Friday, April 23, 2010

Know Your LGBT History - Strange Fruit




Usually during my Know Your LGBT History segments, I talk about past images of lgbts in the media.

This one is not necessarily an old image but I consider it special. I saw bits and pieces of this movie, Strange Fruit (2004), this morning while getting ready for work.

And I was enthralled by it. It tells the story of a black gay successful attorney returning to his home town to solve the mystery of a long ago lynching of a friend.

I caught only a little bit of the movie, especially the ending.

And trust me when I say it's original, thought-provoking, and exactly the kind of antidote for movies like Soul Plane. It's about time a movie portrayed a black gay man as a human being and not a comedic prop.

I'm going to own this movie one day.

Past Know Your LGBT History postings

Know Your LGBT History - Designing Women

Know Your LGBT History - The Children's Hour

Know Your LGBT History - Sylvester

Know Your LGBT History - Once Bitten

Know Your LGBT History - The Boys in the Band

Know Your LGBT History - Christopher Morley, the crossdressing assassin

Know Your LGBT History - Midnight Cowboy

Know Your LGBT History - Dracula's Daughter

Know Your LGBT History - Blacula

Know Your LGBT History - 3 Strikes

Know Your LGBT History - Paris Is Burning

Know Your LGBT History - The Women

Know your LGBT History - Soul Plane

Know Your LGBT History - The Player's Club

Special Know Your LGBT History - Fame

Know Your LGBT History - Welcome Home, Bobby

Know Your LGBT History - Barney Miller

Know your lgbt history - The Jerry Springer Show

Know your lgbt history - Martin Lawrence and that 'gay guy' on his show

Know your lgbt history - The Ricki Lake Show

Know your lgbt history - Which Way Is Up

Know your lgbt history - Gays in Primetime Soaps

Know your lgbt history - Boys Beware

Know your lgbt history - The Boondocks

Know your lgbt history - Mannequin

Know your lgbt history - The Warriors

Know Your LGBT History - New York Undercover

Know Your LGBT History - Low Down Dirty Shame

Know Your LGBT History - Fortune and Men's Eyes

Know your lgbt history - California Suite

Know your lgbt history - Taxi (Elaine's Strange Triangle)

Know your lgbt history - Come Back Charleston Blue

Know your lgbt history - James Bond goes gay

Know your lgbt history - Windows

Know your lgbt history - To Wong Foo and Priscilla

Know your lgbt history - Blazing Saddles

Know your lgbt history - Sanford and Son

Know your lgbt history - In Living Color

Know your lgbt history - Cleopatra Jones and her lesbian drug lords

Know your lgbt history - Norman, Is That You?

Know your lgbt history - The 'Exotic' Adrian Street

Know your lgbt history - The Choirboys

Know your lgbt history - Eddie Murphy

Know your lgbt history - The Killing of Sister George

Know your lgbt history - Hanna-Barbera cartoons pushes the 'gay agenda

'Know your lgbt history - Cruising

Know your lgbt history - Foxy Brown and Cleopatra Jones

Know your lgbt history - I Got Da Hook Up

Know your lgbt history - Fright Night

Know your lgbt history - Flowers of Evil

The Jeffersons and the transgender community 



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Andrea Lafferty takes time out to pick on Muslims, and other Friday midday news briefs

Kentucky Supreme Court Nixes Public Aid To Religious School - Discriminate against gays all you want, but don't expect to get lgbt tax money for the courtesy.

DADT protesters are 'starved for attention', says he who only has attention b/c of his war on gays - Pot, meet kettle. I bet Matt Barber googles his name every night to see who is talking about him.

Graham's Disinvitation Proof That Our Military Is Run By "Fundamentalist Muslims and Homosexual Activists" - Say what you want but if you disrespect ANY our fighting men and women, you are not being persecuted for facing the consequences. Andrea Lafferty adds her two cents in this piece. I guess one can't pick on lgbts all of the time.

Kevin Keller debuts as first openly gay character in Archie's Veronica Comics - And silly me thought they would explore the Moose/Dilton friendship.

Karen Ocamb Offers Good Background on The Kooky Traditional Values Coalition - More info on the hate group the Traditional Values Coalition.



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South Carolina Black Pride celebrates its fifth anniversary with ‘Nothing But Love’

South Carolina’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender of color community will be out and proud when SC Black Pride celebrate its fifth anniversary on June 24-27.

According to Sheila R. Hudson SC Black Pride Assistant Pride Director & Program Coordinator, the theme, “Nothing But Love” is very appropriate.

‘The broad motivation for this year’s South Carolina Black Pride is summed up by our theme, “Nothing But Love,” she said. “Despite those who claim Black LGBT citizens are ‘not natural,’ we stand up for and are driven by ‘nothing but love’ in all that we do. We deserve ‘nothing but love’ for being who we are and for the enormous contributions we make to South Carolina and American society.”

“Today is a life that we as a people have awakened to a new century, new ideas, new hope and new beginnings,” said Niece Brooks, SC Black Pride Vice President & Pride Director.

This year brings new faces to the SC Black Pride Board as well as new ideas to unite the community, including fundraisers, a film festival, and a family fun day.

