Keith Boykin: You Inspire Me

Happy Birthday Keith Boykin. Keith was born forty-seven years ago today (at least that’s the case according to Wikipedia). I have for some time been an admirer of Mr. Boykin. Years ago when the blogosphere was only just beginning I somehow stumbled upon his blog (www.keithboykin.com). Keith’s blog was dedicated to the individuals and issues of the black same-gender loving community. I was immediately hooked. Nowhere else could I go to get all that information. I found myself navigating to his site almost daily.

Though he no longer manages a daily blog, Keith inspired many black gay men and women to take to the web and to start addressing issues that were relevant to us on their own sites. Soon there blogs specifically for the African-American LGBT community all over the web, but it was Keith that started the trend. What is discouraging to me is that many of the great blogs that he inspired have gone away. It is understandable when you consider the time it takes to constantly contribute to a daily blog when there is little (or no) reward reaped for the hard work one puts in.

He inspired me to start this blog, The J Spot and it is because of this blog that I now get why blogs don’t last long. I don’t post nearly as often as I did when I initially started. Work, life and family and other things tend to get in the way. But I still get the notion to post something every now and then so I won’t call it quits just yet.

But I did want to take a moment to thank the man that has been one of the most outspoken of the black gay community. Mr. Boykin you continue to inspire me. Thank you for your blog that gave me so much knowledge. Thank you for your books that give visibility and insight to our often invisible community. And thank you for your voice. Please continue to represent our community with dignity, grace and intellect. I think you are an inspiration to many others as well as me.