When we believe in ourselves enough to come out of the closet and be open about who we are as black gay men and lesbians, our community not only accepts us, they respect us more. For many march participants, last Monday was the first time they had ever seen black homosexuals openly, visibly and unabashedly acknowledging themselves as a part of the black community. Given the opportunity to succumb to peer pressure prejudice, they took the high road and greeted our participation. They know that the battle for black liberation requires many soldiers, and in this army, at least, gays are welcome in the military. What happened on the Mall that day was the beginning of a revolution in our thinking as black people and as black gay people.
Black men loving black men is a revolutionary act.
In a culture whose popular music and film glorify blacks' violence toward other blacks, the simple act of loving our brothers as brothers becomes an act of rebellion against fratricide. Unfortunately, the disease will continue to take a toll on our community so long as black people and our so-called leaders remain too afraid to address publicly issues of sex, sexuality and sexual orientation.