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List of African-American LGBT people

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This is a list of Black/African Americans who are also members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or intersex communities.

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (November 2023)

Historical figures

Name Lifetime Nationality Notable as Communities
Alain LeRoy Locke 1885–1954 American Philosopher, writer, educator, art patron Queer, Gay
Barbara Jordan 1936–1996 American Lawyer, educator, politician, first African-American woman elected to the United States House of Representatives LGBTQ+

Government and politics

Name Political Party State Occupation
Andrew Gillum Democrat Florida Mayor of Tallahassee
Lori Lightfoot Democrat Illinois Mayor of Chicago
Vernetta Alston Democrat North Carolina North Carolina State Representative
Stormie Forte Democrat North Carolina Raleigh City Councilwoman
Gordon Fox Democrat Rhode Island State Legislature
Rashad Taylor Democrat Georgia State Legislature
Althea Garrison Republican Massachusetts Judge and US Representative
Pat Spearman Democrat Nevada Nevada State Senator
Marcus Brandon Democrat North Carolina North Carolina State Representative
Ron Oden Democrat California Mayor
Bruce Harris Republican New Jersey Mayor
Keith St. John Democrat New York City Councilman
Darrin P. Gayles Democrat Florida United States Federal Judge
Kelvin Atkinson Democrat Nevada Former Nevada Senate Majority Leader
Ritchie Torres Democrat New York US Representative
Erick Russell Democrat Connecticut Connecticut State Treasurer
Laphonza Butler Democrat California US Senator

Entertainment and media

Name Occupation
McKinley Belcher III Actor
Kemah Bob Comedian and drag king
Lee Daniels Film and television producer
Little Richard Singer
Don Lemon CNN News anchor and journalist
Bessie Smith Singer
Raven-Symoné Actress and singer
Patrick Ian Polk Film director, producer, singer, and actor
Frank Ocean Singer, songwriter, and rapper
Wanda Sykes Actress and comedian
Kevin Abstract Singer, songwriter, director and rapper
Daryl Stephens Actor
Angel Haze Rapper
LZ Granderson Journalist and commentator CNN and ESPN
Charles M. Blow Columnist for The New York Times
Paris Barclay Director, producer, and writer
Andre Leon Talley Journalist and editor
Terrance Dean Writer and author
Audre Lorde Author and feminist
Alice Walker Author and poet
Tracy Chapman Singer
RuPaul Actor, drag queen, and television personality
Tarell Alvin McCraney Playwright and actor
James Baldwin Author
Janet Mock Writer, TV host, and transgender rights activist
Isis King Model and designer
Alvin Ailey Choreographer and activist
Azealia Banks Rapper
Nell Carter Actress and singer
Billy Porter Actor, singer, fashion icon
Laverne Cox Actress and LGBTQ advocate
Janelle Monáe Singer-songwriter, actress, model, and record producer
Mo'Nique Comedian and actress
Sir Lady Java Drag queen, actress, and transgender rights activist
Amandla Stenberg Actress and singer
Tessa Thompson Actress
Mel Tomlinson Ballet dancer and choreographer
Karamo Brown Television personality and activist
François Clemmons Actor and singer
Lil Nas X Rapper, singer, and songwriter
Harrison David Rivers Playwright
Luther Vandross Singer, songwriter, record producer.
Todrick Hall Singer, songwriter, dancer, producer, director, choreographer
Le1f Rapper and producer
Colman Domingo Actor, playwright, director, producer, professor.
Angie Stardust Singer, actress, drag artist
Queen Latifah Rapper and Actress
Amythyst Kiah Singer, songwriter, musician
Marlon Riggs filmmaker
LeRoy Whitfield Journalist
Terry Blade Singer, songwriter, lyricist
Emira D'Spain Model, social media influencer, magazine director
Ma Rainey Singer
Niecy Nash Actress and comedian
Tyler, the Creator Rapper
Frank Ocean Singer, songwriter, musician
Steve Lacy Singer, musician
Khalid Singer, songwriter
Jason Collins Basketball player
Name Known For
Shea Couleé American drag queen, musician, actor
Dorian Corey American drag performer and fashion designer
Honey Davenport American drag performer, singer, songwriter, actor and activist
David Hampton Con artist
Angela Davis Political activist, academic
CeCe McDonald LGBTQ advocate
DeRay Mckesson Activist and educator
Marsha P. Johnson Gay liberation activist and Stonewall Riot veteran
Bayard Rustin Political and Black rights activist
Flawless Shade Drag queen and make-up artist
Kornbread Jeté Drag queen
Mary Anne Adams Activist for Black community/Black, elderly lesbians, academic, founder of NAMI NOBLA

