Famous queer/lesbian African American women

This year for Black History month, on Old(er) Lesbians, the Facebook page I founded and co-administer, we posted a photo and brief summary each day of February celebrating and honoring notable out lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer African American women past and present. I've re-posted it all here. Enjoy!

1. Wanda Sykes

For day one, here is Comedian Wanda Sykes, who is out and proud, and married with two kids!


2. Seimone Augustus

For day two, here is WNBA superstar and Olympic gold medalist Seimone Augustus with her fiancé Lataya Varner. Last year they were Grand Marshals for Twin Cities Pride and helped to support the defeat of the MN anti gay marriage amendment.


3. Audre Lorde

For day three we celebrate the late, great Audre Lorde. A fiercely out poet, writer, feminist, activist - her legacy lives on. If you want to learn more about her, and good place to start is "Zami: A New Spelling of My Name."


4. Ruthie Foster

For day four, here is the amazing, out, folk and blues singer/songwriter Ruthie Foster. Known for incredible live performances, her albums are also fantastic. If you don't know Ruthie, check out her music! She lives in Austin, Texas with her partner and their child.


5. Barbara Jordon

On day five we honor the late, great Barbara Jordan. Known best as the first southern African American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, she also served as a Texas State Senator, was a lawyer, civil rights activist, and a professor. She achieved all this while battling M.S. Intensely private about her personal life, she never publicly stated she was a lesbian (being out would have surely prevented her career as a politician), but her long-time partner Nancy Earl was listed in Jordan's obituary.


6. Angela Davis

 On day six we celebrate the fierce activist, author and professor Angela Davis. In the 60s she first became known for her close ties with the Black Panther Party and membership in the Communist Party. She has been a life long champion of the rights of the oppressed including radical prison reform, civil rights, women, class and poverty. She publicly came out in the 90s. She currently teaches at the University of California, Santa Cruz.


7. Marsha P. Johnson

For day seven we honor Marsha P Johnson, transgender rights activist and popular figure in New York City's gay and art scene from the 1960s to the 1990s. Johnson was a leader in clashes with the police amid the Stonewall Riots. She was a co-founder, along with Sylvia Rivera, of Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries (S.T.A.R.) in the early 1970s. She also was the "mother" of S.T.A.R. House along with Sylvia, getting together food and clothing to help support the young drag queens and trans women living in the house on the Lower East Side of New York. (Source - Out for Equity, St Paul MN Public Schools)


8. Meshell Ndegeocello

For day eight we celebrate the incomparable and openly bi/queer Meshell Ndegeocello. From the release of her first album Plantation Lullabies to her current album Pour une Âme Souveraine: A Dedication to Nina Simone, she has brought her unique mix of funk, blues, jazz, R&B, rock and more to us. Known for her deep songwriting, sultry vocals and mean bass guitar, she is one bad sister!

9. Barbara Smith

For day nine we honor and take our hats off to Barbara Smith, who was a key leader in defining and building Black feminist lesbianism in the 1970s and 80s. She was a founder of the Combahee River Collective, created to build and sustain a framework for a black feminist lesbian political organizing and activism. She was one of the founders of the Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press and wrote the sentinel "Toward a Black Feminist Consciousness." She continues her work as an activist and organizer today.

Alice Walker (second post for day 9)

 We have to post a second photo today in honor of Alice Walker's 69th birthday. She has openly discussed her bisexuality and relationship with Tracy Chapman (though Tracy has never publicly stated her sexuality). Thank you, Alice Walker, for revolutionary petunias, the color purple, your search for Zora Neale Hurston, womanism and so much more!

10. Cheryl Dunye

For day ten we celebrate out filmaker and actor Cheryl Dunye. Her first feature film was The Watermelon Woman, which explored the history of Black lesbians in film. She also directed Strangers Inside, about the experiences of African American lesbians in prison. She directed and co-wrote The Owls, about a group of "Older, Wiser Lesbians" who accidentally kill a younger woman and try to cover it up. Check out her work if you 
haven't already!

