GLAAD Down South brings Black LGBTQ+ storytellers together

On May Black queer Atlantans gathered at MODEx Studio for GLAAD Down South an event celebrating LGBTQ Southerners storytellers and people living with HIV The event produced in partnership with GILEAD Sciences was designed to amplify GLAAD s mission of amplifying LGBTQ and HIV narratives across the South as effective strategies in the fight against HIV and anti-LGBTQ attacks We listen to trans women queer youth Latinx leaders faith-based advocates because they ve inevitably known what true care looks like and we re here to follow their lead Marcus Wilson the Director of GILEAD Sciences commented So as we connect tonight let this gathering be a reminder that the South is not a complication to be solved it s a power to be respected Our stories are not side notes they are strategy Panelists and speakers shared personal stories about navigating different facets of authentic queer identity in conjunction with Black society and neighborhood The panelists are going to be able to share personal experiences and stories so don t take those things for granted as people share and be vulnerable in this space because that s who we are in the South DeWayne Queen the President of Delta Air Line s LGBTQ organization and the evening s host stated We don t mind telling you our business but we want you to respect it Darian Aaron the Director of Local News U S South at GLAAD kicked off the evening with a conversation with Dr David Malebranche the Senior Director of Global HIV Health Affairs at GILEAD Dr Malebranche a longtime HIV clinician discussed receiving his own HIV evaluation and deciding to publicly disclose in a speech at a global HIV conference Darian Aaron left and Dr David Malebranche Photo by Katie Burkholder In Queering a Radically Inclusive Faith award-winning journalist Rashad Walker moderated a conversation with faith leaders Jai Davis Rev Mashaun D Simon and Dr Kylan Pew in which they discussed how to create a space in Christianity for the fullness of Black queer expression and how to look beyond the boundaries of traditional faith My work is about queering Black faith not just for Christians but for Muslims for spiritualists for doulas for those who practice Yoruba faith Dr Pew declared I am curating content for us to know that the call to worship is the pregame The sermon is in the drag performance The neighborhood is under the lights at Bulldogs I am tithing to the creatives Toni-Michelle Williams the Executive Director of Snap Co moderated Centering Black Trans Voices a conversation among Dr Elijah Nichols Simaya Charlize Turner Toi Washington-Reynolds and Amari McGee about how they confront the current political surroundings as Black trans people Before we had rights we had society Turner disclosed Before this administration was able to roll back protections that have really only existed for less than years we were still able to get the work done remember that we created an underground railroad of tools before there ever was any protection From left Toni-Michelle Williams Amari McGee Simaya Charlize Turner Dr Elijah Nichols and Toi Washington-Reynolds Photo by Katie Burkholder Closing out the panels award-winning journalist LaPorsche Thomas led Increasing Visibility Black Queer Women in Media Naima Starr Renee Mowatt and Adah Duvall Pittman-Delancey discussed representation in the media the connection between erasure and lack of safety and the power of taking up space Your silence won t protect you Mowatt disclosed I think as queer people we ve learned that our silence is genuinely protection We have to unlearn that The night concluded with the first GLAAD Down South Media Awards for excellence in journalism granted to music and way of life reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Consitution DeAsia Paige and former New York Times columnist MSNBC political analyst and Harvard fellow Charles Blow To work with GLAAD in sharing your story contact Darian Aaron at daaron glaad org The post GLAAD Down South brings Black LGBTQ storytellers together appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta