MESSAGEFall 2015 MESSAGE Fall 2015 EDITOR AND PUBLISHER Jeffrey C� King ART DIRECTOR Alan Bell 6 8 PHOTOGRAPHY Jeffrey C� King Greg McNeal BOARD OF DIRECTORS Joel Byrd, M�D� Garry Gregory Jeffrey C� King Roger Quinney, Ph�D� 14 19 Earl Wooten ON THE COVER #Brothafest a Great Success! Staff and volunteers of In The Meantime by Jeffrey King ���������������������������� 3 Double-Consciousness by David Crittendon 4 Message is published quarterly by In The Meantime Who Can Qualify Your Quality? Men’s Group, Inc�, 2146 W� Adams Blvd�, Los Angeles, by Gerald Garth ��������������������������� 6 California 90018-2039� Mailing address: P�O� Box 29861, Los Angeles, California Same-Sex Marriage 90029-0861, 323-733-4868, inthemeantimemen@aol�com, by Maurice Jamal �������������������������� 8 www�inthemeantimemen� by Jayce Baron ���������������������������� 9 org, Facebook: Jeffrey KIng� by Curt D. Thomas ������������������������ 10 © 2015 In The Meantime Men’s Group, Inc� All rights by Patrik-Ian Polk ������������������������� 10 reserved� The slogan “Creating Unity Breathe by C. Jerome Woods ������������� 11 and Affirming Our Common Bond” is a trademark of In The Meantime Men’s Group, Inc� Views and opinions Our Love Is Worth Protecting expressed in this publication by Jeffrey King ��������������������������� 12 are not necessarily those of In The Meantime Men’s Group, Inc� Publication of the name or photograph of a person Black Gay Novel Is Set in Jamaica does not indicate the sexual orientation or HIV status of by Max-Arthur Mantle ��������������������� 14 the person or necessarily constitute an endorsement of In The Meantime Men’s Group, Post-Same-Sex Marriage by Victor Yates � 16 Inc� or its policies� Message is designed for educational purposes only and is not Black Gay Novel Is Set in L.A. engaged in rendering medical advice or professional by Frederick Smith ������������������������ 18 services� Some photographs in this publication use professional models� Brothafest ������������������������������� 19 STATEMENT FROM THE FOUNDER #Brothafest a Great Success! By Jeffrey C. King elcome to the third-quarter edition of Message. We are Wthe face and voice of the West Coast Black LGBT Community� This edition of Message will provide visual highlights from Brothafest, 4th of July, Los Angeles Black LGBT Pride Weekend� We will experience some of our nation’s leaders’ initial responses to the Supreme Court ruling on same- sex marriage� It is summertime in California, and from coast to coast we are in the middle of what is already proving to be an exceptional time for celebration� The weather is sunny, the skies are blue, the water is welcoming, mar- riage is the law of the land, and pride celebrating Black LGBT artists and celebrations are in full effect� California wines, held at the home The inaugural launch of Brotha- of In The Meantime, The Carl Bean fest was a great success� The energy House� was high as the City of Angels took As founder and executive direc- flight and soared to EPIX heights� tor of In The Meantime, LA’s premier Working closely with my brother, Ivan Black gay men’s wellness organiza- Daniel III, together we coordinated tion, co-founder of Brothafest and cre- what will go down in the annals of Los ator and editor of Message, I couldn’t Angeles history as one of the most be more proud to live, work, and play eventful pride weekend celebrations in the City of Angels� All hail LA! to remember� Highlights included our A very special thank you to our Thursday Grown and Sexi opening Brothafest sponsors: Macy’s, AIDS reception, swank Speakeasy in Holly- Healthcare Foundation, and In the wood, our Friday night celebration, Meantime� Visit www�brothafest�com� All White Party in Beverly Hills, our Saturday night EPIX Celebration at Jeffrey C. King is Founder and Executive the historic Catch One night club, and Director of In The Meantime Men’s Group, our closing event, Wine and Words, Inc. Fall 2015 | Message | 3 PRESERVING HER/HIS STORY Double- Consciousness WHY THE BLACK LGBT PROJECT’S TIME HAS COME By David Crittendon community: our psychic home� The Black Lesbian Gay Bisexual �E�B� DuBois, one of the Transgendered Project addresses twentieth century’s greatest these issues through affirming the Wthinkers and a tireless principle of following one's nature, be advocate for Black liberation, coined that gay, straight, or any combination the phrase double-consciousness of those impulses� Founder C� Jerome in his book, The Souls of Black Folk, first published in 1903� Double- consciousness refers to the condition of being both American and Negro� “It is a peculiar sensation, this double-consciousness, this sense of always looking at one’s self through the eyes of others ... without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of