Unheard Voices: A Collection of Narratives by Black, Gay and Bisexual Men

197 Pages·2021·2.866 MB·English

by  Richard Greggory Johnson III (editor), Kevin O. Spencer (editor), Annie Allen (editor)

Unheard Voices
A volume in
Contemporary Perspectives on LGBTQ Advocacy in Societies
Lemuel W. Watson and Joshua Moon Johnson, Series Editors

Unheard Voices
A Collection of Narratives
by Black, Gay and Bisexual Men
edited by
Richard Greggory Johnson III
University of San Francisco
Kevin O. Spencer
Independent Scholar
Annie Allen
Northwind Seminary
INFORMATION AGE PUBLISHING, INC.
Charlotte, NC • www.infoagepub.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A CIP record for this book is available from the Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov
ISBN: 978-1-64802-360-6 (Paperback)
978-1-64802-361-3 (Hardcover)
978-1-64802-362-0 (E-Book)
Copyright © 2021 Information Age Publishing Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission
from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
This volume of work is dedicated to the memory of my mother,
Mrs. Jeannette McFadden Johnson (1943–2005) who always supported my
professional work and personal ambitions . . . mom you are still greatly missed
and appreciated. This work is also dedicated to my brother and sister-in law,
Kerry and Angela Allen Johnson . . . they are both my greatest
livingcheerleaders. . . . I love them dearly.
—Dr. Richard Greggory Johnson III

I write these words in dedication to the memory of my mother
Nancy May Allen (1929–2020). She taught me by her example and
actions that everyone deserves love, dignity and freedom. She read every word
I ever wrote and was more than my proofreader, she was my cheerleader
and endless source of love and support.
—Rev. Annie Allen

This volume is dedicated to my mother, JoAnn W. Sanders, and my father
James L. Spencer. This is also dedicated to those marginalized souls whose
voices deserve to be heard. Indeed they matter.
—Kevin O. Spencer

CONTENTS
Preface ...................................................................................................ix
Annie Allen
1 Finding My Voice ...................................................................................1
Griff Bisbee
2 Certifiable ............................................................................................11
Gerald Cauley
3 Experiencing Love in What Started as Lust ......................................21
A. D. Burks
4 Forgiveness Is Not an Option .............................................................37
Kyle Haggerty
5 From Scratch: A Journey to Self .........................................................59
André T. Jackson
6 Life Does Matter: Walking in My Truth.............................................75
Richard Greggory Johnson III
7 My Life ..................................................................................................87
Ray Jordan
8 I Knew I Was Gay Before I Knew I Was Black ..................................103
Ean Oliver
vii
viii  Contents
9 I’ve Never Been to Me ........................................................................119
Kevin O. Spencer
10 Leading With Vulnerability: Dare to Be Yourself ...........................129
Lemuel Watson
11 Baby Love Yourself: Wisdom From an HBCU Black Gay
Mentor Who Saved My Life ..............................................................145
Mark Wilson
12 Invisibility in the Gay Mainstream ...................................................167
Victor Yates
About the Contributors .....................................................................177
PREFACE
You may ask why is a straight, mixed-race woman writing the Preface for
a book about gay Black men? I am neither lesbian, nor male, nor totally
Black. (I am of mixed race with an African American father and a mother
of German/French descent.) So, what would qualify me to participate in
such a project? I am an academic, but my interests aren’t purely theoreti-
cal. I have spent 35 years in higher education administration, specializing
in multicultural education and affirmative action. This book is far broader
than issues affecting education. I am also a person of faith, yet this is not a
book about theology. My last 13 years have been spent as an ordained cler-
gyperson. This book extends well beyond religion. So these things do not
explain my presence in this book.
As a woman, a woman of color, who possesses a curious mind, and quirky
views, and who has a very eclectic social and spiritual background, I have
always felt different and apart from the mainstream. I have often been es-
tranged from family and have felt isolated from mainstream society. My
parents were a mixed-race couple in the 1950s. Not accepted in the White
society and only marginally accepted in the Black community. Despite be-
ing a straight couple, they were generally accepted in the gay community in
New York City of the 1950s and 1960s; fellow outcasts, making community
with one another.
My first babysitter was Jesse, a fabulously gay, tall, dark-skinned Broad-
way dancer. Jesse taught me all the show tunes of the 1960s. At the age of
three, I remember swirling around the room with him, singing Hello Dolly
by Louis Armstrong. My parents’ best friends were Gladys and Iada, a White
Unheard Voices, pages ix–xv
Copyright © 2021 by Information Age Publishing
All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. ix