Justin Soni Fashanu was Britain’s first black openly gay footballer to earn a £1 million transfer fees contract. Born in East London on February 19, 1961 to Pearl Lawrence, a British-Guyanese nurse, and Patrick Fashanu, a Nigerian barrister, Fashanu was one of the couple’s three … Read MoreJustin Soni Fashanu (1961-1998)
Sheryl Denise Swoopes is a retired American professional basketball player. She was the first player to be signed by the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) when it was formed in 1997. During her fourteen year WNBA career, she was a four-time WNBA champion and three-time … Read MoreSheryl Denise Swoopes (1971- )
Ramona Lofton, better known as Sapphire, is a self-admitted bisexual, novelist, poet, and performance artist. She gained prominence for her 1996 debut novel, Push, and other works that focus on the alarming realities of inner city life. Lofton was born on August 4, 1950 in … Read MoreRamona [“Sapphire”] Lofton (1950- )
Marco McMillian was known primarily as the first openly-gay African American man to seek mayoral office as a Democrat in his hometown of Clarksdale, Mississippi. On February 26, 2013, McMillian was found dead the age of 34, having been beaten, dragged, and burned. Little is … Read MoreMarco McMillian (1979-2013)
Don Carlton Lemon is a prominent, award-winning black television anchor in the United States. In 2011, he publicly came out as a gay man. In so doing, he became the most prominent African American journalist to announce his sexual orientation and was immediately considered a … Read MoreDon Lemon (1966- )
Billy Thomas Strayhorn was a black gay composer and arranger who influenced the American jazz movement with his pioneering efforts. While largely unknown in his lifetime, his complex arrangements and classical components continue to inspire generations of jazz musicians. His work has been translated into … Read MoreBilly Thomas Strayhorn (1915-1967)
Gladys Bentley (stage name, Bobbie Minton) was a Harlem Renaissance blues singer and cross dresser. She was one of the most well-known and financially successful black women in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. She was a pioneer in pushing the envelope of … Read MoreGladys Bentley (1907-1960)
Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD), founded in 1986 in New York City, is one of the oldest organizations working toward the welfare of black gay men in the United States. They began offering services for persons with AIDS toward the beginning of the US … Read MoreGay Men of African Descent (GMAD) (1986- )
Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ), founded in 1990, is one of the earliest and highly regarded LGBTI (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender-Intersex) advocacy organizations in Southern Africa. GALZ is the country’s only gay rights group and the first one in the nation to start HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns. The … Read MoreGays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe (GALZ) (1990- )
New York Times bestselling author Everette “E” Lynn Harris was born June 20, 1955, in Flint, Michigan. Openly homosexual, Harris was best known for his depictions of gay African American men who were concealing or “closeting” their sexuality. Although he did not participate in gay … Read MoreEverette “E” Lynn Harris (1955-2009)