The Family Fun Day, to be held on June 12th at Woodland Park, is a new idea that addresses the needs of an under served segment of South Carolina’s lgbt of color community - same gender loving households with children.

According to a report co-created by the National Black Justice Coalition and the Gay and Lesbian Task Force:

• many African-American same-sex couples are raising children, including biological and nonbiological children,

• black female same-sex households are as likely as black married opposite-sex households to live with a least one child of an adult parent, and

• Sumter, SC is one of the top 10 cities in the country for black same-sex households raising children.

Organizers feel that the Family Fun Day is crucial to show support to these families.

Pride Week in June will culminate with a Community Expo at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center and this will be a kind of a return to home for SC Black Pride because the organization held its first expo at the convention center. There will be food and entertainment, including a special observance of the late author E. Lynn Harris. Harris, who passed away last year, was the best selling author of many book dealing with the lives of the lgbt community of color, including Invisible Life, Just As I Am, and This Too Will Pass.

“Our purpose is to celebrate the often subjugated creativity, beauty, dignity, and brilliance of South Carolina’s Black LGBT community,” says Dr. Todd Shaw, Chair, of the SC Black Pride Committee. “The double whammies of racism and homophobia attack we same-gender loving sisters and brothers. And now’s the time the Black community understand how much we contribute to the larger freedom struggle and the larger society understand how much we contribute as loving mothers, fathers, teachers, preachers, and young leaders.”

Organizers anticipate a record 5,000 attendees to this year’s events.

All are welcomed and SC Black Pride is looking for more volunteers. To learn more about this Pride’s many empowering events (including becoming a vendor or a volunteer and advertising in the Pride Guide), refer to:

South Carolina Black Pride
P.O. Box 8191 
Columbia, SC 29202

or contact info@southcarolinablackpride.com

or Niece Brooks at (803) 608-5652


2010 SC Black Pride Events
(All events are in Columbia, South Carolina and are subject to change)


*** Pre-Pride Events ***

Saturday, April 24
A Sexy Evening of Elegance: For the Ladies and Their Friends,
$10 Admission
Clarion Hotel Downtown, 1615 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC, 29201; Music by D.J. Kelley-Kel, cash bar and Hor d’ourves, among many other surprises! 9 p.m. – 2 a.m.; $10 at the door.

Saturday, May 22nd
Young, Gifted, and Black: A Mini Film Festival 7 - 9 pm.,
Free Admission
University of South Carolina Campus, room 112, Sloan College, 911 Pickens Street, 29201, Free Admission but donations accepted.

Saturday, June 5th
“A Beautiful People Party (Co-Ed), 9 p.m. - 2 a.m.,
$10 admission
Club H2O, 220 State Street, West Columbia, SC, 29619; Music by D.J. Kelley-Kel; 9 p.m. – 2 a.m.; $10 at the door.

Saturday, June 12th
Play Day at the Park, 11 a.m.
Woodland Park, 6500 Olde Knight Parkway, Columbia, SC, 29209; Free Food, Family Fun, Games, & Sports; 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.; Free Admission

*** Pride Week ***
Thursday, June 24th
Welcome Reception, Free Admission
2000 Watermark Place, Columbia, SC 29210; cash bar and live entertainment; 7-9 p.m.;
Free Admission.

Friday, June 25th
MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) HIV Prevention Institute
"Evidence That Demands Action", Banquet and Conference Center, 1066 Sunset Blvd, West Columbia, SC , 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 pm,
$25 registration includes meals and materials but scholarships available. Please make checks or Postal Money Order payable to AID Upstate and mail to the attention of: Matt Jenkins S.C. DHEC, STD/HIV Division 1751 Calhoun St. Columbia, SC 29201 For additional information please contact Ra’Shawn Flournoy at 1-888-232-2310 or Matt Jenkins at (803) 898-0898

5th Anniversary Town Hall Dialogue - “Looking Back to Move Forward: Progress and the Black LGBT Community in South Carolina
University of South Carolina, Law School Auditorium, 701 Main Street, Columbia, SC, 29208; short film/presentation and panel discussion; 6 – 8:30 p.m.; Free Admission.

Saturday, June 26th
Community Expo! Free Admission
Vendors, Entertainment, Door Prizes
Columbia Metropolitan Community Convention Center, 1101 Lincoln St
Presidential Ballroom, Family entertainment, food, vendors; 11 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.; Free Admission.

(Featuring an observance of the 55th Birthday of E.Lynn Harris by Terreance Dean, Stanley Bennett Clay, and James Earl Hardy, co-authors of Visible Lives: Three Short Stories in Tribute to E. Lynn Harris. Panel moderated by Clarence Nero, author of The Temptation of Desire)

Sunday, June 27th
Community Worship Service, Free Admission, 3 p.m.
Presided by
Pastor Rashawn Flournoy, Freedom Worship Church of Columbia in conjunction with other affirming congregations of South Carolina. 7900 Nell Street, Columbia, SC, 29223 (Iglesia Luterana Manantial De); Free Admission.


Those wanting information on vendor rates at the Expo as well as ad rates for the 2010 Pride Guide can go here to the 2010_SC Black Pride Sponsorship package 


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