11. Mabel Hampton 

For day 11 we honor Mabel Hampton. Born in 1902, she lived her life as an out and proud lesbian, and was in a 46 year partnership with Lillian Foster. She was an activist for the rights of African Americans, women, and the LGBT community up until her death in 1989. She founded the Lesbian Herstory Archives in 1974. In 1979, she marched in the first National Gay and Lesbian March on Washington. So much more here: http://www.qualiafolk.com/2011/12/08/mabel-hampton/

12. Bessie Smith, Gladys Bentley, Ma Rainey, Zora Neale Hurston, Josephine Baker, Alberta Hunter

For day 12 we honor a group of amazing women, all artists during/around the Harlem Renaissance period (1920s) and long after. All either "rumored to be, admitted to, didn't hide, never said" that they were lesbian or bisexual, and we proudly claim today. Pictured here: Bessie Smith, Gladys Bentley, Ma Rainey, Zora Neale Hurston, Josephine Baker, Alberta Hunter. Here's Ma Rainey's "Prove it on me Blues" to celebrate these incredible artists: 

13. Linda Villarosa

For day 13 we celebrate Linda Villarosa, a journalist, author and editor. She has written for numerous magazines, has a column on AfterEllen called “Outside the Lines,” and is a regular contributor to The Root. She was twice editor for Essence magazine - where she came out in the 1990s. Her books include "Passing for Black" and "Body & Soul: The Black Women’s Guide to Physical Health and Emotional Well-being." She lives in New York with her partner and two children.

14. Mandy Carter

On day 14 we give extra love to Mandy Carter, who has organized for social justice, racial equality, and LGBTQ rights for more than four decades. In 1993, she was one of the co-founders of the amazing Southerners On New Ground (SONG), which works to build progressive movements across the South by developing transformative models of organizing that connect race, class, culture, gender, and sexual identity. One of many of her accomplishments. Read more here.

15. Octavia Butler

For day 15 we honor Octavia Butler, one of the greatest writers of our time. She was a science fiction writer, but her work was popular beyond the genre. Her books are astounding. She won a MacArthur genuis grant in 1995 and many Hugo and Nebula awards. She never stated her sexuality, but some articles suggest she was possibly lesbian or asexual. Whatever the truth may be, she certainly explored sexuality among many issues 

in her writing. If you don't know her work, start with Fledgling.

16. June Jordan

For day 16 we honor June Jordan, passionate poet, writer, professor and activist in the civil rights, feminist, antiwar and GLBT movements. June Jordan was openly bisexual and the author of more than twenty-five major works of poetry, fiction and essays, and many children's books. She died of breast cancer in 2002, but continues to inspire and challenge through her work and legacy.

17. Staceyann Chin

For day 17 we celebrate the out, fierce, spoken word poet, author, and activist Staceyann Chin. She first became known as a slam poet, including in the famed Nuyorican Poets Cafe. She was born in Jamaica and lives in New York. Her memoir, "The Other Side of Paradise" is a must read. She has one young daughter, born in 2012.

18. Linda Tillery

For day 18 we celebrate singer and percussionist Linda Tillery. Many lesbians were introduced to her during her time with Olivia Records, but she has been a prolific musician since the mid 60s. In addition to her albums and live performances, she is known for her work in musical preservation, In 1992, she formed the Cultural Heritage Choir, a Grammy nominated, percussion driven, vocal ensemble whose mission is to preserve and share the rich musical traditions of African American roots music. Fascinating article here.


19. Andrea Jenkins

For day 19 we celebrate Andrea Jenkins, an award winning poet, writer, performance artist and community activist. She has two chapbooks and was published in the anthology Gender Outlaws II: The Next Generation. When asked how she identifies, she said, "I am an African American, Transgender, GenderQueer woman." Andrea is the senior policy aide to a Minneapolis City Council member and serves on many local boards 


20. Pat Parker

For day 20 we honor poet and fierce activist Pat Parker. She was part of the Black Feminist Lesbian movement. She was a member of the Black Panther Movement, toured with Varied Voices of Black Women, founded the Black Women's Revolutionary Council, and contributed to the formation of the Women's Press Collective. She was also a contributor to This Bridge Called by Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color. She was just 45 when she died of breast cancer in 1989.


