Hidden Histories: Intersections of Black and LGBTQ History
Updated: May 2
If you're passionate about LGBTQ education, you've probably noticed how often our history gets overlooked or ignored. When it is shared, however, the overlap between LGBTQ history and Black History is often missed. This Black History Month, I want to shine a light on the lesser-known moments and remarkable Black figures that propelled the fight for Queer liberation forward.
The first piece of hidden history I want to cover is the Harlem Renaissance. As a staple of Black history in America, the Harlem Renaissance is celebrated as a cultural explosion of Black creativity. However, this era also has a notable connection to Queer history. As Henry Louis Gates Jr. noted in his book "The Black Man's Burden," the Harlem Renaissance "was surely as gay as it was black."
The Harlem Renaissance, known for figures like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, was also marked by a variety of lesser-known LGBTQ individuals like "Ma" Rainey and Gladys Bentley.
American blues singer "Ma" Rainey used her music to address love, sexuality, and the struggles of Black life in America. Beyond that, she earned recognition through her bold and unapologetic expression of female sexuality. Expressed in her recordings, such as “Prove It on Me Blues," she openly celebrated love between women. She also broke the status quo in many ways, even going so far as to openly pose in a “butch” style while flirting with women in her album’s ads. Through her work, she became a beautiful figure of love and defiance. Along with her contributions to the music world of Harlem, she earned the endearing title of the "Mother of the Blues" by her fans.
Gladys Bentley, on the other hand, presented audiences with her bold drag king presence on stage. As a captivating Black woman who loved other women, she embraced a highly unconventional style during the prohibition era. Her masculine persona defied gender conventions and made her a notable icon in the drag scene. With her striking voice and confident demeanor, she entertained and empowered countless individuals as a trailblazer in the Queer scene.
This period, like many Queer movements, was not without criticism. Members of the Black bourgeoisie believed the expressions of sexual freedom, embodied by artists like Rainey and Bentley, reinforced harmful stereotypes and hindered the overall progress of the black community. Despite the criticism, many argue
that Queer culture and artists undeniably left a mark on the Harlem Renaissance, shaping significant aspects of its legacy.
So, why aren’t more people talking about it? Unfortunately, this period is not known for its influence on Queer history due to the events that followed. The Harlem Renaissance came to an end with the onset of the Great Depression, and with it, the rise of conservative ideologies. The rise of conservatism, paired with the pre-existing tensions of the black bourgeoisie, led this era to be hidden and unacknowledged by the majority of Queer history.
On the other hand, the beginning of American Queer history typically is taught with the Stonewall Riots, more than 30 years after the Harlem Renaissance. The Stonewall riots occurred after a police raid on a gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. Fed up with the constant harassment, a large group of LGBTQ people fought back against the police, sparking protests that lasted for days. These riots are often attributed as the kickstart of the LGBTQ rights movement, leading to more activism and progress for LGBTQ rights. On the front lines of these riots was one especially notable Black woman in Queer history, Marsha P. Johnson. Likely fed up with the treatment of transgender individuals at the time, Johnson felt she had nothing to lose as she fought on the front lines of these riots.
Following the riots, Marsha “Pay it no mind” Johnson was also a founding member of the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activists Alliance, two influential LGBTQ activist organizations in New York City. She was also a co-founder of STAR, the Street Transvestite (Later Transgender) Action Revolutionaries, an organization that provided support and advocacy for homeless transgender youth and sex workers.
As arguably one of the most well-known individuals in the LGBTQ rights movement, Marsha P. Johnson's legacy continues to inspire and uplift LGBTQ individuals worldwide, and she is remembered as a fierce advocate for equality and justice.
Black lives have been intertwined in LGBTQ history, and while it’s important to value these notable individuals, it’s also important to note that progress still needs to be made. In 2021, A staggering 33 percent of Black LGBTQ Americans reported facing discrimination, leading to one in three avoiding public spaces. Black voices and history should not be forced into the shadows. Despite the progress we’ve made, months like Black History and Pride Month are tools to recognize our voices and struggles and charter the course for liberation. Our battle isn’t done until all individuals have equal rights.
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