References

  1. Entries with no sourced year of birth available are marked with a "?".
  2. All entries contain a reliably sourced reference. Entries may also contain a letter indicating Lesbian, Gay, or Bisexual.
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  35. "Audre Lorde on Being a Black Lesbian Feminist". english.illinois.edu. Archived from the original on 2017-08-02. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  36. "Women's History Month Heroes: Alice Walker". GLSEN. March 9, 2011. Retrieved 2019-06-27.
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  38. Okura, Lynn (2013-11-12). "RuPaul's Partner Of 19 Years Is A Rancher From Wyoming (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
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  42. Qween, Hey (2017-06-20). "Model Isis King Talks Her Transition, Homelessness and 'Top Model'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  43. "Alvin Ailey Gay African American Dance Pioneer". Lavender Magazine. 2007-12-21. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  44. Ciara Appelbaum. "36 celebrities you never knew are bisexual". Business Insider. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  45. "Nell Hardy Carter (1948-2003) • BlackPast". BlackPast. 2015-03-06. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  46. Benjamin, Jessica (2021-02-02). "Billy Porter on London Pride and being a fashion icon". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2023-11-20.
  47. "Laverne Cox". Biography. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  48. "Pansexual is not the same as bisexual. Janelle Monáe is bringing visibility to us all". USA Today. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  49. Duncan, Charlie (2023-04-07). "Mo'Nique comes out in Netflix special and slams religion for 'ripping apart motherf**king families'". PinkNews. Retrieved 2023-04-08.
  50. Zonkel, Phillip (2018-02-15). "Black History Month: Sir Lady Java was a transgender trailblazer who challenged police harassment". Q Voice News. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  51. "'Hunger Games' star Amandla Stenberg: 'Yep, I'm gay, not bi or pan'". USA Today. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
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  62. "Colman Domingo Explains How He Met His Husband On Craigslist". February 23, 2021. Retrieved 2021-02-23.
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  65. Treacy, Christopher (2023-01-05). "Q&A With Terry Blade • Country Queer". Country Queer. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  66. "Meet Emira D'spain, The First Black Transgender Model To Work With Victoria's Secret". Nylon. March 7, 2022.
  67. "Niecy Nash makes wife Jessica Betts' prom 'dreams come true': See the photos". ABC News. Retrieved 2024-06-26.
  68. "Tyler The Creator Is The Latest Male Celebrity To Reveal He's Bisexual". ELLE. 2017-08-17. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
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  70. Shanfeld, Ethan (2023-08-08). "'I Feel Free': Steve Lacy Confronts 'Bad Habit' Fame, Not Apologizing for That Camera Smash and Why Coming Out Is 'Silly'". Variety. Retrieved 2024-10-15.
  71. Mier, Tomás (2024-11-23). "Khalid Comes Out as Gay After Being Outed: 'I Am Not Ashamed'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  72. "Jason Collins becomes the first openly gay NBA player". BBC News. 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  73. "Drag Race star Shea Couleé on why we should all be uplifting trans women of colour for Pride". GAY TIMES. 2019-06-05. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  74. "The True Story Of The Drag Performer With A Mummy In Her Closet Portrayed On 'Pose'". Investigation Discovery. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
  75. Cooridinator, DNA Online (2019-10-24). "Honey Davenport In Australia To Raise Awareness Of Queer People Of Colour". DNA. Retrieved 2022-09-20.
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  77. "Award Stripped From Lesbian Civil Rights Icon Angela Davis". The Advocate. 2019-01-09. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  78. Erdely, Sabrina Rubin (2014-07-30). "The Transgender Crucible". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
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  80. "DeRay Mckesson Wants You to Come Out of the Quiet". The Advocate. 2015-12-24. Retrieved 2016-02-08.
  81. "Marsha P. Johnson, a Transgender Pioneer and Activist". The New York Times. 2018-03-08. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-02-20.
  82. "Bayard Rustin: the gay black pacifist at the heart of the March on Washington". The Guardian. 2013-08-23. Retrieved 2019-12-27.
  83. African Americans doing feminism : putting theory into everyday practice. Aaronette M. White. Albany: State University of New York (SUNY) Press. 2010. ISBN 978-1-4384-3143-7. OCLC 794698965.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
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