Source: Courtesy of Cassius / Courtesy of CASSIUS
Got Something to Say, CASSIUS’ four-part video series examining Black LGBTQ+ life in Atlanta, continues with “Episode 2: It Takes a Village.”
Host and narrator Darnell L. Moore spoke to DeeDee Ngozi Chamblee, Executive Director and Founder of LaGender Inc., about the mistreatment of the LGBTQ+ community by the police, including the series of uninvestigated murders of trans women and further dehumanization of their bodies. She also discussed the protests that occurred afterward, saying that violence was so much a part of their lives.
“A lot of folks see Atlanta as a place to go get rich and be famous,” Dr. Ashley Coleman Taylor, Ph.D. of the Georgia State University LGBT Black Oral History Project. “It’s a place you go and be cute and wear what you want. But it’s a false representation because there are limits of who gets to be accepted.”
Don’t get it twisted though — in the midst of tragedy, there were still fun times. Moore also learned more about the places where the culture was created, parties were celebrated, love was shared, and a community was built. One of those places? Piedmont Park.
Miko “Meak” Evans, Executive Producer & CVO of Meak Productions, Inc., explained the legacy of the park, which was predominantly a place for the white gay community. But Evans explained that at night and on the weekends, queer folks of color flooded the parking lot and blasted music for a good time.
Rev. Duncan E. Teague, Minister and Founder of Abundant Love Unitarian spoke about the history of how Black Gay Pride came to be. We also heard from Lawrence “Miss Lawrence” Washington, who is a cast member on FOX’s hit series, Star, about his experience growing up in South Atlanta in the ’90s.
Check it out below and click here for a brief history of how the city became the home of a lasting legacy.