opportu- nity closed roughly in his face�” It can be successfully argued that DuBois‘ brilliant analysis is much less true in 2015 due to the unceasing ef- fort toward equality that transformed the twentieth century� Nevertheless, it is still relevant to the dilemma many black same-gender-loving persons face in relation to being both Black and gay� As same-gender-loving people, we are misunderstood, os- tracized, and hurt because being our true gay selves is filled with risk and, too often, danger within the black 4 | Message | Fall 2015 Woods echoed this principle in a 2012 identified Black LGBT art� interview: “It is very rare that you find an “Being Black and being gay, artist that is gay, Black, out and doing it’s hard to say which came first� In work that speaks to his experiences my own persona, I just feel gay, that seldom that you find his (her) experi- comes from the God given� Later you ences�” says Duane Paul, Sculptor come to realize the power and pres- The Black LGBT Project's collec- ence of being black, which also can tion is located at Mayme A� Clayton be an avenue to being accepted� So Library & Museum in Culver City, many doors have opened� Ninety-five California, where former Executive percent of my experience has been Director, Larry Earl, Jr�, recognized positive from L�A� to Johannesburg� the importance of acknowledging and Being gay is just wonderful to me� celebrating the entire Black com- Without it I would have had a more munity� Chaitra Powell, a museum difficult life� I don’t think I would have fellow and a visiting archivist, recently been as compassionate, accepting of finished cataloging the first run of re- love, aware of my surroundings and pository materials� To date, local and familial relationships�” international researchers, university The Black LGBT Project was students, community members, and created to collect and safeguard organizations—such as L�A� Pride & materials from Black lesbian, gay, Promote, Los Angeles Department bisexual, same-gender-loving, of Cultural Affairs, and West Holly- queer, intersexual, and transgender wood's “One City, One Pride”—have history and existence� There was no been able to access and use these central place where the black same- artifacts in their own presentations� sex experience was honored and On behalf of the Black LGBT recognized� So much information has Project, Woods hopes you, your been lost due to family disapproval, friends, and your family will pass faith-based issues/concerns, and the word that our histories and lives devaluation of the lives represented must be preserved� There is now by gay-related materials� a place for your photos, artwork, Woods is the prophetic voice of writings, stories, films, memorabilia, awareness� He tells us our lives are organizational records, and books� precious and fleeting, our accom- The Project actively seeks volunteers plishments and creations easily lost or to assist in the sorting, cataloging, destroyed when we are no longer here preservation, and presentation of our to treasure them� history� Please join us� The day that “You need to go to your closets, Du Bois worked so tirelessly to bring go into your garages, find some mate- about is within reach if we are willing rials, give me some history ... We have to make it real� skills and the ability, and I think we “The lives and contributions of first and foremost should recognize Black LGBT persons and their signifi- each other and acknowledge each cant others matter!” says Woods� other�” The Black LGBT project under David Crittendon, M.A., a member of the Woods' direction has successfully Black LGBT Project, is a writer and musi- partnered with ONE Institute, In the cian based in Los Angeles. Crittendon has Meantime Men’s Group, Mayme A� been published in CSULA's literary journal, Clayton Library & Museum, the Village Statement Magazine, and the collection, Lost Highway/ A Blues Poetry Anthology, at Ed Gould Plaza, Lucy Florence Lummox Press. Coffeehouse, and William Grant Still C. Jerome Woods can be reached at Arts Center� The last two venues were [email protected] chaste. sites for the first major exhibitions of [email protected]. Fall 2015 | Message | 5 BEING THE BOSS Who Can Qualify Your Quality? By Gerald Garth was having coffee with a new friend, Vanessa, and our I conversation drifted to the “boss” mentality� So many people are convinced they are at—or are aspiring to—executive level or CEO status� Many times the mentality depends upon being in charge or having nice things or people “liking” you� But she and I agreed that a boss is a boss before he has any subordinates, expensive things, or even overall support� Most CEOs will speak to times of sacrifice, determination, and said that seeds