Crossing the Lines: An Intergenerational Conversation Between Black Gay Men
Imagine this, you are sitting in a room with 50 to 60 Black Gay men from around the country. They are from all walks of life and are showing up in beauty, love, passion, and intelligence . From young to old, all these amazing Black Gay men have come together to share their coming of age stories doing something that happens way too infrequently. They have intentionally created a space to engage in intergenerational discourse at the 2012 National African-American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS and Other Health Disparities.
The purpose of the space was to do something that hardly ever happens in the Black Gay community: engage in intergenerational dialogue about our Black & Gay identity. So many pillars within our community died at the epoch of the HIV/AIDs epidemic in the United States, which has left a gaping hole not only in our movement, the development of new leaders, but also at the every day level for many Black Gay men. The reality is is that the absence of so many powerful leaders has left a whole generation of young Black Gay youth without much needed mentorship, history of past failures and success, but also intergenerational community which is fundamental for the development of healthy relationships with others and creating and sustaining our movement.
The fact that the space was created shows that folks know what it means to not have the wisdom of those present anymore. That is why I was so touched that there was a space created within the conference for folks to share their experiences. Personal storying-telling is one of the most powerful tools for teaching, learning, and creating change and I certainly gained incredible insight from being in the space with those Black Gay men who have been around and witnessed the very first cases of HIV before it was even called that.
As I listened, I heard and could almost re-create what growing up in various parts of the country in the 60s and 70s was like. The detail and nostalgia was thick and intoxicating and every word conjured and image, a smell, an experience that was so mystical that one could only be humbled by the privilege of being in that space . The pleasure and pain of coming of age in the midst of racial integration and the sexual revolution was very much present in the discourse and was palpable in the space. The is mysticism in the room was ancient, ethereal, and ancestral that you knew the elders, the spirits, and the pillars of those who shoulders we stand on were present and pleased with that was occurring. To me, if the men sharing their stories where high priests, their words were burnt offerings, and what i’m trying to convey about the experience is mana from on high.
Every time that I think about the powerful experience that I shared with 60 other Black Gay men in that space, I am reminded of the power of absence and the creative energy of positive intentionality. I was just so fortunate to be in such a space.. There are so many life lessons learned and just having the older generation of men talking about those experiences really provided a deep, rich, history for my own understanding of my Black gayness. The absence of their stories from my personal journey and to the history of this country is deeply felt by myself and other Black Gay youth in this country. There needs to be more opportunities for us Black Gay youth to be in spaces with affirming, powerful, and accomplished African-American Gay men.
So, here are just a few of the quotes from this very powerful gathering.
Words of Wisdom/Insights
1. Cruising is an art form! [it required in-person engagement and connection, which sometimes is lost in the age social-sexual networking]
2. You have more options than any other generation of Black Gay men ever and what are you going to do with everything? [A charge and a challenge for all of use youngins in the space to really think about what will we do with our unique historical positionality]
3. You can do more by empowering someone than by overpowering them. [A voice from a one of the youngins toward the older folks in the space concerning their responsibility to today's youth and the calling out of ageism in the HIV/AIDS community]
At the end of the day, our professional interests brought us to the space, our common experiences is what kept us there, and the story-telling is what impacted our souls and fundamentally changed some of us at our core.
Fore more information about the National African-American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDs and Other Health Disparities, please click HERE.
