The first person I am aware of that did films focused on black queer voices was Marlon Riggs. Marlon was concerned about the lack of representation in films of LGBT African-Americans and he was concerned about the narratives in cinema that only told stories from a male focus and from a white focus. He picked up the camera and introduced us to a world of folks that did not see things the way filmmakers up to that point did.
As a filmmaker, he created such groundbreaking works as Black Is, Black Ain't and Tongues Untied. As a writer, he is most notably recognized for his anthology Brother to Brother: Collected Writings by Black Gay Men. Today, black queer filmmakers and authors are commonplace. But when I see cinema from creatives like Patrik Ian Polk, Maurice Jamal, Dee Rees and Lena Waite; and when I read books by E. Lynn Harris and James Earl Hardy, I know that Riggs was the prototype.
He was years ahead of his time. And I think his voice is still one that should be elevated when we celebrate Black History month. Below is a rare interview with the brilliant man:
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