Now on to Harlem. Last week we focused on history. All of the readings used Harlem as a foundation for African American LGBT history. Now, we examine that period, using last weeks reading and this weeks poems. It is quite easy to say that if one were to look at the works and social interactions of Wallace Thurman, Bruce Nugent, Alice Dunbar-Nelson ( Read more... )

Before we can truly "sink our teeth" in the area of African American LGBT history, we must first examine the idea of African American history having "space" for gay folks. As Barbara Smith and Essex Hemphill point out, African American history has been seen as the redemptive quality of the race. It is that "selective and constructed history" that ( Read more... )

Based on one particular response, I decided to sidestep a bit from the readings ( Read more... )

According to Black, lesbian, feminist writer and scholar Barbara Smith, "Homophobia is the last oppression to be brought up and it will be the last to go." I, along with Smith, agree that homophobia is an "acceptable" hatred to act on or rather express. Still, as with racial, gender, and class oppression, homophobia is informed by a variety social ( Read more... )

This week's articles focus on the prioritizing of identities amongst African American LGBTs. Use your reading to answer the following question(s). From the articles this week, do you believe that African American LGBTs are forced to prioritize their identities as Black and Gay? How does one chose one identity over the other? Many in the Black ( Read more... )

Tyrell is a twenty-two-year-old African American man from the Nicetown-Tioga section of North Philadelphia. He looks like any other young man on the street on a hot summer afternoon. He is wearing a XXX-L white plain white T-shirt, oversized baseball cap, droppy jeans, and sneakers. But Tyrell is different. Tyrell says he is on the DL. He only " ( Read more... )

Several friends have asked me to post the weekly discussion questions from the current course that I am teaching. We are on Week 7, so I shall post each week seperately! I will add the weekly reading list below the questions. Enjoy -

Okay, I am assuming that you have pondered the History of Homosexuality as written by Fone. You have gone back and ( Read more... )

I am team-teaching a course on African American Gay and Lesbian Experience. We post discussion questions every Monday and Friday. I have decided to post some of these questions here to see what you all think ( Read more... )