with women and sometimes referred to himself as bisexual.

www.hrc.org/blog/black-history-month-honoring-the-life-and-legacy-of-james-baldwin?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Day 198 of 365, Utah Wedding Officiant

Day 198 of 365, Utah Wedding Officiant

Sharon McCutcheon posted a photo:

Day 198 of 365, Utah Wedding Officiant

Day 198 of 365
I got ordained today. I can legally perform weddings in Utah, really! I was ordained many years ago, maybe around 2003 or so, then I let it fall to the wayside. I never performed any marriages. So, I thought I would see if the site where I got ordained was still around. Lo and behold, they were! The Universal Life Church Monastery offers free ordination to anyone, and depending on the local laws of your state or country you can legally perform marriages, handfastings and other ceremonies, rites, baptisms, anointings, you name it. They are not affiliated with any religion. I am not a religious person myself. I believe in their philosophy, as their website says, “We are all children of the same universe”.
I am willing to provide legal officiant services to anyone, including: LGBTQ couples, Athiests, Pagans, Wiccans, Druids, Agnostics, Naturalists, Humanists, Christians, non-Christians, anyone, whether you are religious or not, I can legally officiate your marriage in Utah. All you need to do is obtain a valid Utah marriage license issued from a Clerk’s office anywhere in Utah (good for 30 days), and find an ordained minister (me) age 18 or older to perform the marriage ceremony.
I will work with you to create the perfect ceremony. Exactly as you want it. Your words or mine, no barriers. Anything you want as long as we are not breaking any laws, no kidding, anything, except skydiving, I can’t do skydiving.

www.flickr.com/photos/sharonmccutcheon/24634694473/

Italy Senate to OK civil unions, but LGBT groups are unhappy

Italy Senate to OK civil unions, but LGBT groups are unhappy
The legislation stops far short of authorizing gay marriage, which was passed last year in predominantly Catholic Ireland and was legalized as well across the United States. Last-minute changes removed references to “faithfulness” in the relationship lest …

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Six months after gay marriage ruling, the earth is still turning

Six months after gay marriage ruling, the earth is still turning
But – knock on wood – after half a year of federally approved same-sex marriage in the United States, our nation has not been destroyed … Jack Evans and George Harris, the first gay couple to wed after the ruling (after waiting more than five decades …

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Canadian sailor wins raffle . . . and makes navy history with first gay kiss

Canadian sailor wins raffle . . . and makes navy history with first gay kiss
Master Seaman Francis Legare made Canadian Navy history this week when the HMCS Winnipeg docked in Victoria and he greeted his partner Corey Vautour. The couple embraced and kissed in what was the “first kiss” between a male sailor returning from sea …

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To the Australian Jewish Establishment – Embrace political truth, not political correctness

To the Australian Jewish Establishment – Embrace political truth, not political correctness
Australia has become an ever-more sought after destination … Indeed, the following are excerpts from a report (Haaretz, February 8, 2013) by Ilan Lior, on a visit by Feiglin to a gay bar shortly after being elected to the Knesset: “Feiglin expressed …

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This Court Just Gave A Catholic Church Its Blessing To Discriminate Against Gay People

This Court Just Gave A Catholic Church Its Blessing To Discriminate Against Gay People

Whether or not it was okay to mislead a gay married employee that her job was secure is apparently a theological question.

The post This Court Just Gave A Catholic Church Its Blessing To Discriminate Against Gay People appeared first on ThinkProgress.

thinkprogress.org/lgbt/2016/02/25/3753530/missouri-catholic-employment-discrimination/

HRC Mississippi Meets with Local Gay Straight Alliance to Empower LGBTQ and Allied Youth

HRC Mississippi Meets with Local Gay Straight Alliance to Empower LGBTQ and Allied Youth

Earlier this month, HRC Mississippi Faith Organizer Daniel Ball and I had the privilege of speaking with Clinton High School’s Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) organization.

Clinton High, which is located in Clinton, Mississippi, is the alma mater of HRC supporter Lance Bass.

An overwhelming 100 students showed up for the meeting, all of whom were extremely engaged and interested in the issues.  They asked questions about anti-LGBT bills and our work in Mississippi. 

Additionally, several students asked very practical questions about coming out and family support and acceptance.

Needless to say, we were overwhelmed and touched by the experience.  We left the school that day excited about the future of our state with young people like these leading the way.

As young people push to attain the goals of the LGBTQ community in schools and on their campuses, HRC is working to provide tools, facilitate connections with other LGBT student activists across the country and empower youth to fight for LGBT equality on campus and beyond.

HRC Mississippi is proud to be a part of this work. To learn more about our work in the Magnolia state, click here.

To get the tools you need to fight for LGBT equality on campus and beyond, click here.

www.hrc.org/blog/hrc-mississippi-meets-with-local-gay-straight-alliance-to-empower-lgbtq-and?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss-feed

Mississippi State sports Periscope live chat at 6 p.m.

Mississippi State sports Periscope live chat at 6 p.m.
Mississippi State sports Periscope live chat at 6 p.m. The Clarion-Ledger’s Michael Bonner talks all things Mississippi State on Periscope at 6 p.m. Check out this story on clarionledger.com: on.thec-l.com/1QI34xU

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