Who Speaks 4 the Black LGBT Community

So that is the question i pose on facebook and wow what a response i got to the question. But in all truth and honesty i wanted to see what people would say for a future town hall meeting thats taking place here in DC on Thursday Aug 20 at the Reeves Center from 630-830pm with this being the focal point of the COMMUNITY TALK! Below are the responses to the question.






Steven G Fullwood
you.

Andre Allen
@steven i cant take that credit

Derek Stewart
Us all.


Alan Sharpe
And Steven...

Andre Allen
@derek so there is not one person of few people that are not leaders of the community that speak 4 us?

Steven G Fullwood
i don't believe in leaders. just folk. so that's what i mean by you. so yes, derek, us all.


Kraig Ronald Scott
No ONE

Andre Allen
@steven why no leader. shouldnt someone step up and out? just being devils advocate here

Kevin Bernard
You can do it Andre,but we have larger issues,besides being HOMO's

Steven G Fullwood
the framework that supports the type of "leadership" we've witnessed and have been abused by for the last, say, 600 years and more, has been more about war than peace. at this juncture, empowering everyone in the village might prove more useful. patriarchy, among other isms, presupposes that that one need a leader, a one, a theocratic sensibility ... Read Morewhere it becomes more about ego than the spiritual well-being of the community. fuck a leader. i need a village's support. and frankly what leaders traditionally do is let a great deal of the very people who elected them be abused by a system built on lies and oppression.


Kraig Ronald Scott
@ Andre, NO, because for most people, GAY is only a PART of who they are , not a majority of who they are, thus most people don't feel the need to speak up for something that isn't a significant representation for who they are.Prime example, I don't classify myself as GAY, because to me, GAY is a lifestyle, not a mentality...I don't live a gay lifestyle. I engage in "masculine" behaviors and activities. The only difference is I sleep with members of the same-sex.

Kevin Bernard
@Kraig you are a genius


Andre Allen
@kraig this is so true. just seein whats people thoughts are @steven i totally agree with u


Felipe Blige
I agree with kraig.


Rodney Snell
Steven beat me to the appropriate response. That's why I appreciate him and you for considering the question.

Derek Stewart
Men who have sex with other men, regardless of how they classify themselves, have specific and unique issues which impact them collectively. The question of leadership is important because the larger society will not address these unique issues if no one is pressing them to do so.

Andre Allen
@derek so should we be using labels to claddify who we are in this supposed "community"

Derek Stewart
Really. Who cares? Black men are killing each other with their fists and/or dicks. I know. A little over the top. But the numbers don't lie. The people out there fighting this battle for greater access to healthcare, substance and mental health services, for men who have sex with other men could care less how we label each ourselves. The more important conversation is how do we individually and collectively build a community where we are not the instruments of our own destruction.


Kevin Bernard
@Derek,what do you mean by killing w/ dicks???,That is very homophobic to say&one of the reasons,ppl dont get TESTED,cause of these acidity STATEMENTS


Derek Stewart
Look HIV is not spread through casual contact. If black men who sleep with black men have one of the highest incidences of HIV in the world then we have to own up to this and do something about it. Hand holding and walking on egg shells and demanding a quiet and quaint conversation is not gonna cut it. People don't get tested because they are either uninformed on the benefits of knowing ones status or they just don't care about themselves or others.

Andre Allen
@derek interesting


Kevin Bernard
Now that sounds intelligent ,Derek,.......not that other statement,thanks for not flying off the handle


Derek Stewart
I know I was being provocative when I made the earlier statement. But I fear that we are not engaged in the fight for our own self preservation.


Kevin Bernard
That is correct,but EGGSHELLS work w/ the majority of ppl I come across,once you can convince ppl they can survive this,w/proper MEDS,but we tend to cover UP a lot in "BLACK ISSUES"I am tempted to go on but I'll stop