SHOWCASING IMAGES OF DIVERSITY
Portraits Highlight the Variety of Black Gay Life and Put a Face on an Often-Invisible Group
by Johnathon E. Briggs
Tribune staff reporter
When he opened an unusual portrait exhibit of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender African-Americans, in the heart of Bronzeville, photographer Richard Lee Gray braced himself for a backlash.
But it never came. Instead, nearly two dozen 16-by-20 inch portraits have drawn praise for the compelling way in which they make visible an often-invisible group within the black community.
Co-sponsored by the Chicago Commission on Human Relations in observance of Black History Month, Gray's black-and-white studies showcase the variety of black gay life: from civil rights activists to the hip-hop generation, ministers to actors, singles to couples, HIV-positive and not.
The free exhibit "We Are Here," which closes Thursday but will reopen at two sites later this year, is believed to be the first of its kind in Chicago. | |
"The people on the wall are not being outed, the black community is," said Gray, a retired social worker. "You can't use, `Oh, to be gay is to be white.'"
Though some segments of African-American society remain mum about homosexuality, others, including many conservative churches, oppose it. Still, historians say gays have played prominent roles in Bronzeville, as far back as the 1930s.
At Steelelife Gallery, where the exhibit is showing, a book full of mostly anonymous comments suggests that the candid portraits affirmed the experiences of some visitors, while opening the eyes of others.
"Thank you so much for this wonderful learning experience," wrote a Chicago police officer.
Gray, 61, was spurred to action last spring while viewing "Just Married," an exhibit of images taken by photojournalists during the 29 days that San Francisco offered same-sex marriage. The exhibit was at the Hull House Center for Arts and Culture. Some of Gray's friends complained that the exhibit featured few black people and that those who were shown were with white partners....
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