From
the
opening
moments
of
the
second
annual
State
of
Black
Gay
America
summit
Aug.
30,
it
was
clear
that
this
year’s
event
would
exceed
the
success
of
the
inaugural
event
in
2007.
“I
am
an
endangered
species,
but
I
sing
no
victim
song,”
actress
and
singer
Sheryl
Lee
Ralph
belted
as
she
took
the
stage
at
the
Renaissance
Hotel
to
deliver
the
keynote
address.
“I
am
a
singer,
I
am
an
artist,
and
I
know
where
my
voice
belongs,”
Ralph
continued,
singing
the
opening
line
of
her
one-woman
show
“Sometimes
I
Cry,”
which
looks
at
the
impact
of
HIV/AIDS
on
women.
Ralph’s
deep,
powerful
voice
brought
summit
attendees
to
their
feet,
and
gave
the
event
an
energy
and
passion
that
it
lacked
last
year.
A
former
star
in
the
original
Broadway
cast
of
“Dreamgirls,”
Ralph
is
a
longtime
AIDS
activist
who
talked
about
being
drawn
to
the
cause
during
the
early
days
of
the
epidemic.
“All
of
the
great
things
we
did
[with
‘Dreamgirls’],
but
nobody
ever
mentions
that
we
lost
one-third
of
our
original
company
to
that
disease,”
Ralph
said
in
an
emotional
speech.
“People
have
forgotten,
they
have
forgotten
what
is
was
like
when
men
just
dropped
dead.”
While
offering
her
full-fledged
support
of
gay
rights
issues
at
the
summit,
Ralph
also
bemoaned
how
relatively
small
the
event
was
considering
the
crowds
gathered
in
Atlanta
for
Black
Gay
Pride
during
Labor
Day
weekend.
“The
[HIV
rate]
has
now
[increased]
and
we
have
done
nothing,”
Ralph
said.
“We
have
not
said
anything,
we
have
not
done
anything;
but
last
night,
thousands
and
thousands
of
people
got
their
swerve
on,
got
their
drink
on,
and
thousands
made
that
hook-up,
and
quite
a
few
will
leave
here
with
a
gift.
“Why
does
that
happen?”
she
continued.
“Today,
when
it’s
about
dialogue,
they’re
not
here.
We
have
some
business
we
need
to
take
care
of.”
However,
the
crowd
at
the
second
annual
State
of
Black
Gay
America
was
far
larger
than
in
2007,
with
between
150-200
people
attending.
“Sheryl
Lee
Ralph
was
just
amazing,
and
the
entire
program
was
like
something
I’ve
never
been
exposed
to,”
said
Jonathan
Levi,
who
traveled
from
Columbia,
S.C.,
to
attend
Black
Gay
Pride.
“It
means
so
much
to
hear
someone
have
your
back
the
way
she
does,
and
to
be
with
black
gay
people
who
are
looking
to
do
things
in
the
community.
This
is
what
I
think
of
when
I
think
of
what
Pride
should
be.”
STRONG
YEAR
DESPITE
STRUGGLES
Although
attendance
estimates
were
not
available
by
press
time,
the
crowds
were
as
large
as
ever
at
Black
Gay
Pride
events
throughout
the
weekend,
which
inspired
In
The
Life
Atlanta,
which
helps
organize
Black
Gay
Pride.
“ITLA
and
all
of
the
organizations
who
helped
to
organize
Black
Gay
Pride
events,
I
think
have
turned
an
important
and
critical
corner,”
said
Anaré
Holmes,
ITLA
board
secretary.
“It’s
kind
of
like
a
hairdo
—
you
keep
styling
it
and
styling
it
until
you
get
it
right.”
ITLA’s
opening
ceremony
at
the
W
Hotel
got
Black
Gay
Pride
weekend
started
on
a
high
note,
featuring
a
welcome
proclamation
from
Atlanta
Mayor
Shirley
Franklin,
performances
by
local
musicians
such
a
Rahbi,
and
a
surprise
visit
from
rising
star
Janelle
Monae.
Like
Ralph,
Monae
pledged
to
be
a
strong
ally
for
black
gay
men
and
lesbians,
who
she
called
“bold
and
fearless”
for
living
their
lives
openly
and
honestly.
“We
were
able
to
highlight
some
of
the
best
artists
in
Atlanta,”
Holmes
said.
“We
were
really
happy
to
kick
up
the
opening
ceremonies
a
notch.”
Numerous
workshops
were
held
throughout
the
weekend,
but
many
were
sparsely
attended.
A
workshop
titled
“The
Politics
of
Inclusion,”
coming
on
the
heels
of
the
Democratic
National
Convention
and
the
historic
speech
by
Barack
Obama,
the
first
black
presidential
candidate
on
a
major
ticket,
attracted
nobody
and
was
canceled.
Approximately
25
women
of
color
attended
a
workshop
titled
“The
Impact
of
Homophobia
&
Racism
on
the
GLBTQ
Youth
of
Color,”
where
they
shared
personal
stories
of
coming
out.
“When
I
went
to
college
[in
Las
Vegas],
I
joined
a
GLBT
group
where
there
were
30
Caucasians
and
two
black
people,”
said
presenter
Rasheeda
Ladd.
“I
could
not
identify
with
them
—
they
talked
about
issues
that
I
could
not
relate
to
as
a
black
lesbian.
Youth
need
tailored
resources,
especially
GLBT
youth
of
color.”
Holmes
considers
the
success
of
Black
Gay
Pride
particularly
encouraging
considering
the
difficulties
ITLA
faced
during
the
past
few
months,
including
finishing
2007
in
the
red
and
allegations
of
embezzlement
by
its
former
treasurer.
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