Guest Post: An Open Letter to Oprah Winfrey concerning the "Down Low"

The following was originally posted as a note on facebook by my friend and much respected colleague, Dr. David Malebranche. I watched the Oprah episode in question, and had many of the same concerns. There was some debate and responses … Continue reading read more »

Selling AIDS: Wiretap Mag On HIV Prevention Messaging

I recently met the author of this new piece on Wiretap Magazine called “Selling Ourselves: Questioning HIV Prevention Campaigns,” Kirk Grisham, through mutual friends and he’s a kindred spirit in trying to really push against all of the assumed narratives … Continue reading read more »

Why I Love & Hate Black Gays: Mariah & Janet Read the Divas!

I have recently been having a lot of conversations with Black women, particularly lesbian friends, about Black gay misogyny. Without going into grave detail (right now anyways), what are the ways in which black gay male performances of black women … Continue reading read more »

RIP: Shelton Jackson

I met Shelton once or twice. He was definitely someone we’ve lost too soon, at age 31 to complications from AIDS. He was featured a few year’s ago on The Body.com. Here’s a letter from one of his co-workers at … Continue reading read more »

Housing Works Update: Where Are All the Black Gay Men?

This article from Housing Works’ Weekly Update raises similar issues I raised in my op-ed for The Defenders Online about HIV/AIDS in the Black community, and the silence around Black gay men. Two weeks ago individuals and organizations across the … Continue reading read more »

Silence is KIlling Black Gays as Much as HIV

From The Defenders Online (the blog of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund). …28 years into the AIDS epidemic, that silence that once protected us, is now killing us. As we near Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on February 7th, all sorts … Continue reading read more »

New Orleans Violence #2: Two Black Gay Men, 1 Transgender Bodies ID'd

A few weeks ago, a friend in New Orleans, a Black gay man, emailed me about a very dustrubing scene. He was in the French Quarter, and ran into a young boy, no older than the age of 12, hustling … Continue reading read more »

World AIDS Day: We're Still Living With AIDS

(originally written for the NGLTF Policy Institute) December 1, 2008 8:40 am Today, many of us will dust off those red ribbons, and “remember” to remember the people who we’ve lost, and who are currently living with HIV/AIDS. Some of … Continue reading read more »

Stephanie Mills' "Home": So Black and So Gay!

If you’re a Black gay of the Classic Era (meaning you’re over 30, or at least have Classic Black Gay Sensibilities, or CBGS), you’ll know that Stephanie Mills‘ “Home” is really the Black gay anthem. The song, written for the … Continue reading read more »

Blacks, Gay Men At Highest Risk for HIV

The US Conference on AIDS has begun in Fort Lauderdale, unfortunately I couldn’t afford to go, but just as well because I am going to see my southern friends at Southerners on New Ground’s 15th Anniversary. But given the CDC’s … Continue reading read more »