21. Lorraine Hansberry

For day 21 we honor playwright, author and activist Lorraine Hansberry. She is best know for "Raisin the the Sun," the first play written by an African American woman to be produced on Broadway. Though she was married until just before her death in 1965, she had begun to claim her identity as a lesbian in a 1957 letter to a lesbian periodical, The Ladder. She also joined joined the country’s first-ever lesbian political organization, the Daughters of Bilitis. She was just 35 when she died of cancer but her legacy lives on. Fascinating article here. 


22. Jewelle Gomez

For day 22 we celebrate Jewelle Gomez, who is an author, playwright, poet, and activist. She worked in public television and philanthropy for many years. Her book The Gilda Stories, published in 1991, is an amazing lesbian feminist vampire story about an escaped slave who comes of age over 200 years. She has published several other books and her work has appeared in many anthologies and magazines.

23. Cheryl Clarke

For day 23 we celebrate writer, poet, and activist Cheryl Clarke. Part of the Black Feminist Lesbian movement, her books include Experimental Love, Living as a Lesbian, and Narratives: Poems in the Tradition of Black Women. Her poems and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies including Persistent Desire: A Butch-Femme reader. She is an academic and served in various roles at Rutgers University, where she also received her PhD.

24. Carol Mobley

For day 24 we celebrate Carolyn Mobley. She was the first woman to co-chair the African-American Lesbian/Gay Alliance, which was a smaller part of the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays. She was raised a devout Christian in a petite, segregated Florida municipality. But her Baptist Church condoned her lesbian sexuality despite her work as a Christian educator. The organization served to bridge the gap between the civil rights movement and the LGBT movement. She is an ordained minister in the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches. She and her partner Minister Adrian Bowie created the Ministry of Inspiration.

25. Toshi Reagon

For day 25 we celebrate the amazing Toshi Reagon. She is a singer/songwriter and has been performing for over 20 years. The is the daughter of Bernice Johnson Reagon, who founded Sweet Honey in the Rock. Her band BIGlovely is a favorite at Mich Fest and other festivals and venues. She lives in Brooklyn with her partner and daughter.


26. Karen Williams

For day 26 we celebrate the hilarious standup and out comedian Karen Williams. Featured in the award-winning comedy/documentary We're Funny That Way, and in Logo's Laughing Matters. She's worked as a comedy writer and is the former television host of the New York variety show In the Life. 


27. Tracy Chapman, Joan Armatrading, Queen Latifah

For day 27 we celebrate three amazing musicians and performers who are rumored to be, reported to be, probably are, others have said they are, but to our knowledge have never publicly said, "Yes I am." We love them anyway. They have a huge lesbian fan base and they can be as public or private about their lives as they want to be! Big ups (and swoons) for Tracy Chapman, Joan Armatrading, and Dana Owens (Queen Latifah).


28. President Barack Obama

For the last day of our Black History month celebration we salute President Barack Obama for his support of the LGBTQ community and the steps he has taken to protect gay and lesbian people and same-sex couples. In May 2012, he became the first president of the United States to voice his personal support for the freedom to marry, and in the weeks leading up to the November 2012 election, he weighed in on four ballot initiatives - the campaigns to win marriage in Maine, Maryland and Washington and to block an anti-gay amendment in Minnesota - and urged people to support marriage for same-sex couples. He has made clear time and again - in his inauguration speech last month, when he announced that he thought the so-called Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional - that he supports same-sex couples, their families, and their marriages. We appreciate and applaud his support and urge him to continue his positive steps toward improving the lives of LGBTQ people and their families. 

Photo caption: Because of her work on LGBT equality as the Executive Director of OutFront Minnesota, Monica Meyer (right) was invited to a White House holiday celebration. Monica brought her wife, Michele Steinwald. What this photo does not show is that the nervous guests chatted too much and both hugged Michelle Obama when she reached her hand out for a handshake. I think they are smiling a little extra in the photo because of the follies.